Hulk (2003 film)

Hulk is a 2003 American superhero film based on the fictional Marvel Comics |character of the same name directed by Ang Lee which stars Billy Crudup as Bruce Banner, Jennifer Connelly as Betty Ross, William Hurt as General Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross, and Riley Smith as Rick Jones. The film explores the origins of Bruce Banner, who after an accident involving gamma radiation finds himself able to turn into a huge green-skinned monster whenever he is emotionally provoked or stressed, while he is pursued by the United States military.

Hulk premiered at the Universal Amphitheatre in Universal City, California, on June 15, 2003, and was released in the United States on June 20, 2003, by Universal Pictures. It received praise for its visuals, action sequences, and portrayal of the title character, and grossed over $263 million worldwide.

Plot
Bruce Banner is the son of Dr. Brian Banner, an atomic physicist, and his wife Rebecca. Although Rebecca deeply loved Bruce, who returned her affection, Brian hated their child. Brian never wanted children because of what happened to him and his sisters. An alcoholic, and a very, very angry man, Brian was driven by an insane jealousy of Bruce for being an object of Rebecca's love. Further, Brian believed that his radiation work had altered his DNA and given him a mutant son. These factors led to Brian abusing Bruce physically. Bruce's life reached a turning point when Brian murdered Rebecca and was placed in a mental hospital after being removed from his father's negative influence. After that, Bruce was raised by his aunt and father's sister, Susan Banner, who understood his great pain and rage over his childhood sufferings. Susan raised Bruce with love and care as if he were her own child.

After graduating high school, Bruce studied nuclear physics in Navapo, New Mexico, at Desert State University. He also studied for a time at Harvard University, and later transferred to Pennsylvania State University. Bruce obtained his doctorate in nuclear physics at Caltech. Eventually, as an adult and a genius in nuclear physics, Banner wished to pursue philanthropic brands of science, but couldn't receive any financial funding for his projects, and thus in lack of other options, went to work at a United States Department of Defense nuclear research facility in New Mexico. There, Banner met General Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross, the Air Force officer in command of the base, and his daughter Betty Ross. Banner designed and oversaw construction of the "Gamma Bomb" or "G-bomb," a nuclear weapon possessing a high gamma radiation output.

Banner was present in the instrumentation bunker at the test site for the first underground test detonation of the Gamma Bomb. Observing that a civilian had breached security and entered the restricted test area, Banner told his colleague Igor Drenkov to delay the countdown while he tried to escort the civilian to safety. Drenkov, secretly a Russian agent, did nothing, confident that Banner would die in the explosion, bringing the project to a halt. Reaching the civilian, a teenager named Rick Jones, Banner threw him into a protective trench. Before Banner could get himself to safety, the Gamma Bomb detonated, and intense waves of radiation reached the surface. Banner was irradiated with highly charged radioactive particles.

Banner and Rick were recovered from the military and Banner did not stop screaming in agony for many hours. Left in isolation to presumably die of radiation poisoning both men survived. When night falls, Jones turns on a "radio," actually a Geiger counter. Its clicking increases and Banner changes into a huge green figure, known as the Hulk. He pushes through the wall, wrecks a jeep full of soldiers when it hits him, and wanders off to hide.

Rick, feeling indebted to Bruce for saving his life went after the Hulk to make sure nobody got hurt. Hulk then went to Betty's house and knocked on the door. Betty opened, thinking that it was his father, but upon realizing it was the Hulk she began screaming at him and demanded to know what the Hulk has done to Banner. Betty then fainted into Hulk's arms, and the Hulk was suddenly surrounded by the army. Hulk easily defeated the army and left. The next morning, Bruce was woken up in the desert by Rick where he apparently fainted. When Banner asked Rick how he found him, Rick showed Banner a trail of destruction left from Hulk's battle with the army, causing Banner to realize that he was dangerous as the Hulk. Banner then refused Rick's offer to go to the latter's house, unwilling to put someone in danger, however, Rick pointed out that they have to be together since Banner saved Rick's life. Banner and Rick then went to a cave with a room that could contain the Hulk, and Banner instructed Rick how to operate a mechanical door to lock the scientist inside, ordering Rick not to let him out unless it was Bruce Banner's voice asking to be let out. Banner then entered the room and soon turned into the Hulk and inevitably smashed his way out in order to get free to kill Bruce Banner, whom he believed was the one who caged him.

