The Hulk Problem

At home with a head cold Monday and watched the Hulk movie. I wasn't too hard to please by then, so the question is why was the Hulk so awful?

Possible reasons:

• Too much back story
• Betty? Bruce? Characters names are a generation off (see Freakonomics for a discussion of people's names and economic consequences)
• The Hulk doesn't really do anything interesting other than beat up a mutant poodle and toss things around
• They're called movies, not boring monologies
• The 70s show was more fun (sort of a Green Fugitive)
• CGI ruins story flow
• Enough with the psychedelia, dream sequences, and flashbacks

Inherent problems with the Hulk: the comic book character started as a coherent super hero, complete with sidekick, then degenerated into a primitive and paranoid character only able to say things like, "Puny humans! Argh! Hulk pissed!" This was interesting and great concept for a few issues, but then it dragged on for years. Growth is always the better way to go for a continuing series.