Viewed: In theatre
Release Date: June 13, 2008
writer: Zak Penn and Edward Norton (uncredited)
director: Louis Leterrier
Full disclosure: I loved (still do) Ang Lee's Hulk, and yes, I realize I'm in the minority, but it's a brilliant film technically (editing, directing and design), and I highly appreciate Lee's sense of comic book drama. The geeks go on about "Hulk dogs" as if there's something inherently wrong with that just because it wasn't in the comics. Lee's take on the Hulk isn't about the creature, but rather a story about fathers and their children, of Bruce Banner (Eric Bana) and his dad (Nick Nolte), and Betty Ross (Jennifer Connelly) and her father (Sam Elliott). The two stories crossed paths, in modern day and in flashbacks, and what unfolded was a mystery nobody was expecting and most still don't see. Far too many people expected a big-budget Hulk movie to be like the character, rather mindless... a summer blockbuster, just popcorn-chugging fun, full of the Green Goliath smashing his way out of any predicament. Instead, as my wife says, it turned out a snooze-fest of disinteresting human melodrama.
The new Incredible Hulk movie aims to deliver upon expectations that weren't met from the last film, swapping out any real sense of character progression for a number of CGI rendered demolition derbies, with equal motivation to distance itself from Lee's film (but without looking like it's keeping its distance) and to relaunch the character as part of the new cinematic "Marvel Universe".
Release Date: June 13, 2008
writer: Zak Penn and Edward Norton (uncredited)
director: Louis Leterrier
Full disclosure: I loved (still do) Ang Lee's Hulk, and yes, I realize I'm in the minority, but it's a brilliant film technically (editing, directing and design), and I highly appreciate Lee's sense of comic book drama. The geeks go on about "Hulk dogs" as if there's something inherently wrong with that just because it wasn't in the comics. Lee's take on the Hulk isn't about the creature, but rather a story about fathers and their children, of Bruce Banner (Eric Bana) and his dad (Nick Nolte), and Betty Ross (Jennifer Connelly) and her father (Sam Elliott). The two stories crossed paths, in modern day and in flashbacks, and what unfolded was a mystery nobody was expecting and most still don't see. Far too many people expected a big-budget Hulk movie to be like the character, rather mindless... a summer blockbuster, just popcorn-chugging fun, full of the Green Goliath smashing his way out of any predicament. Instead, as my wife says, it turned out a snooze-fest of disinteresting human melodrama.
The new Incredible Hulk movie aims to deliver upon expectations that weren't met from the last film, swapping out any real sense of character progression for a number of CGI rendered demolition derbies, with equal motivation to distance itself from Lee's film (but without looking like it's keeping its distance) and to relaunch the character as part of the new cinematic "Marvel Universe".
Full disclosure: I don't have much affection for the '70's Bill Bixby/Lou Ferrigno Incredible HulkTV program. I revisited the show last year after being given a copy of the mid-80's TV movies on DVD, and found them curiously enjoyable, but not very good. The show has cropped up in repeats over the past few years on different channels, and while it's quite a product of it's time, it's also an effective use of the "running man" style of episodic programming (similar to the Fugitive or the Littlest Hobo or Quantum Leap), where the lead character meets different people every episode and ventures to help them. This type of show thrives off exploring Americana, a perpetual road trip, the lead character but a cypher to meeting a wide variety of everyday Joes who invariably get themselves in some kind of trouble. As a kid, I always wanted to see more of the Hulk and less David Banner, and I found the situations in which Banner found himself in far too mundane to demand the Hulk's intervention. Times have changed.
Louis Leterrier, takes the helm of the new Incredible Hulk movie, and the fact that it share the same title as the television program isn't just coincidence. Leterrier admits to being a big fan of the show, and its influence throughout the film is pronounced. The film's opening title sequence is a virtual replica of the TV show's, although, this time, longer and seeding in some fan service (a lot of notes from Stark Enterprises and S.H.I.E.L.D.). The film opens in Rio De Janeiro, panning over the absolutely awe-inspiring box city that's been developed up the mountainside. This setting is the most stunning element of the film, moreso than any CGI construct or action sequence. Within the deep alleys of the city we find Bruce Banner (Edward Norton), working for a pop bottling factory and living in one of the box city's hovels. Banner trains with a Brazilian martial artist, learning to regulate his pulse and breathing, trying to keep any anxiety, excitement or stress in check. He has a computer and a portable satellite dish through which he communicates - as Mr. Green - to a scientist named Mr. Blue, discussing his "gamma radiation poisoning" and a potential cure. In fact, Bruce has an awful lot of science equipment in his little abode, as well as a mangy dog. As hidden away as he is Bruce slips up and General Ross locates him (Ross was the impetus behind Banner's transformation, hoping to make better soldiers). Sending a covert paramilitary squad, led by decorated soldier Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth), Banner is alerted to their presence and leads them through an absolutely fantastic parkour-style chase through the alleys and rooftops of the box city. The chase ends in the factory Banner works at where his stress levels rise out of control, and he transforms, complete with the green contact lenses and the Bixby-esque grimace in the camera.
