Reviews of The Incredible Hulk

The Incredible Hulk review

Posted : 10 months ago on 7 January 2009 12:28 (A review of The Incredible Hulk)

Marvel Studios does it again proving they should have ownership to produce their own property. The formula seems to be working top stars in the leading roles along with creative teams who know the material working on scripts and taking direction that will not just please the fanboys but actually make a good film in the process. This is by no means a cinematic masterpiece but is a great superhero movie the parts are all acted very well and all the quite frankly silly concepts are presented in a way that grounds them in reality. The story line is pretty tense with great action sequences featuring a well rendered computer generated Hulk and fast paced Bourne style shots with Edward Norton scaling buildings to escape the military. Nice callbacks feature for those who have seen the first Marvel Studios film Iron Man. An enjoyable, exciting movie.

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The Incredible Disappointment

Posted : 1 year ago on 3 November 2008 06:10 (A review of The Incredible Hulk)

"As far as I'm concerned, that man's whole body is property of the U.S. army."

The first stab at a cinematic incarnation of the Marvel superhero The Incredible Hulk was Ang Lee's excruciatingly ponderous, self-indulgent 2003 production simply titled Hulk. The central criticism of Lee's original film is that it's too thoughtful and slow to deliver the popcorn goods. It was also a glacial pure drama that contained an atrocious final reel. Needless to say, Lee's Hulk received a negative reception.

During initial development for 2008's The Incredible Hulk the film was planned as a sequel. Eventually it materialised into a total reboot of the cinematic Hulk franchise. The filmmakers promised it'd be more of an action-oriented blockbuster. While marginally superior to its forerunner, The Incredible Hulk is anything but incredible. It's disappointingly rushed, disjointed and fluffy. The sub-standard outcome of this flick has left me starving for a decent cinematic rendering of the Marvel superhero. Hollywood has yet to produce a truly iconic and memorable film featuring the big green guy.

Bruce Banner (Norton) was in a laboratory accident, poisoning him with gamma radiation that damaged his cells and unleashed the unbridled force of rage inside him. Whenever Bruce gets angry, he transforms into the big green guy known as The Hulk. Bruce flees his home, cutting off a life he knew and the woman he loves: Betty Ross (Tyler). He lives life off the grid, constantly on the move to evade the obsessive pursuit of the US military that seeks to capture him and brutally exploit his power. Bruce works to find a cure for his genetic disorder, eventually travelling back to America to track down a certain "Mr. Blue" (Nelson) who has been Bruce's anonymous consultant for months.
Enter British military specialist Emil Blonsky (Roth) who yearns for the power possessed by Bruce Banner. Needless to say, he develops into a Hulk-like character and a climactic showdown ensues.

The Incredible Hulk skips an extensive origins tale. Zak Penn's screenplay opts to show Bruce Banner's back-story during the opening credits. It's a straightforward five-minute montage effectively conveying the story so far. This is an example of the script doing something correctly. In fact, in the first 20 minutes the film never strikes an incorrect note. The characters are given a fitting introduction and the script moves at a desirable pace. Instead of verbal exposition, Penn's script shows the story through visuals and even a brief conversation via computer. Beyond these opening 20 minutes, the script is immediately downgraded into cheese territory. Initially the film established a "less is more" approach, shrouding Banner and his alter ego in a cloud of secrecy. It's more intriguing and it provides a heightened degree of momentum. This approach, though, is soon jettisoned in order for the action to start. The Incredible Hulk then becomes nothing but a string of destruction, undermined by the dreadfully phoney CGI and zero depth. The film's structure is incoherent and jumpy. Choppy editing and uniformly corny dialogue are also key problems.

The Incredible Hulk is the ideal cinematic representation of The Hulk for those desiring lots of action. The climax runs for approximately 10 minutes. Throughout the film there's adequate mayhem to keep one entertained. By all means, it is moderately entertaining. It's more fun than Ang Lee's 2003 picture. But where Lee's film succeeds (i.e. some thoughtful dialogue) this film fails. Ironically, where Lee's film fails (i.e. action) this film succeeds. If a harmonious blend of these two films was created we'd have the definitive Hulk adventure.

Towards the end of the film's post-production period there was much discussion regarding the running time. The studio were pressuring for a film running at under two hours. Norton lobbied furiously for more characterisation and back-story, and general dialogue. As this was a summer blockbuster and the studio had more power, the film was trimmed down to its 110-minute length. 70 minutes were reportedly removed during the editing process. It's so painfully obvious that this is a longer film that's been far too compressed. The structure doesn't flow correctly. Various bridge scenes appear to be missing. The worst offender is Bruce Banner easily travelling from Guatemala to California with no money, official documents and his face plastered on every government watch list. A bulk of the film appears half-baked and underdone. Characters even disappear, such as Betty's current boyfriend who seems to be simply tossed aside upon Bruce's return. The removed 70 minutes could've redeemed The Incredible Hulk. Extended version please!!