Later the Hulk discovered that Rick was captured by the army for questioning and attacked the base to rescue him, but he took Betty instead. After escaping, Hulk brought Betty to the cave and protected her before being found by the army. Hulk fights the army and nearly killed General Ross, who was there until Betty begged Hulk to not do it, Hulk then left. The next morning, Hulk reverted back to Bruce Banner, and Rick found Banner in the desert, they managed to get some clothes for Banner, and returned to the base, with Banner knowing that he cannot let the people believe the Hulk killed him, there Banner was confronted by Ross, who demanded to know about Banner's disappearance.

The next time Banner turned into the Hulk, he tore a path of destruction all the way to his lab where he caught Igor trying to steal his gamma bomb plans. Igor was no match for the brute strength of the Hulk and was easily subdued. When Rick tried to get the Hulk to understand that he was really Bruce Banner, the Hulk rejected Banner as a weakling. However, as the sun began to rise, the Hulk reverted back to Bruce Banner before the military arrived.

With Igor in custody, the spy used a micro-transmitter hidden under his fingernail to contact his commander, the gamma-ray mutated man known as the Gargoyle. As the Gargoyle smuggled himself into America, Bruce and Rick tried to flee into the desert before nightfall in case Banner transformed into the Hulk again. When Bruce transformed into the Hulk once again, he crossed paths with Betty Ross, who had gone looking for Banner worried about his well being and she fainted at the sight of the Hulk. The Gargoyle then appeared and used his mind control pellets to subdue the Hulk and Rick smuggle them to Russia. However, as their rocket crossed the globe into daylight the Hulk reverted back to Banner. The Gargoyle was more impressed with capturing Banner and secreted him away to a lab. However, there the Gargoyle lamented about his mutation and asked Banner for help to be restored to normal.

Banner helped and succeeded in restoring the Gargoyle to human form. In thanks, the former Gargoyle helped Banner and Rick escape back to America, sacrificing his life to do so in the process. Although Banner and Rick managed to get away safely, the constant fear of the Hulk would loom over Banner for years to come.

Cast
Hulk co-creator/executive producer Stan Lee and Lou Ferrigno made cameo appearances as security guards.
 * Billy Crudup as Bruce Banner
 * Lou Ferrigno provides vocal performance as the Hulk.
 * Jennifer Connelly as Betty Ross
 * William Hurt as General Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross
 * Riley Smith as Rick Jones
 * Tim Roth as Igor Drenkov
 * Nick Nolte as Brian Banner
 * Cara Buono as Rebecca Banner
 * Paget Brewster as Susan Banner

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Development
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Production
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Theatrical
Hulk premiered on June 15, 2003, at the Universal Amphitheatre in Universal City, California and was released in theaters on June 20 in the United States, where it opened in 3,505 theaters.

Home media
Hulk was released on VHS and DVD on October 28, 2003. The DVD included behind-the-scenes footage, and cast and crew commentaries. The film was released on HD DVD format on December 12, 2006, and it was later released on Blu-ray on September 16, 2008.

Critical response
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Box office
Hulk earned $134.8 million in the United States and Canada, as well as $128.6 million from other territories, for a worldwide total of $263.4 million. The film earned $55.4 million in its opening weekend, becoming the top film at the box office.

Hulk also opened in 38 other countries, adding $31 million to the total opening. Its openings in Mexico and Russia created records for Universal. The film grossed 24 million yuan (roughly $3.4 million) in its Chinese opening.