10 Brilliant Films That Are Easy Targets For Haters

Largely reviled upon its initial release, Ang Lee's Hulk remains a disrespected gem that sharply balances larger-than-life superhero mayhem and affecting interpersonal drama. 

The film has remained a punching bag for all of these years. But was Lee's movie really that bad? Or was it just not what audiences were expecting? There's a familiar rhythm to comic-book movies, but Lee wasn't interested in going through the motions, and instead of adhering to traditional genre expectations, he subverted them. 

Hulk certainly isn’t a typical superhero movie, but that's what's great about it.

Looking at the film in retrospect reveals a somber, thoughtful, would-be blockbuster the likes of which hasn't been attempted in a big screen Marvel movie before or since. Hulk isn't a film that aims to please its carnage-seeking audience, nor does it even seem like it wants to succeed on the terms clearly agreed upon in the context of a summer action movie.

It doesn’t deserve its bad reputation. While it may not be as perversely satisfying as The Dark Knight or as sublimely melodramatic as Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2, it’s earned the right to be mentioned in the same breath. Its status as the sacrificial lamb among superhero movies, proving there was a limit as to how “artsy” these kinds of films should be allowed to get, is unfortunate, because it’s well worth a watch.