The Amazing Bulk

Last updated

The Amazing Bulk
The Amazing Bulk (2010) DVD cover art.jpg
DVD cover
Directed by Lewis Schoenbrun
Written byKeith Schaffner
Story by
  • Keith Schaffner
  • Jeremiah Campbell
Produced by
  • Lewis Schoenbrun
  • David S. Sterling
Starring
  • Jordan Lawson
  • Shevaun Kastl
  • Terence Lording
  • Juliette Angeli
  • Jed Rowen
  • Randal Malone
CinematographyDennis Devine
Edited by
  • Lewis Schoenbrun
  • Brinda Demeterio
Music byMark Dunnett
Production
company
Laybl Productions
Distributed byWild Eye Releasing
Release date
  • April 17, 2012 (2012-04-17)
Running time
76 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$14,000 [1]

The Amazing Bulk is a 2012 American independent live-action/animated direct-to-video superhero film directed and co-produced by Lewis Schoenbrun, starring Jordan Lawson, Shevaun Kastl, Terence Lording, Juliette Angeli, Jed Rowen and Randal Malone. It is considered to be a mockbuster of the 2008 The Incredible Hulk film, as well as other media featuring the Hulk character. [2] Drawing parallels from the Hulk franchise, the film follows a research scientist who injects himself with an experimental serum, which inadvertently results in him gaining the ability to transform into a giant, purple-skinned humanoid monster whenever he gets angry.

Contents

Produced by Laybl Productions and released on April 17, 2012, by Wild Eye Releasing, the film garnered notoriety due to its settings and visuals consisting of almost entirely reused stock imagery, graphics, and video purchased from various websites. It is even considered one of the worst films ever made. On April 5, 2021, an ebook titled The Return of the Amazing Bulk was published on Amazon Prime by Atom Mudman Bezecny, serving as a sequel to the film as it follows Howard as he seeks a cure to return to his normal self while also having to battle a supervillainess named Pam Demic. [3]

Plot

Government research scientist Henry "Hank" Howard has been commissioned by General Darwin to develop a serum that will enhance the user's strength and longevity. Howard wishes to marry Darwin's daughter Hannah, but Darwin sternly refuses to give him his blessing until he gets results from the serum test. He goes on a date with Hannah to a carnival. They then take the subway, wherein a mugger approaches them at gunpoint and steals Howard's wallet and the ring he plans to propose to Hannah with. Howard attempts to fight the mugger, but is overpowered. Hannah expresses her concern for Howard's sudden bravery; to hide the intended proposal, Howard says that the mugger took a flash drive containing information about the serum.

Howard injects himself with it, turning him into a giant purple humanoid, the Bulk. He kills the mugger and runs off as police arrive to the scene, and they notice purple blood on the ground. Detectives Ray Garton and Lisa Tuttle find Howard's wallet and return it to him the next day. He deduces that Howard is responsible for the mugger's death. They watch as Howard returns to the scene of the crime and he transforms into the Bulk.

The Bulk goes on a rampage throughout the city as the detectives pursue him. The Bulk sends cars flying through the air, one of which lands on Tuttle and crushes her to death. Garton shoots at the Bulk, who grabs and destroys a news helicopter. The Bulk morphs back into Howard and is arrested by Garton. Howard is confronted by Garton for inadvertently killing Tuttle.

Darwin visits Howard and injects him with a sedative and takes him to a secret facility, where he performs some experiments on Howard to analyse the results of the serum. Darwin also informs Howard that he will give him both full permission to marry Hannah and an antidote if he agrees to go as the Bulk and take down a mad scientist named Dr. Werner von Kantlove, who has been destroying famous monuments and landmarks and is currently plotting to blow up the moon. Howard transforms into the Bulk and kills Werner and his dim-witted wife.

The Bulk turns back into Howard and calls Darwin to tell him that he took down Werner, but Darwin betrays Howard and reveals that he lied about a cure to the serum. Darwin also reveals that the project was funded by Werner, who wanted to use the serum to cure his erectile dysfunction, after the government stopped funding it two years ago, and Darwin decided that Werner was no longer needed to eliminate him. Darwin declares his plan to use the serum to create a super-human soldier army and sends the military to execute Howard. Howard turns into the Bulk and a lengthy chase ensues with a nuclear bomb being dropped on the Bulk. Hannah comes in and Darwin tells her that Howard died saving the world from Werner.