The Hulk is mostly seen moving in the shadows or through smoke, the soldiers' many weapons obviously having no effect on the creature. The Hulk tosses a forklift like a baseball, whips around vats of soda like empty milk crates, and roars loud enough to put Jurassic Park's t-rexes to shame. The Hulk escapes, and Blonsky is fascinated. He gets the dish on the Hulk, and convinces Ross to let him lead a prepared encounter team. In the process Blonksy submits himself to a super-soldier serum test (a nod to Captain America of the comics). Bruce, awakening in Portugul, tatters for clothes, begs and scrounges his way back to America (perhaps a few undocumented "running man" tales occurring in the process). He makes his way back to Betty (Liv Tyler), but after getting attacked by Blonsky and company they're on the run together.
Norton was an inspired choice to take on the role of Bruce. Where Eric Bana was a bit to reserved in his emotions (which was a story point, I should add), Norton's Banner seems like a victim of his. He doesn't want to deny himself life, but he knows the dangers of letting himself lose control. Norton's Banner is warmer and more relatable than Bana's and it's his performance which makes the film, negotiating the absurd with sincerity. Tyler's Betty is strong and compassionate, loyal and not above fear, but unwilling to give into it. She knows the creature is Bruce and is the only one who seems capable of pulling his focus from his rage. Their reunion is done particularly well, as is the dynamic between Tyler and Norton. There's a sense of tension, romance and genuine affection between the two, a warmth that was a bit harder to come by in Lee's film. But the relationship, and these character seem short-shifted when it comes to moving them forward. They seem to be in much the same place (different locations perhaps) at the end of the film as where they began.
Full disclosure: I have maybe a half dozen Hulk comics in my collection. In 25 years of comics reading I've only purchased a scant number of comics featuring the legendary character. My affection for him, his legacy, his supporting cast, his nemeses is very small. I'm certain the character is full of potential, but his greatest struggle isn't a physical one, instead a psychological one. The character's psyche has been explored in great depth in the comics, from what I've read about his characterization, but that has yet to get translated to film.
In Lee's film, Bana's Banner notes of his transformation: "Even now I can feel it, buried somewhere deep inside, watching me, waiting... But you know what scares me the most? When I can't fight it anymore, when it takes over, when I totally lose control... I like it."
In the latest, Norton's Banner says that he only remembers fragments of what happens when he's the Hulk, and seems to want to disassociate himself from the creature, to deny that it's part of him. But the exploration of his feelings about the creature are left merely to his desire to rid himself of it, much as Bixby's Banner did on the TV show.
This latest Hulk film is guided by the Marvel production banner, like the triumphant Iron Man before it, and as such it seems geared towards servicing a fan base, introducing nuggets of inside references to the comic books, and hitting more heavily than Lee's version the comic book nature of conflict and resolution.
In the story, Bruce and Betty eventually make their way to Mr. Blue, Dr. Samuel Sterns (played by with an unusual verve by Tim Blake Nelson), who has perhaps a cure, or maybe just a suppressant, but they run some tests. Unfortunately, the military is right back on their tail and Bruce and Betty are captured. Blonksy, craving raw physical power, however forces Mr. Blue into giving him what Banner's got. Transformed into an utter Abomination, Blonsky mindstate is complete dementia, like in the midst of a roid-rage during a bad acid trip. His body balloons into a malformed monstrosity, smashing the lab (while setting up Mr. Blue for some sort of transformation in a sequel), and starts rampaging Cloverfield-style through downtown Harlem (or Toronto's Yonge Street standing in for it, anyway). Bruce implores General Ross to let him go, as he's the only one to confront the creature, and naturally he agrees.
