When Hulk arrived in 2003 the superhero genre as we know it was still in its infancy. Before X-Men heralded in the new age of comic book movies, superheroes (other than some choice examples from the World's Finest) were known for little more than cheesy action. This context is important when dealing with Ang Lee's take on Bruce Banner, an entertaining blockbuster that get's all but ignored. The cinematic rules for superheroes were woefully basic and this more ponderous take on a character really didn't speak to audiences who wanted Spider-Man-style action. This has always been an issue with the character - Bruce Banner's struggles with anger are more immediately engaging than seeing his indestructible alter-ego fight - and as the first of two failed attempts this one still gets much of the flack. Then you have some of Lee's more contentious visual decisions. Opting to invoke panels of comics at multiple points through the film is a novel concept, but to an audience to whom the wounds of Batman And Robin's camp were still raw something so garish really didn't excite. Having a film's visual style mimic the source was employed to acclaim in Life Of Pi, but in the much harder to please landscape of superheroes being adventurous didn't pay off.
