AMA Alliance, the volunteer arm of the American Medical Association has issued a press release warning parents of "yet another Hollywood film that exposes underage audiences to unnecessary smoking: 'The Incredible Hulk.'"
The statement cites the character of General Thunderbolt Ross, who enjoys a cigar throughout the movie. As if to bolster their claim they couch the warning by stating that Ross "did not smoke at all during his appearances in the first film, but he is shown puffing on a cigar in nearly every scene in this sequel."
"Shame on 'The Incredible Hulk' for unnecessarily adding smoking to a sequel that would have been just as exciting and believable without it," said Dianne Fenyk, President of the Alliance. "Universal Studios and the other Hollywood studios should be especially embarrassed for using comic book movies, which they market to children and know youth will want to see, to promote tobacco."
Fenyk later states, "Movies remain a major influence on our children, affecting their behavior and shaping their perceptions of what is normal -- and even 'cool.'"
While we here at Comics2Film are as stridently non-smoking as you can get, and are grateful for the nearly smoke-free world we currently enjoy, we have to take exception with the AMA's contention that smoking must be censored out of movies at all cost, and/or films that contain smoking should merit an automatic R-Rating.
The AMA Alliance's statement points out the fact that Ross was not seen smoking in the unrelated original film and laughably ignores the fact that Ross did enjoy puffing a stogie in almost every panel of the Incredible Hulk comics we read growing up as children. Ross' characterization did not, however, lead C2F to pursue smoking.
To keep it in perspective, Ross is the villain in this movie, not to mention an old white guy whose own daughter hates him. There's nothing "cool" about him and his use of a cigar is hardly promoting smoking to children.
Like any good villain in any story, Ross engages in bad behavior. As a complex character he's self-destructive (and is seen nearly drunk in the final moments of the film, although that's not called out among the Alliance's concerns) and engages in self-destructive behavior.
It's a fine thing to want to discourage children from doing things to damage their bodies, but rather than crying out for censorship or hiding the message from children, groups like the Alliance might do better to encourage parents to take their children to see 'The Incredible Hulk' and then coach them how to talk about the very obvious anti-substance-abuse message that's contained in the movie.
We're actually more concerned about 'Hulk' and 'Iron Man' (not to mention 'Indiana Jones') working strategically with Burger King to help them sell fat-laden food products to children. In that case the heroes themselves are targeting children with "cool" toys and directly enticing them to consume a nutritionally-dubious product.
Click through for the complete press release.
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