Hannah wakes up to discover Howard at her house. He proposes to her, and Hannah accepts. Howard tries to warn Hannah about Darwin's true nature, but she doesn't believe him. Darwin sees that Howard has survived, and the two break into a struggle and fall off a balcony and seemingly Howard. Hannah visits Howard's grave and leaves a rose there. A drunken Garton arrives at the grave. He begins to urinate on it, and the Bulk's fists strike his head.

Cast

Production

Director Lewis Schoenbrun was researching stock computer-generated imagery for the production of a low-budget horror mockbuster of Spider-Man, starring a female protagonist. [1] When discussing with a producer the idea of making a comic book film featuring large amounts of green screen, he instead decided to create a parody of the character the Hulk. [4] Schoenbrun stated that he never initially intended to make a bad film, but retroactively considered the film a parody. Many of the characters have blatant parallels with Marvel Comics characters associated with the Hulk mythos; Henry Howard with Bruce Banner, General Darwin with General Ross, and the Bulk with the Hulk.

Scriptwriting for the film was completed over a span of four months, while finding all the CGI elements, along with creating storyboards, occurred over the course of six months. All of the film's settings and transitions, as well as much of its imagery, are stock graphics and backgrounds taken from numerous websites, including eBay, Digital Juice, Inc., and TurboSquid. [1] [4]

The film was financed by director Schoenbrun himself. Shooting the film, which cost $6,000, took place over a period of five days. [1] The entire film was shot on a green screen stage in California. Audio mixing cost $3,000, colour correction cost $1,000, and another $4,000 went towards CGI, software, and the film's composer, among other elements. [1] The film's score, composed by Mark Daniel Dunnett, also features classical music from composers like Beethoven, Strauss, and Tchaikovsky. [5]

As a fan of director Stanley Kubrick, Schoenbrun included numerous references to Kubrick's works throughout the film, including a scene of satellites in space reminiscent of 2001: A Space Odyssey ; furthermore, the names of the characters Dr. Werner von Kantlove and his assistant Lolita allude to the Kubrick films Dr. Strangelove and Lolita . [4]

Release

The film was originally released on DVD on April 17, 2012, by Tomcat Films. [6] The film went out of print, but was subsequently rediscovered, repackaged, and released on DVD and digital platforms worldwide by independent label Wild Eye Releasing on May 19, 2015.[ citation needed ]

Reception

The film has received universally negative reviews, with criticism targeted at its acting, editing, continuity, visual effects, and settings. A staff writer for the website Horror Society found it to be absurd and incomprehensible, saying that "the way the film was shot makes it utterly impossible to follow it the way a film should be followed". [7] Film critic Rob Rector criticized the apparent laziness of the filmmakers, stating that it seems they "stumbled across a bunch of free clipart on the internet and decided to weave it together as a backdrop for the film". [8]

Felix Vasquez Jr. of Cinema Crazed berated the film's effects and designs, remarking that the filmmakers may well have "whipped together a movie out of Windows 95 clip art, Microsoft Paint, an old HD camera someone owned, and a lot of green screens in under a week at the director's loft somewhere in California". [9] James DePaolo of the website WickedChannel called it " The Room of superhero movies" and wrote that it "is quite possibly one of the best worst films ever made". [10] Andrea Beach of Common Sense Media gave the film one out of five stars, summarizing it thus: "Lowbrow, violent superhero spoof is just plain bad." [11]

In response to the criticisms, director Schoenbrun has stated that the film is supposed to belong in the same vein as films like Who Framed Roger Rabbit , and that most critics "just don't get the concept of live action people in a comic book world". [4] He also responded to a video criticizing the movie made by YouTuber I Hate Everything, telling the creator "I welcome all comments good & bad!" and that his reviews "give independent films exposure which they so desperately need." I Hate Everything responded, thanking Schoenbrun for being a good sport. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanley Kubrick</span> American filmmaker (1928–1999)

Stanley Kubrick was an American filmmaker and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his films were nearly all adaptations of novels or short stories, spanning a number of genres and gaining recognition for their intense attention to detail, innovative cinematography, extensive set design, and dark humor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hulk</span> Comic book superhero (introduced 1962)

