It’s been said a million times … THE INCREDIBLE HULK is a step in the right direction when it comes to the character’s cinematic history. I’ve been taken to task in the past by readers for lambasting sections of this movie, but I’ve just gotta say it one more time … This movie feels incomplete.
After buying the DVD and viewing it numerous times, I truly believe the Incredible Hulk should have been merged with Ironman 2. Both movies seem to be lacking in certain areas and a merger would probably been beneficial to the forming Marvel Cinematic universe. What I’m suggesting is that Ironman 2 and THE INCREDIBLE HULK should have been formatted in the same manner as the current Harry Potter opus “HARRY POTTER and the DEATHLY HALLOWS”. Favreau should have directed part one in concert with Louis Louis Leterrier.
These two movies could have served as a test run for the working model of the future AVENGERS movie.
Ironman 2 suffers from weak villains in the form of Justin Hammer and Whiplash / Crimson Dynamo.
The Incredible Hulk suffers from some ragged story telling and an ill-defined villain in the form of General Ross (Yes, General Ross … Emil Blonsky i.e.; “The Abomination” comes off more as a lackey, a drug addicted hench-man until his final roid induced rage at the film’s conclusion.).
I feel it would have been better story wise to have Tim Blake’s Samuel Stern’s as a member of Ross’ entourage and thus have him willingly experiment on Blonsky thus setting the stage for a possible villainous turn as “The Leader” in a possible sequel.
I find that “THE INCREDIBLE HULK” is an adequate piece of entertainment but nothing more … as it adds little to the developing proceedings in the forming MAVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE.
Be that as it may … Here is my review of THE INCREDIBLE HULK.
The Incredible Hulk
Featuring: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, Tim Blake Nelson, Ty Burrell & William Hurt
(Special Cameo by Robert Downey Jr.)
Written by: Zak Penn, Edward Norton (Uncredited)Story by: Zak Penn
Producer: Kevin Feige, Stan Lee, Avi Arad, Michael J. Malone, John G. Scotti, Stephen Broussard, Ari Arad, David Maisel, Jim Van Wyck & Gale Anne Hurd
Music: Craig Armstrong
Cinematography: Peter Menzies Jr.
Editing: John Wright , Rick Shaine & Vincent Tabaillon
Director: Louis Leterrier
Studio: Marvel Entertainment, Marvel Studios & Valhalla Motion Pictures (Distributed by Universal Studios)
Theatrical Release Date: June 13, 2008
Budget: 150 million dollars
Gross Revenue: $263,427,551
PLOT:
I have to give this movie props for the innovative credit sequence that opens the movie and simultaneously details the creation of the Hulk and his current status as a fugitive. I wish more filmmakers working in the Hollywood machine would take note of this and use it as a tool when working with some of the well known comic book characters (I.e. Superman, Batman, Spiderman etc.).
Right from the opening moments we are thrown into the middle of this movie’s cinematic universe and pick up with protagonist Bruce Banner in hiding while trying to discover a cure for himself. Leterrier expands the scope of the film by setting the opening third of the film in Brazil and the exotic location immediately helps the film distance itself from the disastrous earlier Ang Lee directed film.
This film also lifts a few ideas and motifs from the 1977 Hulk television show focusing more on Banner’s day to day trying to avoid becoming the Hulk and his background as a scientist. Banner lives in a disheveled tenement and has a make-shift lab top computer & a few tools of the trade which he uses on his off time from his day job as a janitor / engineer in a local bottling plant.
Norton’s take on Banner as a scientist is to be commended. I buy that he knows what he’s doing in a lab. He gives off just the right amount of disinterested, yet humble genius. I do however; feel that a little more pathos could have been added to his portrayal.
During the opening moments of the Incredible Hulk, the movie’s narrative is split between Banner and an unlikely internet correspondence with a mysterious colleague (Mr. Blue) and General Ross’ (William Hurt) attempts to locate and capture the Hulk. Unlikely circumstances expose Banner’s location and Ross activates a black-ops team to mount a covert operation to capture him.
It is at this moment that we are introduced to the film’s supposed villain Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) recreated here as a Russian born, British special ops expert. The comic counterpart of Blonsky was a simple communist spy out to steal secrets from the government.
Leterrier takes care to mention the character’s background as an apparent aside to appease the fanboys. With a character like the Abomination, a simplistic brutish, physical character … this exposition comes off as a bit excessive.
Roth acquits himself quite nicely in a thankless role that requires none of his particular and polished skills as a thespian. He deserved better than the henchman role he was given just so that the studios could add another name actor to the credits.