However, a number of the scenes present in the final product are quite awful. The worst scene in the entire film is an unnecessarily cheesy sequence during which The Hulk and Betty sit outside a cave at night in the pouring rain. It feels shamelessly copied from Peter Jackson's King Kong. It's a tender, corny scene to establish the love shared by Betty and Bruce. It comes off as a waste of time.

In tradition with most Hollywood action fluff, the final climactic battle is all special effects and epicness without a shred of brains. Even after a few minutes of the battle people still appear to be running away from the action. Some civilians are even shown to be tossed around in the mayhem. Surely a few dozen people were killed, yet there's never an ounce of sentimentality towards them. Lots of cars blow up, lots of buildings are destroyed, and lots of people are killed. Millions of dollars worth of damage is inflicted without any backlash. It's all to make the most exhilarating viewing...and it doesn't even do that. The Incredible Hulk suffers from awful visual effects. The climactic action scene exhibits mortifying phoneyness, mirroring a video game cut-scene. Everything from the helicopters to the environment looks absurdly unconvincing. It's extremely off-putting due to the lack of polish in the CGI. It's been five long years since Lee's 2003 film, and director Leterrier was playing with a massive budget, but the special effects looks pathetically unfinished. The final battle sequence of Lee's film was nothing short of amazing (probably the best thing about the entire movie). The special effects were particularly stunning. In the case of The Incredible Hulk, though, the sweeping Hulk movement is accounted for, but the clarity is lacking. The creature lacks vital crispness. With the inclusion of such awful CGI it felt as if someone was tapping me on the shoulder, whispering "Hey, you're just watching a movie". The gift of total immersion is discarded, and it's very hard to get into. I'd give up all the thunderous explosions that litter this film for a single scene of awe. For a film titled "Incredible", the computer-generated Hulk is anything but.

Performances are generally below standard. Edward Norton is a gross miscast. I've enjoyed him in several other movies (dramas like Fight Club, 25th Hour, etc) but as Bruce Banner he doesn't fit. Eric Bana was a far superior Bruce simply because he looked the part as both the big green dude and the scrawny scientist dude. Norton's appearance isn't sufficiently utilised for the CG creation of The Hulk as well. It looks as if his appearance was completely disregarded for the Hulk's computer generated image.
Liv Tyler is emotionless and stiff. While sharing scenes with Norton or William Hurt, she's abjectly outclassed. Her delivery is flat and without emotion. We're never convinced she and Banner are former lovers or that they still have feelings for one another as it's not conveyed well enough.
Tim Roth is the only actor capable of bestowing the film with what it truly needed. He's a sublime villain for sure. His part deserves further expansion.

I rather hated Ang Lee's 2003 Hulk and yearned for a better movie. While The Incredible Hulk was in development I prayed for an antidote to suppress the damage caused by Lee's prior film. As it is, this reboot of the film franchise is an incredible failure (pardon the pun). It's more fun and enjoyable, and it's an easier viewing experience, but it's too nonsensical, fluffy and corny with special effects that look incomplete and cartoonish. The first 20 minutes are terrific, as are the final few minutes. In between there ain't much to get excited about. It's intense, fun and somewhat entertaining, but it's much too flawed.

4.8/10

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Poor Edward!

Posted : 1 year, 1 month ago on 6 October 2008 06:42 (A review of The Incredible Hulk)

After watching this movie it disappoints me to see Edward Norton in such a terrible film, I wasn't expecting some cinematic masterpiece, but I did have hopes for something better than what was delivered.

Definitely not something for Edward Norton to add to his otherwise impressive list of movie credits.

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Aaaaargh!

Posted : 1 year, 1 month ago on 21 September 2008 07:53 (A review of The Incredible Hulk)

I just can't believe this. I'm so very dissapointed...
I mean, of course I wasn't expecting a genius script or anything like that. It's clear that Hollywood prefers horrible scripts that are flat and plain stupid over anything that shows even a remote resemblance of cleverness.
So, I wasn't hoping for a great movie, in terms of script.
I surely wasn't expecting THIS bad, though.

I mean, EDWARD NORTON and TIM ROTH, for heaven's sake! I sure as hell thought "well, if these two agreed to be in a super-hero movie, it MUST have something interesting".

Well, no.

This is just a HUGE waste of talent and money. I'm outraged at how many people work in a movie like this, how much money is spent, how many talented actors (and all the other staff, creative and otherwise) are wasted to make two hours of pure shit.

Sad. Just sad.

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Green Mean Fighting Machine!

Posted : 1 year, 1 month ago on 19 September 2008 08:52 (A review of The Incredible Hulk)

''There are aspects of my personality that I can't control. And when I lose control, it's very dangerous to be around me.''


