‘The Incredible Hulk’ and smoking
Anyone else notice the absurd “disclaimer” at the end of Incredible Hulk’s credits?
The depictions of tobacco smoking contained in this film are based solely on artistic consideration and are not intended to promote tobacco consumption. The Surgeon General has determined that there are serious health risks associated with smoking and with secondhand smoke. The persons and events in this motion picture are fictitious. Any similarity to actual persons or events if unintentional.
Also based solely on artistic consideration: self-experimentation with gamma irraditation, hiding out in the slums of Rio, and singlehandedly taking on an entire elite commando squad.
The New York Times today has more on what the heck is up with that disclaimer:
Last week, the advocacy arm of the powerful physicians’ group [the American Medical Association] unleashed a tsk-tsk campaign against “The Incredible Hulk,” a Marvel film that opened on Friday and is distributed by Universal Pictures. The complaint was of “gratuitous depictions of smoking.”In the movie, which drew a PG-13 rating from the Motion Picture Association of America, Gen. Thunderbolt Ross, a bad guy played by William Hurt, is rarely seen without a smoke-spewing cigar. (Presumably, the physicians’ association worries that children who identify with the authoritarian general — who wants to annihilate the Hulk, played by Edward Norton — may be tempted to pick up the habit.)
Seriously: the AMA is upset because the villain smokes. You have to wonder what kind of universe they’re living in if they believe kids will be moved to take up smoking because the moustache-twirling bad guy who wants to lock up or even kill our beloved Bruce Banner thinks it’s cool.
(Technorati tags: Incredible Hulk, smoking)
comments
posted by Count Shrimpula (Tue Jun 17 08, 9:21AM)
Yeah, or that the message of how cool the smoking was will be counteracted by a silly little message tacked on to the end of the credits that 95% of the people probably left well before anyway. Hell, the ones that did stay probably aren't actually paying attention to the credits either, they're just waiting to see if there's something after them. What a brilliant and foolproof scheme.
posted by bitchen frizzy (Tue Jun 17 08, 9:49AM)
Shh!
If enough people point out that nobody reads the end credits, they'll start putting the disclaimer in subtitles.