Movie Review: The Incredible Hulk
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Aubrey Ward III
A gifted and talented soul that was fortunate to be shaped and molded in the fires of 80s pop culture. I now spend my free time reading comic books, playing video games, and watching all kinds of movies while impatiently waiting for She-Ra's big comeback. By Aubrey Ward III
Published on 06/14/2008
Less brooding and more smashing makes for an exciting adventure that should erase all those unpleasant memories from 2003.
Going Gamma Goes Down Smoother In "Hulk 2"
Less brooding and more smashing makes for an exciting adventure that should erase all those unpleasant memories from 2003.
Not that Ang Lee's cinematic version of the irradiated brute was completely abyssmal. It was just a little too cerebral for a character that usually utters about two words a minute. In the second big screen adventure, "The Incredible Hulk", a whole new creative team goes back to the drawing board. The end result should put a smile on the faces of comic book and television fans alike.
This latest episode opens on Bruce Banner (Ed Norton) hiding out in the slums of Brazil. When Bruce isn't instant messaging "Mr. Blue" about possible cures for gamma poisoning or seeking ways to manage his anger through his diaphragm he's working in a soft drink factory to make the time pass. One day on the job Bruce accidentally gets his blood into one of the liquid refreshers. The "juiced" juice makes it into the fridge of a thirsty fellow in the States and the army now has a lead to where Banner is. And thus, the hunt is on to capture Banner and the potential military weapon living inside of him.
Honestly, I barely remember the first Hulk movie so I can totally dish on this flick without having to make those laborious comparisons. On second thought, I do have one improvement that I can point out with full confidence. "The Incredible Hulk" lightened up. I think Ed Norton, screenwriter Zak Penn and the rest of the Incredible team listened to the fans, toned down the lab jargon and head shrink sessions, and upped the pacing and the adrenaline. "Incredible Hulk" is the movie I was truly hoping for. Thrills, spills and a whole lotta property getting wrecked. Now I'm not saying this is a just another run-of-the-mill thrasher movie. The characters have plenty of drama to stimulate the viewer while the Emerald Giant is on break.
Banner is trying to find a cure for his condition while on the run from the army. Banner yearns to be with his life-love Betty Ross (Liv Tyler) but he knows that just going to buy a sundae together could mean Betty ending up in a full body cast the next day. It's hard to tell whether General Ross (William Hurt) is more concerned for his daughter's happiness and safety or for acquiring a new biological WMD for his superiors. And then there's secret agent Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) who loves a good fight and will go to some pretty extreme lengths to bout with the Big Green.
But yeah, the main attraction is The Hulk himself who has some pretty impressive action sequences that would make Schwarzenegger, well, green with envy. It's a bit comical to see Genreral Ross go through every toy in the Acme Catalog, save for the atomic bomb, and watch Hulk bash it to smithereens. Actually, there was a scene where it looks like Ross had finally gotten Hulk in his grasp and I was split between hoping Hulk could be restrained and eagerly anticipating Hulk's escape. But for the rest of the time, I was loving the gamma butt kickings.
My only major complaint was that there were certain parts when the movie just seem to hit a valley. It's bound to happen in movies like these when right after a revved up action scene there's a quick shift to a totally different area with a lot of talk. This is usually where things slow down and get boring quick. That was what made "Iron Man" so fantastic. Even the talking scenes were interesting. For the most part "Incredible Hulk" accomplishes this as well but not flawlessly. It doesn't hurt the movie that much since this phenomena mostly occurs in the early stages of the movie. Once Banner gets back to the States it's full speed ahead.
I'm going to conclude that after seeing "Iron Man" it felt like the bar had been raised yet again for comic book movie standards. Would "The Incredible Hulk" measure up? Would it be an improvement over the first film or would it make "Hulk" look like an Oscar winner? My doubts were answered today. "The Incredible Hulk" is great but not totally incredible. Though it is a well crafted, mixed bag of action, drama, humor and even some romance there are times when things run out of steam causing a few abrupt halts in the movie. Still you can expect a good script, sturdy performances, "wow" inducing special effects sequences and plenty of pop culture "pop-ups" that will get viewers buzzing.
