The main problem with the Hulk, visually, is that it's so difficult to render an out of control beast that still fits in some kind of reality in the present day. When the Hulk emerged as a comic book character and tv show, bodybuilders were just big enough to look a little freaky and a real actor could take on the role and not look out of place. Now, with all the chemicals available, pro bodybuilders look downright otherworldly - taking the Hulk a step beyond that makes him cartoonish. In the first film, he looked like the Pillsbury Doughboy; in the current offering, Hulk looks like a malformed children's action figure plopped down on a city street.
The solution would be to visually remake the world that the Hulk lives in to be more like a comic book. Ang Lee experimented a bit of framing devices and transitions that drew on comic books for inspiration in the first film, but I'd take the idea further, creating a visual look that is a kind of "hyperreality", similar to what viewers saw in "The 300". It would bring the films and the character into a new visual realm more based on the comic book origins and content that would probably be less disconcerting to the audience. It would also free the filmmakers to get a little more creative with the storyline and characters - as a kind of hybrid animated film in its own reality, the movie could be funny without being coy and be dark without being too frightening.
Showing posts with label comic book movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label comic book movies. Show all posts
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Hancock
Hollywood charmer Will Smith stars in this Hollywood blockbuster that shows promise in the premise - a man with superhero powers that is an asshole that no one likes. Hancock is a drunken bum whose Fortress of Solitude is a squalid trailer and who cracks sidewalks, wrecks trains and inadvertently challenges the city's budget whenever he tries to rescue someone.
Hancock's fortunes change when he rescues a PR man, who advises him to say "thank you" to the police, be more careful in his work and don a superhero costume. Therein lies the problem with the script - it uses the old Hollywood formula of "bum goes straight" (see "Trading Places", "My Man Godfrey" and a host of other films).
As it stands, "Hancock" plays out more like Kevin Costner's "The Postman" where a shave and a new set of clothes suddenly transforms the man from interesting bum to rather boring movie cardboard cutout.
What would have worked more effectively as a story arc for the film would have been to have the Hancock character keep his quirky crime-fighting ways and make him more of an anti-hero in the vein of "Dirty Harry". It's a concept that cries out for an R-rated, rather than PG-13, dark humored, violent and meditative treatment.
The other problem with the movie is, quite frankly, Will Smith. The man can certainly act, but suffers from Tom Cruise Syndrome - the uncanny ability to maintain an undercurrent of irritating charm even when he's supposed to be an asshole on screen. It's just part of Smith's dna as an actor and I just don't think this was the right role for him.
Instead, I would have cast someone who could play asshole really well, with no hint of sympathy to go for that anti-hero thing. Hancock is a kind of Amy Winehouse - someone who can be attractive and has an immense talent, but just happens to be a thoroughly unlikable wino. Gary Oldman would have the chops to do it. Heck, even Rod Zombie or rapper Fifty Cent might work in a role like this.
Hancock's fortunes change when he rescues a PR man, who advises him to say "thank you" to the police, be more careful in his work and don a superhero costume. Therein lies the problem with the script - it uses the old Hollywood formula of "bum goes straight" (see "Trading Places", "My Man Godfrey" and a host of other films).
As it stands, "Hancock" plays out more like Kevin Costner's "The Postman" where a shave and a new set of clothes suddenly transforms the man from interesting bum to rather boring movie cardboard cutout.
What would have worked more effectively as a story arc for the film would have been to have the Hancock character keep his quirky crime-fighting ways and make him more of an anti-hero in the vein of "Dirty Harry". It's a concept that cries out for an R-rated, rather than PG-13, dark humored, violent and meditative treatment.
The other problem with the movie is, quite frankly, Will Smith. The man can certainly act, but suffers from Tom Cruise Syndrome - the uncanny ability to maintain an undercurrent of irritating charm even when he's supposed to be an asshole on screen. It's just part of Smith's dna as an actor and I just don't think this was the right role for him.
Instead, I would have cast someone who could play asshole really well, with no hint of sympathy to go for that anti-hero thing. Hancock is a kind of Amy Winehouse - someone who can be attractive and has an immense talent, but just happens to be a thoroughly unlikable wino. Gary Oldman would have the chops to do it. Heck, even Rod Zombie or rapper Fifty Cent might work in a role like this.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)