The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of The Incredible Hulk. In his comic book appearances, the character, who has dissociative identity disorder (DID), is primarily represented by the alter ego Hulk, a green-skinned, hulking and muscular humanoid possessing a limitless degree of physical strength, and the alter ego Dr. Robert Bruce Banner, a physically weak, socially withdrawn, and emotionally reserved physicist, both of whom typically resent each other.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhino (character)</span> Fictional character appearing in Marvel Comics

The Rhino is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Romita Sr., and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #41. The character is a Russian thug who underwent an experimental procedure that gave him an artificial skin covering and superhuman strength. Rebelling against the scientists responsible for his transformation, Rhino used his newfound powers to become a successful criminal, and soon clashed with superheroes like Spider-Man and the Hulk. The character is typically portrayed as a dimwitted brute, capable of great destruction, but ultimately easily deceived.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lizard (character)</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

The Lizard is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, he first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #6 as an enemy of the superhero Spider-Man. While the character has retained this role throughout most of his subsequent appearances, he has also been portrayed as a tragic antihero and occasional ally of Spider-Man. Connors is sometimes an ally of Spider-Man just as himself, and not necessarily as his alter ego.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Man-Bat</span> DC Comics character

Man-Bat is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Introduced in Detective Comics #400 as an enemy of the superhero Batman, the character belongs to the collective of adversaries that make up his rogues gallery. Originally portrayed as a supervillain, later incarnations show the Man-Bat as a sympathetic villain or antihero.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abomination (character)</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

The Abomination is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Gil Kane, the character first appeared in Tales to Astonish #90. He is one of the main enemies of the superhero Hulk, and possesses powers similar to his after also being exposed to gamma rays.

<i>The Amazing Spider-Man</i> (TV series) 1977–1979 American television series

The Amazing Spider-Man is an American superhero television series based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. It is the first live-action television series featuring Spider-Man and was shown on CBS in the United States from September 14, 1977 to July 6, 1979. Though it was a considerable ratings success, the CBS series was cancelled after just 13 episodes, which included a pilot film airing in autumn of 1977. Despite its storylines being set in New York City, the series was mostly filmed in Los Angeles.

<i>Lolita</i> (1997 film) 1997 film by Adrian Lyne

Lolita is a 1997 drama film directed by Adrian Lyne and written by Stephen Schiff. It is the second screen adaptation of Vladimir Nabokov's 1955 novel of the same name and stars Jeremy Irons as Humbert Humbert and Dominique Swain as Dolores "Lolita" Haze, with supporting roles by Melanie Griffith as Charlotte Haze and Frank Langella as Clare Quilty. The film is about a middle-aged professor who is sexually attracted to adolescent girls he calls "nymphets". He rents a room in the house of a young widow to get closer to her 14-year-old daughter, whom he calls "Lolita". Obsessed with the girl, he eventually gains control over her after he takes her cross-country with him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Man-Bull</span> Fictional character

The Man-Bull is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

"Planet Hulk" is a Marvel Comics storyline that ran primarily through issues of The Incredible Hulk starting in 2006. Written by Greg Pak, it dealt with the Marvel heroes' decision to send the Hulk away, his acclimation to and conquest of the planet where he landed, and his efforts to return to Earth to take his revenge.

<i>The Incredible Hulk</i> (film) 2008 Marvel Studios film

The Incredible Hulk is a 2008 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character the Hulk. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Universal Pictures, it is the second film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). It was directed by Louis Leterrier from a screenplay by Zak Penn, and stars Edward Norton as Bruce Banner alongside Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt, Tim Blake Nelson, Ty Burrell, and Christina Cabot. In the film, Bruce Banner becomes the Hulk as an unwitting pawn in a military scheme to reinvigorate the "Super-Soldier" program through gamma radiation. Banner goes on the run from the military while attempting to cure himself of the Hulk.

