Brian reviews The Incredible Hulk
Brian Eison;)
Let me begin with two things that have nothing to do with Marvel’s latest attempt at a Hulk movie. Two trailers for upcoming comic-book movies were featured before the main attraction. The first was for Hellboy 2 and it looks interesting enough and having somewhat enjoyed the first installment I’m sure I’ll donate my 10 bucks to their cause once again. The second was the “teaser” for the Spirit and all I really have to say about it and that movie is that I still hate Frank Miller. But enough of that…let’s talk about The Incredible Hulk and I’ll keep this mostly spoiler free for those still on the fence about or fully planning to see it in the theatre.
Even from the beginning credits they make it very clear that this movie is not a sequel to Ang Lee’s Hulk film, it is instead a reboot of the franchise with an extreme soft spot for the classic TV series. I am in the minority as far as comic fans go, but other than the Nick Nolte storyline I really enjoyed that film. I certainly enjoyed their Betty Ross MUCH better as well but I digress. My cause for pause with this concept is not so much where the direction or inspiration of the new film came from but the fact that it is rebooting a movie that is only 4 years old and that was a box-office success. I know this could lead to a lengthy discussion about how successful it really was and the mix-bag the critical reviews of the film were and I’m not sure that is needed. I just think it is an odd road to go down and it makes me wonder if the new Punisher movie will be the same thing. Regardless, we are clearly on somewhat fresh ground and different footing when this new film gets started even though it does begin in South America, which is of course where the last one ended. So what is different about Hulk 2008?
Other than my love of Jennifer Connelly and my indifference towards Liv Tyler I am not sure how I feel about the other casting changes. I always enjoy Sam Elliot’s work but it’s not as if he was replaced by a lesser actor with William Hurt taking over the role of General Ross. I am sure most will assume trading Ed Norton for Eric Bana is an easy deal but since I liked Bana in Hulk, I’ll pass on make that judgment myself. While Tim Roth as the main fighting foe for the Hulk to face is an upgrade over Nolte, I think my take on the casting changes are just that they are changes not necessarily better or worse than the last attempt. The Hulk himself also has a different look and just like the rest of the cast, I’m not sure which performance I prefer.
One thing that is very different in this film is the action. It’s not just that there is a lot more of it, it is also different in both style and settings. Hulk’s main sparring partner is of course again the US military and there are a lot of rounds to be fired and smashing to be done in their interactions. Having another monster to fight in this version is probably going to be a big upgrade for most movie goers since the Hulk Dogs from Lee’s flick got a lot of flack. While it is great to have your powerhouse superhero fight a powerhouse foe (I’m looking at you Superman Returns) I’m not going to say that the big fight scene is a great one. It just felt more like a RAW main event and not pay-per-view quality if you smell what I’m cooking. You also have all of the battles in this flick taking place in populated areas some in downtown New York City (I’m as shocked as you are, Marvel wanting something to happen in NYC of all places!). I have read a lot of people really supporting this idea and wanting a larger dose of Hulk smashing things. Personally I really enjoyed the visual of the other Hulk bouncing thru the desert so I guess I am not firmly in that camp even though I do also love me some smashin’.
So by this point I assume we are all wondering where I am going with my review of this movie…and I have no idea. I will say that it is not a bad film in anyway and I will not be shocked to see it do well at the box office. I also will not be surprised to hear both ticket and comic buyers declare that the like it more than Marvel’s last attempt with big green. I don’t think I feel that way though, I just think it is a different Hulk movie not really a better or worse one. In the grand scheme of things it gets thumbs up from me and I think it was worth my money and 2 hours. But Marvel has produced much better flicks, especially and most recently Iron Man.
Speaking of which, if you want to compare it with Marvel’s other summer blockbuster, I don’t think it measures up at all. I don’t think that it looks as good or has as much brains and heart as Iron Man does even though it does have more action. And speaking again of other Marvel projects, the film does include a nice cameo (this time before the end credits) tying it to Marvel’s newly forming movie universe. When I think about it, the various cameos, name droppings and nods to both Hulk comic and TV history are probably my favorite parts of the film. And maybe that says more about my overall opinion of the film than the rest of this review has or just of my overall interest in the Hulk himself perhaps.
Reader Comments (6)
You hit the nail right on the head here. After the sweet creamy goodness that was Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk left a bad taste in my mouth.
I enjoyed it. It was a little heavy with Easter Eggs, but I'm not sure that that was a bad thing. If we compare it Iron Man, then, yeah, it wasn't THAT great, conversely, if we compare it the Ang Lee's Hulk, it is leaps and bounds better, but if you look at it on it's own (which would be the fair thing to do), we'd see that was enjoyable and at the very least, worth the price of admission.
Also, Robert Downey Jr is my new role model. Hugh Hefner said that after seeing Iron Man, he wants Downey to play him in the movie of his life. Right on.
this new Incredible Hulk is a lot more fun than the first one with Eric Bana; plus you can't beat Ed Norton when he's in his element, doing the the "split personality" role
1. bana was such a bad choice for the first one; he's a good actor (see Munich) but too broad shouldered and hero-chinned to be bruce banner. ed norton, besides being an actor worthy of any starring role, also fits the skinny not-sure-he's-handsome-or-not nerd scientist physique.
2. i also enjoyed the desert fights from the last one but with nothing besides jets and huge boulders to frame the hulk against, you didn't get the same sense of Huge Monster Fight that you get when you put hulk and abomination right beside everyday cars and normal sized people. it makes them seem bigger and the fighting more dangerous if you can relate to how brown your pants would be were you in the bronx on that street during the fight.
3. we all love the easter eggs, dont even front like that :)
4. no one else seems to have mentioned this: when emil blonsky had taken the CORRECT amount of super-soldier serum, before he overdosed into the abomination, he was fighting the hulk in the park just like (take a wild one) Cap would be. impossible flips, superfast reaction time, badass moves...Ross even comments on how surprisingly well blonsky is doing for a single human man against something like the hulk. put on the stripes, the shield, and some headwings and i think you have an imaginary preview of the Cap action to come.
5. the leader. that is all.
6. the best thing about hulk fights is that he (by nature) has nothing but strength to fight with, so he ends up using the environment to fight; if you played "hulk: ultimate destruction" on ps2, you know exactly where that make-boxing-gloves-out-of-a-cop-car move came from. not to mention if youre gonna fight the hulk, its probably not a good idea to go into the fight with sharp, breakable spikes sticking out of yourself. thanks for the free weapon, here you can have it back *SPLUTCH*
lastly, the sound effects were astounding. hulk sounded almost demonic with the roars this time, and being a electronic music producer, i love some of the quotes we got: "what does it feel like when you change?" "it feels like someone poured a liter of acid in my brain" :)
ps - best stan cameo ever, i thought he was gonna hulk out!
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