The Incredible Hulk star Lou Ferrigno shared his thoughts on the Marvel Cinematic Universe's all-CGI version of Bruce Banner's iconic alter-ego, saying it lacks one important quality.
Former professional bodybuilder Ferringo, who portrayed Bruce Banner's musclebound transformation in the 1978 CBS TV series, discussed his pixel-powered replacement in an interview with The Washington Times. "Though I appreciate the amazing visual work these [visual effects] artists are producing, it’s missing the raw human performance qualities that I believe only an actor can play," he said. "Especially when it comes to The Hulk."
Ferringo played The Hulk alongside Bill Bixby's Banner in all five seasons of the Incredible Hulk show, as well as in the five made-for-TV movies that followed it. The character was subsequently realized via digital effects for 2003's Hulk and its 2008 MCU reboot The Incredible Hulk, with Ferringo providing the Jade Giant's vocal performance in the latter. The actor also made a brief cameo in each film, portraying a security guard both times. Mark Ruffalo currently portrays the MCU incarnation of Bruce Banner and has supplied the Hulk's vocals across his live-action and animated appearances since 2012's The Avengers.
Ruffalo will next reprise the role in the upcoming Disney+ series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, which stars Tatiana Maslany as Bruce Banner's cousin Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk. She-Hulk's CGI has also come under fire, with some fans echoing Ferringo's sentiments by suggesting the show should've brought its lead character to life with practical effects. Others drew negative comparisons between the all-digital She-Hulk and Guardians of the Galaxy's Gamora, who is portrayed by actor Zoe Saldaña in full-body green makeup and minor facial prosthetics.
Disney+ has since released a high-resolution version She-Hulk trailer that seemingly addresses many of the criticisms leveled at the show's visual effects. The apparent fixes to She-Hulk's CG model include better-defined facial features, improved skin textures, tonal variety, and upgraded lighting and related effects. The emerald-skinned superhero even boasts visible skin pores, which were either impossible to make out in the low-res version of the trailer or added to coincide with the higher-quality version's release.
On the plus side, fans seem less concerned about the visual effects used to render She-Hulk villain The Abomination, portrayed in human form once more by Ferrigno's Incredible Hulk co-star Tim Roth. Only glimpsed briefly in the trailer, The Abomination appears to sport the same upgraded, comics-accurate redesign introduced for his brief cameo in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
Source: The Washington Times