<i>Earth vs. the Spider</i> (2001 film) 2001 television film by Scott Ziehl

Earth vs. the Spider is a 2001 science fiction horror television film directed by Scott Ziehl. It is the first of a series of films made for Cinemax paying tribute to the films of American International Pictures. The films in this tribute series reused the titles of old American International Pictures films, in this case the 1958 Bert I. Gordon film Earth vs. the Spider, but are not remakes of the earlier films. The film centers on a shy, obsessive comic book fan who gets injected with an experimental serum derived from spiders, which gives him minor superpowers. More horrific changes occur, slowly transforming him into a grotesque human spider hybrid. A detective begins to investigate when bodies start to pile up covered in cobwebs. The film was nominated for the Saturn Award at the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films, USA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hulk in other media</span> Comic character Hulk in other media

Since the 1960s, the Marvel Comics superhero the Hulk has appeared in many types of various media other than the comics, such as animated and live-action TV series, films, books, video games, comic strips, and stage shows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Extremis</span> Comic book series from Iron Man

"Extremis" is a six-issue story arc from the comic book series Iron Man, published in issues one through six in 2005 and 2006 by Marvel Comics. It was written by Warren Ellis and illustrated by Adi Granov. Extremis elevates the status quo for Iron Man, increasing the power of his armor significantly.

<i>The Ultimates</i> (comic book) 2002–04 Marvel limited series

The Ultimates is a 2002-2004 thirteen-issue comic book limited series written by Mark Millar with art by Bryan Hitch. The series introduces the titular Ultimates, the Ultimate Marvel incarnations of the Avengers.

Lewis Andrew Schoenbrun is an American filmmaker and editor.

<i>Atomic Puppet</i> TV series or program

Atomic Puppet is an animated television series created by Jerry Leibowitz and Mark Drop and produced by Canadian independent animation studio Mercury Filmworks, French VFX, motion graphics and animation company Technicolor and French motion picture industry Gaumont's animation division Gaumont Animation, which was formerly known as Alphanim and later known as Gaumont-Alphanim. The series aired on Teletoon in Canada, on France 4 in France and on Disney XD worldwide. It premiered on July 18, 2016, and ended on February 21, 2017. A total of 26 episodes were produced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce Banner (Marvel Cinematic Universe)</span> Character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Bruce Banner is a fictional character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise originally portrayed by Edward Norton and subsequently by Mark Ruffalo—based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name—known commonly by his alter ego, the Hulk. Banner is depicted as a genius physicist who after a failed experiment to replicate a super soldier program using gamma radiation, transforms into a large, muscular creature with green skin whenever his heart rate goes above 200 beats per minute or when facing mortal danger. As the Hulk, he possesses superhuman abilities, including increased strength and durability.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peggy Carter (Marvel Cinematic Universe)</span> Character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Margaret "Peggy" Carter, also known as Agent Carter, is a fictional character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise portrayed by Hayley Atwell, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Carter is depicted as a British MI6 agent and member of the Strategic Scientific Reserve who became the love interest of Steve Rogers during World War II. Following the war, she goes on to become one of the founders of S.H.I.E.L.D., eventually serving as the Director. Atwell has received critical praise for her depiction of the character.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "How To Bulk Up Without a Budget: An Interview with Lewis Schoenbrun". Ninja Dixon. October 26, 2012.
  2. ↑ Walter, Joseph (May 7, 2018). "15 Superhero Movies That Shamelessly Ripped Off Better Ones". ScreenRant. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  3. ↑ Bezecny, Atom Mudman (June 30, 2021). The Return of the Amazing Bulk. Odd Tales Productions.
  4. 1 2 3 4 McCauley, Dan (August 16, 2012). "Interview with Director Lewis Schoenbrun". Misflix. Archived from the original on April 5, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  5. ↑ "The Amazing Bulk (2010)". Film Affinity. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  6. ↑ "The Amazing Bulk DVD". Amazon. April 17, 2012. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  7. ↑ Blacktooth (January 12, 2016). "Trashploitation - The Amazing Bulk (Review)". Horror Society. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  8. ↑ Rector, Rob. "Paracinema #6: The Amazing Bulk". 1NFLUXMagazine. Retrieved March 21, 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  9. ↑ Vasquez, Felix (September 12, 2013). "The Amazing Bulk (2010)". Cinema Crazed. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  10. ↑ DePaolo, James (May 19, 2015). "Movie Review- The Amazing Bulk". WickedChannel. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
  11. ↑ "The Amazing Bulk - Movie Review". Common Sense Media . July 16, 2017. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  12. ↑ Beltman, Alex (September 13, 2016). How To Take Criticism. I Hate Everything on YouTube . Retrieved July 15, 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.