Oh and no special scene at the end. I graciously (and foolishly) sat through the nigh eternity of credits just so you wouldn't have to, ha ha ha. It's good to be green, again.
Not that Ang Lee's cinematic version of the irradiated brute was completely abyssmal. It was just a little too cerebral for a character that usually utters about two words a minute. In the second big screen adventure, "The Incredible Hulk", a whole new creative team goes back to the drawing board. The end result should put a smile on the faces of comic book and television fans alike.
This latest episode opens on Bruce Banner (Ed Norton) hiding out in the slums of Brazil. When Bruce isn't instant messaging "Mr. Blue" about possible cures for gamma poisoning or seeking ways to manage his anger through his diaphragm he's working in a soft drink factory to make the time pass. One day on the job Bruce accidentally gets his blood into one of the liquid refreshers. The "juiced" juice makes it into the fridge of a thirsty fellow in the States and the army now has a lead to where Banner is. And thus, the hunt is on to capture Banner and the potential military weapon living inside of him.
Honestly, I barely remember the first Hulk movie so I can totally dish on this flick without having to make those laborious comparisons. On second thought, I do have one improvement that I can point out with full confidence. "The Incredible Hulk" lightened up. I think Ed Norton, screenwriter Zak Penn and the rest of the Incredible team listened to the fans, toned down the lab jargon and head shrink sessions, and upped the pacing and the adrenaline. "Incredible Hulk" is the movie I was truly hoping for. Thrills, spills and a whole lotta property getting wrecked. Now I'm not saying this is a just another run-of-the-mill thrasher movie. The characters have plenty of drama to stimulate the viewer while the Emerald Giant is on break.
Banner is trying to find a cure for his condition while on the run from the army. Banner yearns to be with his life-love Betty Ross (Liv Tyler) but he knows that just going to buy a sundae together could mean Betty ending up in a full body cast the next day. It's hard to tell whether General Ross (William Hurt) is more concerned for his daughter's happiness and safety or for acquiring a new biological WMD for his superiors. And then there's secret agent Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) who loves a good fight and will go to some pretty extreme lengths to bout with the Big Green.
But yeah, the main attraction is The Hulk himself who has some pretty impressive action sequences that would make Schwarzenegger, well, green with envy. It's a bit comical to see Genreral Ross go through every toy in the Acme Catalog, save for the atomic bomb, and watch Hulk bash it to smithereens. Actually, there was a scene where it looks like Ross had finally gotten Hulk in his grasp and I was split between hoping Hulk could be restrained and eagerly anticipating Hulk's escape. But for the rest of the time, I was loving the gamma butt kickings.
My only major complaint was that there were certain parts when the movie just seem to hit a valley. It's bound to happen in movies like these when right after a revved up action scene there's a quick shift to a totally different area with a lot of talk. This is usually where things slow down and get boring quick. That was what made "Iron Man" so fantastic. Even the talking scenes were interesting. For the most part "Incredible Hulk" accomplishes this as well but not flawlessly. It doesn't hurt the movie that much since this phenomena mostly occurs in the early stages of the movie. Once Banner gets back to the States it's full speed ahead.
I'm going to conclude that after seeing "Iron Man" it felt like the bar had been raised yet again for comic book movie standards. Would "The Incredible Hulk" measure up? Would it be an improvement over the first film or would it make "Hulk" look like an Oscar winner? My doubts were answered today. "The Incredible Hulk" is great but not totally incredible. Though it is a well crafted, mixed bag of action, drama, humor and even some romance there are times when things run out of steam causing a few abrupt halts in the movie. Still you can expect a good script, sturdy performances, "wow" inducing special effects sequences and plenty of pop culture "pop-ups" that will get viewers buzzing.
Oh and no special scene at the end. I graciously (and foolishly) sat through the nigh eternity of credits just so you wouldn't have to, ha ha ha. It's good to be green, again.