(Long Island, N.Y.) Remember my Iron Man review? If not, please feel free to visit my extensive review archive at the bottom of this page and read it prior to reading this review. Otherwise, I’ll feel compelled to remind you all of how Marvel Comics recently started their own production studio and are actually financing their own film projects now instead of selling them off to other companies and losing profits and control in the process, and I’d rather not have to do that out of sheer laziness. Wait, I just did…anyway, Iron Man was the first of these projects and a huge financial success for Marvel, paving the way for the new comic book-based movie we’ll be discussing today- The Incredible Hulk.
For those of you out of touch with popular culture for the last 46 years, The Hulk is a big green man who talks like a third grader and is very mad and very strong, and the madder you make him, the stronger he gets. His interests primarily include smashing things like buildings and cars, behavior which is generally frowned upon by the general public and in turn often brings him into conflict with the U.S. Military. But he has a gentle side as well, and wants most of all to be left alone in peace (aww).
His alter ego, a puny scientist named Bruce Banner, accidentally awakened this explosive force within him during experiments involving Gamma radiation, trapping himself in a hellish Jekyll and Hyde-type existence where he’s forced to transform into The Hulk during periods of extreme anger or stress. When transformed, Banner’s personality is submerged and the Hulk’s becomes dominant. But while the big green behemoth is responsible for a great deal of property damage, his heart is ultimately in the right place and often finds himself fighting evil on humanity’s behalf, making him both hero and menace at the same time.
The Hulk has been the subject of more media adaptations than almost any Marvel Comics character to date. Of course we all fondly remember the classic 1970’s television show starring the late Bill Bixby as Banner and Lou “twice Mr. Universe, that’s not too bad either” Ferrigno as the Hulk himself, but there have also been cartoon series, video-games, you name it. A live-action feature film seemed inevitable, and in 2003 director Ang Lee released “Hulk.” The film was strongly derided by fans and critics alike for its many flaws, including straying too far from its source material and (for a Hulk movie, anyway) attempting to be too “deep.” While personally I felt the movie had it’s strong points (Lee tried to actually incorporate a complex comic book-like presentation into the film’s visual style, which I thought was very fresh and interesting- most people hated it, however), I ultimately had to side with its detractors. The Hulk is mainly a character that mindlessly smashes things, and attempting to psychoanalyze him and find out what makes him tick just seemed way out of place.
After Ang Lee’s Hulk was released, the rights to the character reverted back to Marvel, and they set about making plans for a sequel, keeping in mind the complaints aimed at Lee’s version. Louis Leterrier (who helmed Transporter 1 & 2) was recruited to direct, and uber-talented actor Edward Norton was signed to play Banner (Eric Bana, who portrayed him in Lee’s film, declined to reprise the role). The very presence of Hollywood A-lister Norton gave the production a major air of legitimacy, making people take notice. Known for sometimes taking control of the films he stars in, Norton proceeded to re-write the script, severing any ties to the original film and making this new Hulk a complete reboot of the franchise. Honestly, Norton had the right idea- the original Hulk film left a bad taste in many people’s mouths, and a fresh start was needed.
So this brings us to 2008’s The Incredible Hulk. Despite being a reboot, the film wisely dispenses with re-telling
the Hulk’s origin yet again, except in flashbacks and revelations. Instead, the movie opens with Banner on the run from the U.S. Army, lead by General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (William Hurt). Well aware of the public threat the Hulk poses and that he and Banner are actually one in the same, Ross considers the elusive scientist to be a valuable asset to the Military and vows to stop at nothing to capture him. Meanwhile, Banner has taken refuge in Brazil, working in a soda pop factory and spending his spare time training with a Jujitsu expert in an attempt to control his emotions and suppress his transformations into the Hulk. He also communicates nightly with a mysterious internet contact (presumably met through MySpace or something) who appears to be a fellow scientist willing to help him find a cure. However, this existence is shattered when “Thunderbolt” Ross discovers Banner’s whereabouts and sends a team of commandos to retrieve him, lead by Russian-born British special operations expert Emil Blonsky (played by a sweaty-looking Tim Roth). During the capture attempt, Banner turns into the Hulk and escapes, but not before nearly killing Blonsky by pitching a forklift at his head.
