Director: Ang Lee
Stars: Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott, Josh Lucas, Nick Nolte, Paul Kersey, Cara Buono, Todd Tesen, Kevin O Rankin
Certificate: 12A
Running time: 137 minutes

Following the success of comic book tie-ins such as Spider-Man, Daredevil and the X-Men films, it was only a matter of time before The Hulk was brought to life on the big screen.

As with most comic book spin-offs, the initial film does not have much of a storyline. This could really be for one of two reasons: the first film is being used to introduce storylines and characters (the reason commonly used by film studios), or perhaps the stories are actually rather weak in the first instance. At any rate, The Hulk does not have too much of a story, as we are being introduced to the characters and any ensuing storylines to come in the inevitable sequels.

With Ang Lee directing, you can be assured that the action sequences will be impressive, as he already has films such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon under his belt. What he also manages to do is bring a bit more emotion to the characters, which almost manages to give the weak storyline additional depth.

With a cast of quality actors such as Eric Bana as Bruce Banner, the lovely Jennifer Connelly as his colleague (and love interest) Betty Ross, Sam Elliot as Betty’s father (and the man charged to bring down The Hulk), and Nick Nolte as Dr David Banner, complimented by some quite stunning special effects you know that the on-screen product will have something that is worth watching.

The best thing about the film is the special effects. The decision was taken to make the title character completely computer-generated (as it would be too difficult to do it with a real-life actor), but director Ang Lee himself donned the motion capture suit that was used to get the basic movements of the superhero. The end result is very impressive, and more than makes up for the weak storyline.

All in all, The Hulk is another comic book super-hero flick, so you can switch your brain to “snooze”, and just enjoy the spectacle for a couple of hours.