"Insanely misunderstood movie": Fans get nostalgic about Ang Lee's comments about The Hulk

A still from The Hulk (Image via Universal)

Before the age of superheroes dawned on the film industry, there were a handful of films like The Hulk, Ang Lee's take on the renowned Marvel superhero, played by Eric Bana, that won the hearts of superhero fans. In 2003, this was not a genre yet, and as it evolved to become one, The Hulk, in turn, became one of the most underrated and disregarded films.

Edward Norton's take still featured in the MCU in some respects, especially as Mark Ruffalo never got a solo film. However, The Hulk, which marked an original attempt at something incredible in the superhero genre, was lost in time. 20 years later, Ang Lee discussed this film with Discussing Film, giving his insight about how he felt after making the film.

"I’m glad I did those things, but I was not comfortable when the movie came out and got this mixed reaction. It was confusing for the market. I wasn’t happy about that. But I worked certainly very hard. I was very proud of the filmmakers who made the movie with me. And then only years later, I didn’t know there was kind of a subculture."

A tweet reply to DF's post about Ang Lee's comments (Image via Twitter)

This cult status of the film has thankfully endured the test of time, and fans have made it quite evident that The Hulk remains one of the pioneering superhero movies by engaging in multiple comments on Twitter following Ang Lee's interview.

Fans celebrate Ang Lee's cult superhero film The Hulk

DF's post about Ang Lee's comments (Image via Twitter)

The Hulk was premiered in 2003, and was met with mixed reviews upon its release. It was a time when superhero films weren't mainstream, but this was a high-budget project with the potential to change that. Sadly, the market was not ready to accept it the way it does now, causing heartbreak for Ang Lee, who is revered as one of the greatest directors of our time.

Speaking about the movie's reception, the veteran director said:

"It was like a cult movie, but it wasn’t meant to be that way. It was a big, expensive studio movie. But I’m happy some people like you really like it. I’m happy about that, something very cool about it."

Many came forward on Twitter and validated his belief with comments about the first Hulk movie.

As is evident, The Hulk remains a classic among the loyal fanbase. The movie is now available for renting or buying on multiple services like Amazon.

Edited by Susrita Das