Post by BIGFANBOY on Jun 11, 2008 23:50:54 GMT -5
THE INCREDIBLE HULK
Review by Gary Dean Murray
Comic book movies have always been a mixed bag affair. For every perfect one like Superman (1978 Reeve's version) there have been scores of bad ones (Superman III and IV and Superman Returns). It just seems that the movies and superheroes just don’t jell together that well. One of the biggest disappointments of the last few years was Ang Lee’s Hulk. This was a giant failure both commercially and artistically. The Brokeback Mountain director tried to turn a pulp culture iconic character into an Art House protagonist. The experiment didn’t work and it looked as if Hollywood defeated the Green Giant.
But since then, Marvel has taken over their properties instead of just leasing them out to studios. The first film under this rearrangement was the first true blockbuster of the year - Iron Man. Now, Louis Leterrier has taken the reins of the Hulk character and delivered the second best superhero film of the year.
The movie opens with a collage of quick cuts that draws out a rough idea of how Dr. Bruce Banner became the Hulk. With a nod to Stark Industries among the opening jaunt, we see the origins of the character and the relationship between Bruce and Betty (Liv Tyler) and General Ross (William Hurt). It almost feels like opening credits of an episodic television show where the producers give a quick credit explanation/update before the episode begins. Then we cut to Brazil and Bruce is hiding out in the slums, trying to find a cure for his illness and concealing himself from the Army. Working as a janitor in a soda factory, he is a man that everyone knows is smarter than the level of work he is performing. Still searching, General Ross considers Bruce a scientific experiment that the government owns. Bruce has been communicating via the Internet to a scientist who thinks he can cure our hero from The Hulk. The scientist goes by the nom de plume of Mr. Blue and Bruce as Mr. Green. When a single-drop of Bruce’s blood gets into a soda bottle, it gives an individual in the U.S. gamma radiation sickness. This is the clue that General Ross has been looking for. He puts together a team to extract Bruce from South America, a team lead by a British Special Forces agent Imil Blonsky (Tim Roth). When the group goes to extract Banner (a stunning chase scene along the lines of the Casino Royale opening), he turns into the Hulk, throwing forklifts at the military men. Bruce escapes and the British soldier wants to know from the General how the Hulk came to be.
In order to find a cure, Mr. Blue needs the medical records of the Gamma radiation that Bruce was exposed to. So Bruce has to go and find his long lost love Betty who still has all the data. She is working at a Virginia university. General Ross gives our bad guy soldier a small dose of the gamma formula, which will make him a super soldier. These two events lead to the second big action piece at the university where the army tries to capture Banner and gets the Hulk again. All of this drives us to an ending in New York City where the Hulk has to battle another gamma radiation creature that was once Imil Blonsky.
The Incredible Hulk is a film that does two truly brilliant things. First, it almost totally ignores the first major motion picture and second, it embraces the much beloved TV series. Not only do we get the mandatory Stan Lee cameo, but the producers also put both Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno in the film. The melancholy ‘walking theme’ used in the TV show is referenced to a stunning effect. It all works as a loving ‘thank you’ to be cherished series.
But, the makers did use the only good element from the first movie, the CGI Hulk. This massive creature is perfect in movement and tone. Each muscle has individual ripples with the motions of true flesh. It is an amazing feat of storytelling and computer skills that makes one believe this behemoth exists in a real world. Another brilliant move the producers have going for them is in the casting. Ed Norton is one of the best actors in Hollywood. In performance after performance he sets a high bar for himself that few other thespians achieve. Here he gives us another worthy performance. Where Eric Bana was overwhelmed by the spectacle of the first movie, Norton holds his own against the action sequences of his CGI counterpoint. His character is sullen but not moody, bent but not broken. He still finds some humor in the role, more of an unlucky guy caught in a curse than a tragic figure. Think along the lines of Lon Chaney Jr. from the old Wolf Man flicks.
Liv Tyler takes the most unsung role in cinema, the girlfriend role, and finds some different aspects to the character. While it is a bit hard to believe that someone so beautiful could be an egghead professor, she does find some depth to her Betty Ross. And who would have thought that Tim Roth could play such a bad ass bad guy. One has to hand it to director Louis Leterrier for making a great action picture with an unexpected heart. He took Zak Penn’s script and turned it into a thinking man’s popcorn picture. The film flows with a certain grace between the three gigantic set action pieces and he finds both moments of heart and comedy in the big budget spectacle. But, by far the biggest praises have to go to Marvel for taking over their characters. By making sure that they are in charge of their products, they can protect not only their material value but also their character elements. The comic artists usually know what is best for what they create. The Incredible Hulk is second only to Iron Man for the action film of 2008. It has great activity along with great acting. It has those big elements craved for by the fanboys and has those little moments which give a film that something more. It is a summer movie that begs to be seen on the big screen and shouldn’t be missed.
To go back to BIGFANBOY.com click here - www.bigfanboy.com