Fugitive Dr. Bruce Banner portrayed by Norton must utilize the genetic accident that transforms him into a giant, rampaging hulk to stop a former soldier played by Tim Roth, that purposely becomes an even more dangerous version.

Edward Norton: Bruce Banner

Liv Tyler: Betty Ross

Tim Roth: Emil Blonsky

Hulk has the cast, the plot and the look to reboot a previously squandered job on one popular character's from Marvel. So doe's Hulk please and thrill and add another fine strong notch to Marvel's belt? I'd say yes thanks to a number of reasons.

The director Louis Leterrier who was also behind Transporter crafts a superhero chase movie that is pure blockbuster material and a comic book fanboy feast. I never saw Ang Lee's Hulk which to me looked awful and on seeing this reboot, this makes me pleased i did not.

Effect wise I was worried, granted in places there not perfect but in others they are pretty damn detailed. I find metal effects are far more easier like Iron Man to pull off, to do fleshy muscle effects is a real challenge and in creating the Hulk I can see how hard it must have been. Some of the rain parts with Liv and Hulk were pretty damn pure indulgence on the realism stakes.

Action wise The Incredible Hulk is like a roller-coaster Fugitive mixed with Kill Bill and Sith. I mean the music is blaring, guns and sonic emitting weapons not to mention camera angles that make use of the open spaces and cram in the level of destruction when Banner is unleashed in Hulk form every time.

Edward Norton as Bruce Banner/Hulk is a very interesting choice for Hulk and one of the main reasons for me wanting to see the film plus the excellent cast. This actor is like choosing a win-win situation, his attention to detail and focus is apparent in every little gesture and word he performs. Whether it be a magician, a Neo-Nazi or now The Hulk Edward Norton proves what being an Actor is about and one of those aspects is the ability to change. Bruce Banner ultimately has a beacon on him with Norton's representation.
Liv Tyler as Betty Ross shows that Liv isn't just a beautiful face but a talented actress. The love story between Betty & Bruce shows that there is more to this film than explosions and carnage, formulating romance and poise.
Tim Roth who plays Emil Blonsky is the crazed nemesis of the piece. Found it hard to believe such a short man with tattoos and a gruff posture could be of military personnel. But I overlooked this as he was pretty damn funny in his bold audacity and his sheer audacity. As usual American casting an English Actor as a bad ass bad guy is typical.
William Hurt as the General was a fine addition. The cigar smoking, no nonsense military man showing his penchant for using things for weapons such as Bruce for his own gain and then Blonsky. He ultimately becomes redeemable which came as a sudden surprise at a point.

The Incredible Hulk is a top notch chase movie combined with a Comic Book Character who isn't a typical hero but one with a troubled affliction, like a modern telling of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, which shows him fight his inner demons and become a reluctant Hero. Hulk also surprises us with cameos from Stan Lee, The original Hulk and Robert Downey Jr's Iron Man/Tony Stark giving us a hint of maybe a movie featuring all the Marvel Hero's together in a film, like the comics Justice League. Not sure how they would do that but that would be amazing.

Fans of Edward Norton should see this, Fans of the Hulk or Comic Book flicks will not be disappointed.

You wouldn't like it when I'm...hungry! :P''

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Two Thumbs Up!

Posted : 1 year, 4 months ago on 16 June 2008 04:35 (A review of The Incredible Hulk)

Bruce Banner has been on the run for the past five years, trying to find a cure for his gamma radiation poisoning while keeping one step ahead of General Ross and the U.S. military. But after a close call in Brazil, Banner decides it's time to return home and find the person who can help rid himself of the Hulk.

This is not a sequel to the Ang Lee 2003 movie but is more of a reboot. The story does away with Hulk's origins by explaining how he came to be in the opening title sequence.

The Incredible Hulk has a ton of action, with each piece building upon the previous ones until the finale explodes with mayhem and carnage. The CGI for the showdown is fantastic and I have very few complaints about the acting. Edward Norton is quiet and understated as Bruce Banner and the chemistry between him and Liv Tyler as Betty Ross is palpable. I didn't think anyone could do a great a job as Sam Elliot as General Ross but William Hurt just nails it. Though Tim Roth seems an unlikely choice as a tough-as-nails career military man (especially in one scene where he's in the infirmary) he brings such presence to Emil Blonsky that you can't help but believe that this guy would do what it took to take down the Hulk.

The mood is more somber than other comic book movies and so some attempts at humor fall flat. There are also some plot holes particularly in the last part of the film as action and a quick pace takes precedence over story development. There are also some pacing issues that make the movie seem longer than it really is. But this doesn't detract from the fact that The Incredible Hulk is an enjoyable, exciting movie and I was entertained by it.

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