After reverting back to normal, Banner realizes that any hope for a normal future lies with his returning to the States and finding a cure once and for all. Sneaking back into the country, he makes contact with his former girlfriend and daughter of General Ross, Betty (Liv Tyler), who helps him get in touch with his enigmatic internet contact in an attempt to rid himself of the Hulk’s specter once and for all.
Upon reporting the outcome of the Brazil operation to General Ross, Blonsky is informed of Banner’s secret and is offered a chance to even the playing field: a World War II era super-solider serum (a Captain America reference, which by the way is Marvel’s next film project) is painfully injected into the past-his-prime operative, giving him increased strength, stamina, and speed. The roided-up Blonsky then leads the next capture attempt on the Hulk, but even with his enhanced abilities he’s no match for the monster and is basically punted like a football, turning his skeleton into jelly. However, the serum amazingly enables Blonsky to heal at a speed that would make most major HMOs giddy, and soon he is whole again, itching for revenge. Desperate for yet more power, he submits himself to the same Gamma radiation treatment that gave birth to the Hulk, and the resulting abomination becomes strong enough to go toe-to-toe with Banner’s grumpy alter-ego. The resulting showdown between these two super-powered titans? Well, it’s a doozy.
The Incredible Hulk is a very good movie, and a large improvement over the 2003 original. It dispenses with the psychological mumbo-jumbo of Lee’s film and focuses more on intense action and chase scenes. But that’s not to say the film is completely one-dimensional- a fair amount of time is spent focusing on Banner’s struggle to keep his emotions in check
and control the raging beast within him, and Norton manages to convey that restraint and conflict effortlessly.
Having a history of playing characters afflicted with dual personalities (as he did in both Primal Fear and Fight Club), Ed was certainly the right choice for the role, and a vast improvement over the wishy-washy Eric Bana. The rest of the cast is quite solid as well, but none stand out as much as the film’s star.
There are also several cameos that will make long-time fans of the Hulk smile. The Hulk’s comic book creator, Stan Lee, has a small role (as usual for Marvel movies), as does Lou Ferrigno (who also provides Hulk’s voice in this film). The late Bill Bixby also shows up, albeit on a TV show Norton is watching early in the movie. These are all nice little nods to the Hulk’s fans, and it’s good to see them included.
Of course, our review wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the special effects involved, as nowadays you really couldn’t get away with bringing the Hulk to life with a bodybuilder, a can of green paint and a roller. No, our modern Hulk is all computer graphics, and honestly, I think the result is very impressive. Rendering organic objects with CG has always been difficult (metal is far easier), but technology has gotten to the point where artists can create very realistic humanoid beings. The Hulk himself is a prime example of this, managing to convincingly convey emotion, flex muscles, interact with his surroundings, you name it. There’s a nice scene where Hulk has rescued Betty from certain death and whisked her away to a rainy mountain cave in the forest. Hulk is noticeably nervous in Betty’s presence and at the same time incensed by the violent thunderstorm outside, and Betty does her best to calm the dangerous yet child-like creature down, until he’s quietly sitting by her side, like a little boy next to the girl in school he has an innocent crush on. It’s actually rather touching, and the scene wouldn’t have worked if the Hulk looked like a character in a PlayStation game.
Not everything is flawless, however. The most glaring problem is that the relationships between most of the characters aren’t fleshed out very much, with the movie relying too much on the viewer’s familiarity with the comics and the previous film instead. As a result, some of their interactions seem rather forced, which in turn makes it harder for the audience to care about them and get involved. This is balanced out somewhat by the cast’s overall acting talents, but considering the fact that the Hulk is a character is driven purely by emotion, it’s ironic that some of the scenes feel cold and flat.
So in closing, The Incredible Hulk gets my stamp of approval, and I’m very much looking forward to the sequel (the plot of which was already set up in this installment). I want to give The Incredible Hulk three stars, but while it’s a good movie, it’s not quite Iron Man good, which I also rated with three stars. So, does this mean I should have given Iron Man 3 and a half stars? Or should I give The Incredible Hulk 2 and a half stars, which is still an above-average score? Ah, the life a film critic isn’t easy, loyal readers. I guess I’ll just go with the precedent I set with Iron Man’s score and give Hulk 2 and a half stars, but with the disclaimer that it’s still a very good movie and well worth your time. Hulk smash!
