Hulk: The Exploding Frogs Cut

Created by MatrixMan117 • Released August 21, 2024
Listed by MatrixMan117 on January 04, 2026
Hulk: The Exploding Frogs Cut

About This Fan Edit

V 3.0 Complete

Genres: action, drama, horror, sci-fi


Ang Lee's cult classic remains fascinating to me. A tragedy wrapped up in an action film with horror roots. This project is a reimagining of the 2003 film which reduces or removes many scenes, removes unfunny or non-working lines, and keeps it more in tone as a tragic science fiction drama with only several instances of camp.

Technical Details

Media Type: films

Runtime: 128 minutes

Resolution: 4k

File Size: 11.00 GB

Format: MP4

Video Codec: H.264

Audio Codec: DTS

Subtitles: English

Edit Information

Edit Type: Restructured

Changes: 10 minutes removed 0 minutes added

Summary: This edit seeks to shift the film closer to being a science-fiction drama instead of a sillier action-adventure with darker elements. The focus is on acting, lines, scenes, and special effects which could take the viewer or myself out of the experience. Scenes which veered too much into cartoonish or goofy comedy have been reduced or removed. Examples include hulk punching a dog in the crotch, hitting his crotch on a tank, and a drawn-out scene with Betty and Talbot. I firmly think the film has a great story but has elements which bring it down and harm the pacing. I am more attracted to the darker tone in Ang Lee's vision, and that is something I wanted to focus on with this edit. I prefer the Peter David version of Hulk, where the character is a dark representation of mental health struggles and trauma that manifest itself in a very destructive way. I hope that this version inches closer to that iteration of the comics, as I feel that's Hulk at his very best.

Detailed Edit List (click to expand)
Added Fanedit.Org Disclaimer and Introduction. Added MatrixMan117 introduction and musical cue from the 70’s The Incredible Hulk television series. Graveyard Farewell by Joe Harnell is used here. Added personal tribute. Added Fan-Edit title. Transition of Edith Banner giving birth to Bruce has been removed as I find it uncomfortable and too jarring with its wacky circular effect. Transition From Betty And Bruce To Frog removed. Just feels like an odd effect within the theatrical cut and takes away from their romantically awkward but important discussion. “Exploding Frogs” line is cut. Just dry humor for me which just isn’t interesting to watch. However, the rest of the scene effectively shows more of Betty and Bruce’s distant but love-lost dynamic. Talbot’s presence in the beginning is reduced to his confrontation with Bruce before his gamma exposure. The scene with Talbot and Betty has been removed for pacing and redundancy, since he gives the same exact capitalist pitch on science to Bruce in this scene. Betty’s dream with her father has been recut to remove unnecessary slow-motion and transitioning, such as the moving photograph at the start. Bruce’s gamma accident has been rescored with additional music and SFX to heighten how deadly the gamma orb is. The use of Gamma Rescue by Danny Elfman has been restored in this scene. Bruce’s “Bad knee” line is cut. Odd delivery and just feels wrongly placed. Unfunny attempt at comedy. Bruce’s transformation into Hulk after Talbot attacks him is removed. The effects are not convincing and Bana’s constipated green face is not scary. The Hulk dogs fight scene is re-edited to appear more vicious/violent and somewhat less ridiculous. Less akin to Scooby Doo and less cartoonish. The Gamma Dogs, while being one of the goofier elements taken from the comics, are still quite violent and don’t deserve to be removed from the film. They showcase David’s Mad Scientist skills and that Bruce still lingers within the destructive rage of the Hulk. That he still wants to protect Betty, even after he’s transformed. Betty trying to restart her car has been removed as it ultimately goes nowhere and takes the viewer out of the vicious brawl. Cut Hulk’s nuts getting bitten and dogs slamming into each other. The biting is unintentionally funny and now it just seems like the dog is trying to rip apart Hulk’s pants. The dogs running into each other feels a bit too campy for the more intense edit I want with this version. Hulk still bashes one of them in the crotch because it’s just brutal to watch. While I’m aware it’s been made fun of for years, It matches the scale of violence the audience is already watching. Removed Bruce’s overly long transition into the military bunker. We just fade to black after he is tranquilized. Improves pacing and allows the underground base to be a surprise. Removed “Mutant French Poodle” line. Sam Elliott almost sells the line, but it interrupts the drama of the scene and is too humorous for what’s being discussed. Cut down on David Banner’s taunting of the security guard he crushes. He just kills him instead of dragging out his insane rambling. Removed some transitions of Bruce and Betty walking around their old town. Just distracting to me. The weird fast-forward edit of Talbot walking to Hulk is cut. Now it’s just a match-cut of him picking up his tool to try to stick it in Hulk’s eye. Cut out Hulk enlarging his eyeball to break free from Talbot. Far too cartoonish and sends the film into camp territory. Talbot’s death scene is changed to be less comically laughable and over-edited. There is now a match cut from Talbot being engulfed in PNG flame to Hulk bursting into the main hall of the underground base. It cannot be saved, but it can be improved. Removed some comic paneling of soldiers shooting at Hulk. Too dragged out. Cut out Hulk getting his nuts hit and tank-soldiers being alive after being thrown. They are inferred to be liquid and guts. Keeps a more consistent tone and brings the film closer to a heightened reality where death can still happen. Also makes Hulk more blurred between being a creature more than a hero. The testicle hitting humor is also just weird for me and feels out of place with what we’re seeing on screen here. Removed some transitions of Hulk jumping in the desert. This is to keep a more traditional flow for this scene and overall editing in this cut, although I still like it. Decreased the amount of time Hulk stares at flowers. Goes on for slightly too long for my liking. Removed comic paneling from Hulk’s attack on San Francisco. Somewhat distracting and takes away from the terror of seeing a destructive Hulk without any of Banner’s humanity. Nick Nolte’s taunting scream at Bruce is cut as it’s just laughter-inducing and feels jarring with the dark tone of his monologue. Removed comic paneling of Bruce hulking out and Absorbing Man transporting them into the clouds. Distracting and leans the editing into being more traditionally comprehensible. The lighting for the Lake Battle is redone to be a bit brighter and clear so you can see the Absorbing Man and Hulk fighting. Too dark in theatrical, but didn’t need much work to be a bit more comprehensible. Removed transition of water droplet as Bruce remembers a memory of his dad. Done to have no distractions from the emotional moment for the main character. Removed Set Me Free By Velvet Revolver. Wasteland by 10 Years is instead used as it reflects Bruce’s private torments and struggle to be at peace with himself. Added Personal Thanks and Editor Title.

Ratings

General Rating

0.0
out of 5 (0 ratings)

Compared to Original

Not rated

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Detailed Ratings

Video Quality
☆☆☆☆☆
Audio Quality
☆☆☆☆☆
Editing Finesse
☆☆☆☆☆
Pacing
☆☆☆☆☆
Narrative Structure
☆☆☆☆☆