I loved this when it first came out, but it was always a bit of a guilty pleasure (I wrote a short piece ten years ago saying just that). As time has passed, and with a recent 4K rewatch, the film boasts a level of craft and emotion sorely lacking in the latest MCU and DCEU output, let alone other Hollywood/streaming fare.
What some felt was a hokey literal interpretation, with a full lean into the comic book panels/split-screen aesthetic, I was always a huge fan of that and referenced it many times in my own creative work whenever split-screen was required.
Looking now with (partially) fresh eyes, all those dissolves, wipes, split screens, and split diopter shots all make for a dazzlingly engaging piece of cinema. It is so visually clear in its narration of the story, you can watch it silently and still track the key plot points with ease.
As you age, you eventually learn to stop caring about trying to fit in with groupthink and get more comfortable with your own opinions. With art, you should go more with your gut and stand proud with what gives you pleasure, regardless of whether the crowd does or doesn't like it.
Freed of my totally self-imposed shackles of being in my own closet about the film, HULK is premium pulp cinema that expertly weaves in much deeper themes of family, succession and emotional trauma. It features one of the gruffest performances of Nolte put to film, which is worth the entrance fee alone.
Other highlights - Josh Lucas refining his onscreen shitheel persona, Sam Elliot growling under that tash, Jennifer Connelly looking lovingly into various microscopes, Eric Bana looking confused for the majority of the film, the various Zen-HULK moments like staring lovingly at bushes and leaping vast distances whilst enjoying the wind on his brow, and proper cinematography where you can actually see the story being told visually.
The 4K release is impeccable too, a fine example of the format, heavily recommended if you have the setup. HULK remains a must-watch for those who haven't seen it, and well worth a rewatch if you haven't seen it in some time.
*As an aside, HULK’s incredible title sequence, detailed wonderfully by Art of the Title, shares some aesthetic (and tonal) similarities with the Safdies’ Uncut Gems title sequence, as we travel through the 5,000-carat opal up and out of Howard Ratner’s ass.