 Poor
Marvel Comics. While they do own some of the most popular
comic book characters, they haven't always had good luck bringing
their superheroes to life in live-action adventures. It is
true that THE INCREDIBLE HULK generated big ratings for CBS
as a weekly series and then NBC in a trilogy of TV movies,
many other Marvel properties fizzled when they were converted
to prime time television and the big screen.
 The
late 1970s version of SPIDER-MAN actually captured decent
ratings but was savaged by critics and ignored by the network
who refused to greenlight more than 13 episodes over the course
of two years. A pilot movie about DR. STRANGE aired against
ROOTS and was lost in the shuffle. Similarly, two pilot movies
about CAPTAIN AMERICA failed to generate enough interest in
a weekly series. Other proposed series' featuring THE HUMAN
TORCH and THE SUBMARINER never made it off the ground. DC
Comics, on the other hand, saw THE ADVENTURES OF SUPER-MAN,
BAT-MAN, WONDER WOMAN, LOIS & CLARK and SMALLVILLE become
successful series television. Even THE FLASH managed to achieve
a cult status that most of Marvel's live-action efforts could
not match.
 On
the big screen, Marvel had even worse luck for many years.
The SUPER-MAN movies starring Christopher Reeve had become
box office champs, pulling in hundreds of millions of dollars
for WARNER BROTHERS. Marvel's first big budget live-action
film was HOWARD THE DUCK - a comic adaptation about a wisecracking
duck from another planet. Riddled with hokey puns, terrible
acting and a duck that looked anything but realistic, the
movie earned about $16 million at the box office against the
$45 million that it cost to make. The fourth Super-Man movie
was also a bomb for DC, but the company roared back when the
first three BAT-MAN movies earned hundreds of millions of
dollars.
 Marvel
movies faced endless problems. SPIDER-MAN was caught in red
tape. Adaptations of THE PUNISHER and CAPTAIN AMERICA went
direct to video because they were so bad. A low-budget version
of THE FANTASTIC FOUR was quietly finished and then buried
without even a legitimate video release.
 By
the late 1990s, however, the Marvel Movie curse began to vanish.
An adaptation of BLADE starring Wesley Snipes captured big
bucks, as it its sequel. Then, a year 2000 adaptation of THE
X-MEN by Bryan Singer took in an astonishing $300 million
at the box office and earned critical reviews, thanks to a
terrific cast. But all the doors were blown off when Sam Raimi's
2002 adaptation of SPIDER-MAN set numerous box office records.
The film starring Tobey Macquire took in more than $800 million
worldwide, becoming the most successful comic book adaptation
in history. Even with inflation taken into account, Spider-Man
packed more of a punch at the box office than any of the SUPER-MAN
or BAT-MAN movies. The picture will likely become 2002's most
popular film and managed to out-perform STAR WARS: ATTACK
OF THE CLONES by more than $100 million in North America.
 With
Marvel now vindicated, other properties are on their way to
the big screen. Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner will be starring
in a 2003 adaptation of DAREDEVIL. But more importantly, THE
INCREDIBLE HULK was finally greenlighted to become a major
motion picture. Directed by Ang Lee of CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN
DRAGON and shot on the east coast of the USA, the new film
boased spectacular new special effects. Australian actor,
Eric Bana (Black Hawk Down) will assume the role of the tormented
Bruce Banner. Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind, The Rocketeer,
Labyrinth) will assume the role of Betty Ross, Banner's love
interest. Other cast-members include Sam Elliot, Josh Lucas,
and Nick Nolte. The Hulk himself was fully computer generated
though audiences will be treated with cameos by Lou Ferrigo
and Stan Lee in the new film.
THE HULK arrived
in theaters in the summer of 2003, earning mixed reviews and
a somewhat "disappointing" box office take of $241.6
million in box office receipts worldwide, making it the 13th
most popular movie of 2003. Critics were divided as were Hulk
fans. Some applauded Ang Lee's direction, while others proclaimed
that he made the Hulk to long, talky and borning. While Universal
probably had higher hopes for the $137 million dollar movie
to earn more money, the Hulk performed well enough at the
box office and on video that a sequel is reportedly in the
works.
Here's
a review from Hulk Fan,
Matthew Moore.
Cast:
Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott, Nick Nolte, Josh
Lucas
Directed by: Ang Lee
Writer: James Schamus
Produced by: Gale Anne Hurd, Avi Arad, James Schamus,
Larry Franco
Executive Producers: Stan Lee, Kevin Feige
For more
information about the new movie starring our Green Goliath,
visit http://www.thehulk.com!
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