9. Hulk - Promotion & Marketing
This entry is a little different in that it is not a misstep by the film itself, but its inclusion is entirely justified when you take a look at the box office for Ang Lee's misunderstood attempt. A drop of almost 70% in the second week of audience figures shows that fans expectations were definitely not met and it is still heavily criticised by some fans today. The failure of Hulk cannot be solely attributed to the marketing team. There are plot issues, instances of dodgy CGI, and an agonisingly long-wait for our first glimpse of the big green guy. But I still have a soft spot for it. It gives us an interesting take (I love the comic book style editing) on the Hulk's origin, with some cool action scenes to boot. But it took me a long time to get where I am today and that is where the misstep lies here. Instead of promoting an intelligent, thought-provoking character study with some awesome action scenes, Marvel decided to stuff every single Hulk appearance into the trailer and lead everyone into believing they were going to watch a fun filled Hulk smash 'em up. So it only makes sense that many fans left the theatre feeling a mixture of anger, disappointment and confusion. I can understand the need to hold something back from the audience, but to mislead them entirely often leads to disastrous results and nowhere is this more evident than here. Watching it today, without the hype, it is nowhere near as bad as was originally made out. The issues obviously remain but by focusing on the psychological aspects of Bruce's condition, Ang Lee delivered a thoughtful, occasionally flawed but different take on a comic book movie. Whilst not reaching the highs of a Nolan and Singer movie, it remains a refreshing examination of an often misunderstood Marvel icon.