Movie Review – The Incredible Hulk

Hi, gang. I’m back, and hope to put up a number of posts tonight to catch up on some of the things I’ve been archiving for the last week or so.

Up first is a review of the latest of the superhero movies for the summer, The Incredible Hulk. I’ve got to start off with something of a confession; I’ve never seen Ang Lee’s version of Hulk, starring Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly, and Sam Shepard. I’ve never been a huge Hulk fan, except for a relatively brief time when the comics were being written by my then-favorite writer, Peter David, and the movie was so largely panned, I never got around to seeing it.

It doesn’t much matter, of course, as that effort covered the basics of the Hulk legend: Bruce Banner, a research scientist, is accidently exposed to massive levels of gamma radiation, transforming him into a seven-foot tall, rampaging monster when he gets too excited (usually in anger). The new movie covers this ground under the credits, in addition to his romance with fellow researcher Betty Ross, and the relentless pursuit of Banner’s alter-ego by Betty’s father, General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross.

This movie opens some time after the end of the first, with Banner living underground and doing scut work in a factory in South America. He’s living under cover, learning martial arts as a way of controlling his body to keep the Hulk at bay. When the Gen. Ross discovers his whereabouts, he sends in a specialized hit squad led by Emil Blonsky in to capture Banner. Upon his eventual return to the United States, Banner is reunited with Betty, and forced to fight not only Ross and his squad, but also a newer, bigger foe, known as the Abomination.

The cast of the movie is very good, with Edward Norton and Liv Tyler providing repressed emotion and soulful glances as Bruce and Betty. Norton in particular seems to withdraw into himself, portraying the effort of keeping his emotions and, with them, the Hulk, inside. William Hurt appears more imposing than he usually does, with a bull’s neck poking out from his military uniform and his chin jutting imperiously. Tim Roth, as Emil Blonsky, offers an alternate form of contained aggression. The special effects are good. The Hulk looks more realistic than what little bit I saw of him in clips of the earlier film, and the Abomination matches him for power. The story, such as it is, is basic, and doesn’t really advance the overall storyline in particular, other than providing Hulk with a worthy adversary.

All in all, it’s an okay summer movie. It wasn’t a waste of time or money, but it won’t be among my favorites (I hope) by the time Autumn rolls around.

 

 

 
The 300 Project: 4/112