The two CGI behemoths tussle in both real-world and CGI environs, a titanic battle that winds ups being spectacularly dull, as the two rubbery-looking creatures exchange blows, crush some cars, set some fires and slam each other through buildings. With all-or-mostly CGI action, movements seem unreal, scene compositions seem noticeably staged and the tangible impact of what the creatures are doing to one another is never truly felt. A clean line of trespass between cars on the street is given to the creatures, and perhaps it's just my awareness of the environment the battle is shot in (having witnessed first hand the shooting of some of the sequence) but it comes off quite bland. Prior sequences, with the Hulk facing trucks and humans fared well, but the climax seemed like a "we need a climax" sequence... the usual progression of movies to the ultimate showdown with the biggest and baddest enemy. It's standard operating procedure which has never felt more noticeable.
The epilogue finds Banner in a new secluded location, alone and meditating, while General Ross has a moment with Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), threading together the cinematic Marvel Universe. For the first time, as a fan, I found the plentiful easter eggs nodding to the comics to be distracting, too much winking to the fans actually pulled me out of the film.
Though it is in the unfortunate position of being compare to not only it's source material on the page, but also the broadcast material and a prior film made by a more creative director, The Incredible Hulk does hold it's own. In the end, it felt like an issue of a ongoing comic book, where something exciting happens, but it's inconsequential, save to say there's a new villain in the rogues gallery. It also felt like an episode of the TV show, as the thematics and character elements were inspired by it, but similarly the movie ends with status quo restored, with Bruce Banner's quest still continuing. What it didn't feel like, though, was a movie. It's a chapter in a saga that will never see completion, because Banner can never be cured, that's not how his story ends. And so this movie, it has no ending, and is less satisfying as a result.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Louis Leterrier, takes the helm of the new Incredible Hulk movie, and the fact that it share the same title as the television program isn't just coincidence. Leterrier admits to being a big fan of the show, and its influence throughout the film is pronounced. The film's opening title sequence is a virtual replica of the TV show's, although, this time, longer and seeding in some fan service (a lot of notes from Stark Enterprises and S.H.I.E.L.D.). The film opens in Rio De Janeiro, panning over the absolutely awe-inspiring box city that's been developed up the mountainside. This setting is the most stunning element of the film, moreso than any CGI construct or action sequence. Within the deep alleys of the city we find Bruce Banner (Edward Norton), working for a pop bottling factory and living in one of the box city's hovels. Banner trains with a Brazilian martial artist, learning to regulate his pulse and breathing, trying to keep any anxiety, excitement or stress in check. He has a computer and a portable satellite dish through which he communicates - as Mr. Green - to a scientist named Mr. Blue, discussing his "gamma radiation poisoning" and a potential cure. In fact, Bruce has an awful lot of science equipment in his little abode, as well as a mangy dog. As hidden away as he is Bruce slips up and General Ross locates him (Ross was the impetus behind Banner's transformation, hoping to make better soldiers). Sending a covert paramilitary squad, led by decorated soldier Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth), Banner is alerted to their presence and leads them through an absolutely fantastic parkour-style chase through the alleys and rooftops of the box city. The chase ends in the factory Banner works at where his stress levels rise out of control, and he transforms, complete with the green contact lenses and the Bixby-esque grimace in the camera.
The Hulk is mostly seen moving in the shadows or through smoke, the soldiers' many weapons obviously having no effect on the creature. The Hulk tosses a forklift like a baseball, whips around vats of soda like empty milk crates, and roars loud enough to put Jurassic Park's t-rexes to shame. The Hulk escapes, and Blonsky is fascinated. He gets the dish on the Hulk, and convinces Ross to let him lead a prepared encounter team. In the process Blonksy submits himself to a super-soldier serum test (a nod to Captain America of the comics). Bruce, awakening in Portugul, tatters for clothes, begs and scrounges his way back to America (perhaps a few undocumented "running man" tales occurring in the process). He makes his way back to Betty (Liv Tyler), but after getting attacked by Blonsky and company they're on the run together.