During a Brazilian skirmish with the Hulk, Blonsky is seduced by the raw physical power of the Hulk and becomes determined to acquire similar abilities for himself.
Banner is forced to return to the campus where his experiments initially began in search of data “Mr. Blue” claims will facilitate curing him of his alter-ego (Hulk). The cloak and dagger elements continue state side as Banner goes to extremes to avoid detection from the military and his former fiancé and colleague Betty Ross (Liv Tyler).
Note(s) on Liv Tyler: Over the years I haven’t quite been a fan of Tyler, but she has started to become a good character actress (See LOTR Trilogy). But I have to admit that she is once again miscast in the role of Betty Ross. She doesn’t appear to be a military brat or scientist, but I buy her performance as Banner’s estranged girlfriend.
While invading the campus of “Culver University” where this MCU version of the Hulk was born, Banner is trapped by the military who attempt to sedate him. Banner becomes enraged while trapped in a glass walkway when he spots a grunt manhandling Betty and Hulk’s out!!!
Note(s):
Leterrier makes use of the famous "The Lonely Man Theme" from the 70’s television show early in the film.
One kind of wishes that Leterrier would also have used the incidental music leading up to the Hulk’s transformation during the scene where Betty is manhandled by a soldier while Bruce watches.
SAMPLE HULK OUT
(Listen to the Incidental music leading up to the transformation)
Hulk at this point has to contend with not only standard military ordinance and equipment, but some “toys” from STARK INDUSTRIES as well. I liked the idea of KIBY-esque military hardware, but hated the idea that it’s inventor Tony Stark i.e.; Ironman did not show.
In the Ironman movie, director Favreau established that Tony was a man of some ego and considering his reasons for becoming the armored hero … (misuse of his tech.)… An appearance by Ironman would have been the logical step. Heck, you could have even had him simply show up in costume to subdue the Hulk or maybe later in the film’s conclusion to unsuccessfully subdue Blonsky.
Note: This could have served as a future explanation for “Hulk-Buster” Armor.
Hulk makes short work of the military and Stark-tech weaponry in no short order and escapes with the injured Betty Ross.
Also of note is the matter in which Banner is located by the military. General Ross makes use of S.H.I.E.L.D resources to locate the monster at large, yet there is no onscreen representation of Shield personnel. It doesn’t have to be Sam Jackson or Clark Gregg … it could have been the fictional characters of Gabe Jones or Jimmy Woo (I’m sure Marvel doesn’t have any plans to use those guys.). Just some kind of presence.
It has been reported that Norton is responsible for the second deletion of Rick Jones for the MCU, the toning down of SHIELD and the inclusion of a minor subplot wherein Banner tries to extract a cure from a rare flower.
If these reported claims are true, then Leterrier should have known when to rein in Norton as this unfortunately led to his later termination from future cinematic iterations of the Hulk character.
Banner is ultimately captured as he rendezvous with Mr. Blue, the aforementioned Samuel Sterns who turns out to be a crackpot who has cloned massive quantities of the Hulk’s blood.
Blonsky gets his hands on the samples and forces Sterns to inject him with a massive dosage.
To make a long story short … The audience gets to witness the birth of the Abomination.
I initially hated the changes made to the design of the Abomination, but after a couple of viewings, the BIG GUY kinda grows on you. He is a severely fierce counterpoint to the Hulk’s internal benevolent nature. It’s just that the filmmakers are so damn short sighted when it comes to displaying the evil monster’s full capabilities.
Note: Wouldn’t the audience have like to see a full on invasion of Washington by the Abomination ala Superman II? It would have helped keep the movie from becoming standard television level action fare.
Just saying that the collateral damage of the creature’s initial rampage was rather …blah.
With a characters as powerful as the Hulk and Abomination, something …”Apocalyptic” should have been the order of the day.
Instead we get something that resembles a low rez version of a playstation game. A little imagination and vision couldn’t have hurt.
Does the Hulk vanquish the Abomination?
Is Hulk vindicated and finally viewed by the public as a hero?
Does Banner learn to coincide with his monstrous alter-ego?
You’ll have to rent the DVD to find out as this concludes my review of the Incredible Hulk.
INCREDIBLE HULK
**1/2 stars out of five
This movie started out promising but ultimately needed more. It be this hard to make a decent monster movie and that’s ultimately what the Hulk is … a noble, misunderstood monster.
Perhaps Joss Whedon will finally get it right when he rolls out the Avengers in 2012.
…shadowgeek10 returns to the shadows once more …