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 Ang Lee, Jennifer Connelly,
and Josh Lucas drew me to this movie, and Eric Bana was a great choice for
the lead role.
Why this movie earns your
time: The great scene at the San Francisco streetside curb where
Connelly and Bana embrace, summarizing all the emotions of their
fates. This is the scene that made this movie for me.
Other things to watch
for: How Ang Lee uses the image of the twisted, desert tree trunk as
chapter beginnings of the different times of Bruce's life. The
camera cut from Bana's eyes to frog's eyes--suggesting how the experiments
of the frog and Bana are joined.
Look at the style--There is
the cut from a still photo to action--and the cut from three columns of
pictures on the screen and how the first and last columns become the
frames of a door. This style of many frames of photos on the screen
is slightly introduced at first and then it becomes more and more toward
the end--suggesting the growing conflict.
The script uses two,
important scenes that are repeated for furthering the plot. First,
Bana and Connelly are in Bana's apartment where they are eating at the
table. She brings up the topic of his parents--one of the major
conflicts of the movie that makes you wait for the answer at the
end. Ang Lee uses the image of the bedroom door open and how the
camera pans in toward the room and all you see is blackness--like Bruce's
memory of this period in his life. Continuing on--Bana tells
Connelly he doesn't remember anything about his birth parents.
The second scene also occurs
at the table while they are eating. However, this time it is at
Connelly's house and the conversation is a continuation of the last
one--this time of Bruce's repressed memories. This furthers the plot
by reiterating a major conflict in Bruce's personal life.
Also, looking at Eric Bana
and Josh Lucas is enough. And yes, the "actual" Hulk
scenes, with his compassionate face, are great.
Finally, how the movie ends
brings back to memory the wandering Hulk from the popular TV
episodes. This echoing from the past to the present movie combines
the emotions from both. Also, the movie answers some of the
questions about Bruce's life.
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