Hulk (film)/YMMV

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• Awesome Music: Danny Elfman's music is amazing to listen to since it has an Alfred Hitchcock like vibe.
• Base Breaking Character: David Banner. For some, he's a terrifying villain due to Nick Nolte's Charles Mansonesque delivery and the horrible abuse Bruce endures under him. To others, Nick Nolte goes so over the top that he can't be taken seriously as a villain.
• Broken Base: It's very interesting to view this in comparison to the 2008 The Incredible Hulk in how it was received. This film is generally considered long and boring by regular moviegoers, but the critics tended to like it for its focus on character pieces and big ideas over the violence and CGI. The '08 film had a greater amount of fans agreeing with the critics, but some lamented how the new film took away the big ideas to put in more action and typical comics stuff. Besides all of that information, both films did about the same at the box office.
• Cult Classic: There are a decent amount of fans who prefer this over the Marvel Cinematic Universe take of the Hulk due to the dark and psychological tone, which makes it more interesting.
• Darkness-Induced Audience Apathy: The dark tone is Freudian and it could be the reason why the film got a lower box office intake during the second week.
• Ensemble Darkhorse: Edith Banner who is the only female character other than Betty to be sympathetic.
• Fan Dumb: Many comics fans slam the movie out of hand, usually for the Hulk dogs, which came from the comics, or Bruce's angst, because he was such an uptight stoic in the comics.
• Hilarious in Hindsight:
  • The next film incarnation of the Hulk would fight another giant dog monster, only he wouldn't catch anywhere near as much flack for it.
  • While the angle of a man dealing with his abusive father is far from hilarious, it's amusing to see how eerily similar David's treatment of Bruce is compared to Ego's treatment of Starlord in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 You've got superpowered young men being buttered up by their troubled, but seemingly kind father figures who quickly make it clear that they don't give a damn about their sons, but the powers that manifested in them as a result of basically being lab rats. Nick Nolte and Kurt Russell even have a similar long-haired, bearded old man aesthetic in both movies, with Ego's neater, cleaner presentation contrasting quite nicely with David's disheveled hobo look.
• Misaimed Marketing: This movie's advertising was ridiculously toyetic, and had lots of kid-friendly tie-ins such as snack foods, board games, and most famously, Hulk Hand toys. Because if there's one thing kids love, it's dark, angsty psychological thrillers with a focus on child abuse. The trailers and commercials also made it seem like there'd be a lot more Hulk action than there actually was.
• Moment of Awesome: The Hulk's rampage after breaking free of the military base.
• Moral Event Horizon: The childhood trauma Bruce faced is a huge crossing for David. He performed twisted experiments on him, tried to kill him after coming to view him as a monster, and accidentally killed his mother right in front of him instead.
• Narm:
  • Hulk fighting monstrous dogs hopped up on Gamma radiation isn't a bad idea in and of itself, especially since the dogs are mostly dangerous breeds like the pit bull. However, one of them is a frilly-looking French poodle, which is likely the source of the lion's share of complaints about the dogs.
  • While Nick Nolte's appreciated for showing just how off his rocker David Banner is, he definitely gets a little too into the role and makes him come off as a ridiculous cartoon character with his wild gesturing and shouting. And while him biting on an electrical wire would be genuinely frightening due to the obvious agony he's in, the fact that his screams of pain sound like Goofy make it hilarious instead.
  • General Ross suddenly yells while talking to Betty at the desert base. It wasn't expected at all.
• Narm Charm: To those who don't mind David's crazy behavior, he's this. He may be making a feast of the scenery, but it really sells him as a cruel madman who's suffering from a nasty psychotic break.
• One-Scene Wonder: Lou Ferrigno and Stan Lee appear as security guards in one scene.
• Special Effects Failure: The Hulk himself is accused of being this for looking like a character from a cutscene in a PS2 game, and his minty skin color doesn't help. Ditto for the Hulk Dogs. The 2008 film addressed the skin color problem, at the expense of making him shiny in some shots.
• True Art Is Angsty: The dark and cerebral tone can throw some people off, but fans cite it as the main reason why they like this movie.
• Uncanny Valley: Hulk's green CGI skin is completely opaque, which unsettled a lot of people.
• Uncertain Audience: At the time of release, family drama film fans thought it was too blockbustery while superhero film fans thought it was too dramatic.
• Vindicated by History: The film has gotten a better reception over time, especially after the releases of The Dark Knight Trilogy, Logan, Joker and Zack Snyder's Justice League which all have similar dark, angsty arthouse vibes. This has led to moviegoers looking for similar films giving this movie another chance, and in turn led to quite a bit of newfound appreciation for it. The fact that it came five years before The Dark Knight really set the stage for Darker and Edgier superhero films has even led to some viewing it as being ahead of its time.
• Wangst: A common complaint with this film.
• What Do You Mean It's Not for Kids?: Despite what all the child-friendly marketing would tell you, this is a dark movie full of domestic and child abuse, animal testing, angst, and swearing throughout.