Norton was an inspired choice to take on the role of Bruce. Where Eric Bana was a bit to reserved in his emotions (which was a story point, I should add), Norton's Banner seems like a victim of his. He doesn't want to deny himself life, but he knows the dangers of letting himself lose control. Norton's Banner is warmer and more relatable than Bana's and it's his performance which makes the film, negotiating the absurd with sincerity. Tyler's Betty is strong and compassionate, loyal and not above fear, but unwilling to give into it. She knows the creature is Bruce and is the only one who seems capable of pulling his focus from his rage. Their reunion is done particularly well, as is the dynamic between Tyler and Norton. There's a sense of tension, romance and genuine affection between the two, a warmth that was a bit harder to come by in Lee's film. But the relationship, and these character seem short-shifted when it comes to moving them forward. They seem to be in much the same place (different locations perhaps) at the end of the film as where they began.
Full disclosure: I have maybe a half dozen Hulk comics in my collection. In 25 years of comics reading I've only purchased a scant number of comics featuring the legendary character. My affection for him, his legacy, his supporting cast, his nemeses is very small. I'm certain the character is full of potential, but his greatest struggle isn't a physical one, instead a psychological one. The character's psyche has been explored in great depth in the comics, from what I've read about his characterization, but that has yet to get translated to film.
In Lee's film, Bana's Banner notes of his transformation: "Even now I can feel it, buried somewhere deep inside, watching me, waiting... But you know what scares me the most? When I can't fight it anymore, when it takes over, when I totally lose control... I like it."
In the latest, Norton's Banner says that he only remembers fragments of what happens when he's the Hulk, and seems to want to disassociate himself from the creature, to deny that it's part of him. But the exploration of his feelings about the creature are left merely to his desire to rid himself of it, much as Bixby's Banner did on the TV show.
This latest Hulk film is guided by the Marvel production banner, like the triumphant Iron Man before it, and as such it seems geared towards servicing a fan base, introducing nuggets of inside references to the comic books, and hitting more heavily than Lee's version the comic book nature of conflict and resolution.
In the story, Bruce and Betty eventually make their way to Mr. Blue, Dr. Samuel Sterns (played by with an unusual verve by Tim Blake Nelson), who has perhaps a cure, or maybe just a suppressant, but they run some tests. Unfortunately, the military is right back on their tail and Bruce and Betty are captured. Blonksy, craving raw physical power, however forces Mr. Blue into giving him what Banner's got. Transformed into an utter Abomination, Blonsky mindstate is complete dementia, like in the midst of a roid-rage during a bad acid trip. His body balloons into a malformed monstrosity, smashing the lab (while setting up Mr. Blue for some sort of transformation in a sequel), and starts rampaging Cloverfield-style through downtown Harlem (or Toronto's Yonge Street standing in for it, anyway). Bruce implores General Ross to let him go, as he's the only one to confront the creature, and naturally he agrees.
The two CGI behemoths tussle in both real-world and CGI environs, a titanic battle that winds ups being spectacularly dull, as the two rubbery-looking creatures exchange blows, crush some cars, set some fires and slam each other through buildings. With all-or-mostly CGI action, movements seem unreal, scene compositions seem noticeably staged and the tangible impact of what the creatures are doing to one another is never truly felt. A clean line of trespass between cars on the street is given to the creatures, and perhaps it's just my awareness of the environment the battle is shot in (having witnessed first hand the shooting of some of the sequence) but it comes off quite bland. Prior sequences, with the Hulk facing trucks and humans fared well, but the climax seemed like a "we need a climax" sequence... the usual progression of movies to the ultimate showdown with the biggest and baddest enemy. It's standard operating procedure which has never felt more noticeable.
The epilogue finds Banner in a new secluded location, alone and meditating, while General Ross has a moment with Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), threading together the cinematic Marvel Universe. For the first time, as a fan, I found the plentiful easter eggs nodding to the comics to be distracting, too much winking to the fans actually pulled me out of the film.
Though it is in the unfortunate position of being compare to not only it's source material on the page, but also the broadcast material and a prior film made by a more creative director, The Incredible Hulk does hold it's own. In the end, it felt like an issue of a ongoing comic book, where something exciting happens, but it's inconsequential, save to say there's a new villain in the rogues gallery. It also felt like an episode of the TV show, as the thematics and character elements were inspired by it, but similarly the movie ends with status quo restored, with Bruce Banner's quest still continuing. What it didn't feel like, though, was a movie. It's a chapter in a saga that will never see completion, because Banner can never be cured, that's not how his story ends. And so this movie, it has no ending, and is less satisfying as a result.
Rating: 3 out of 5