The Incredible Hulk ( Movie )
B
The Incredible Hulk is a typical superhero movie that is hurt by the fact that this decade has seen a revival of great superhero films. Before there was Spiderman and Batman Begins, there was Batman & Robin and The Punisher, which almost spelt the end for not only superhero movies, but comics in general. With the recent surge of interest in the genetically mutated, it’s no mystery why we have Marvel’s 3rd biggest superhero on screen for the second time in 5 years.
This adaptation stars the incredible Edward Norton, who may well be one of the best actors of all time, as the mild mannered Dr. Bruce Banner. When Mr. Hyde comes out, everyone better run because nothing, NOTHING, can stop his wake of destruction. We get a good dose of action mixed with a fair ammount of love story and a good balance of backstory. What more is there to say? The compositing of Hulk looks REALLY good in almost all of his scenes, particularly when he carries Liv Tyler to a cave during a thunderstorm.
The reason I rated this movie so highly is because it leaves itself off in a perfect place for more Hulk movies. It doesn’t force the issue or leave the question to be debated. Hulk WILL be back. We WANT Hulk to be back. This movie plays out like 1 of a series. Normally, this would seem like a scheme for studios to cash in on (it is), but here it works and I’m on board. We can forget the Ang Lee version. Edward Norton’s version has retold Hulk, but only his beginnings. It doesn’t try to overthink itself or to tie things up too nicely. It tells us that this is Hulk in the raw. This is Jekyll before he can control Hyde. This is his curse. These are his friends and lovers. This is the world he lives in (the same world Tony Stark lives in). The last shot of the movie is a tight headshot of Edward Norton about to turn into the Hulk, but for the first time, in control and happy about it. When the next Hulk film premiers, we can expect the second part of this saga to play out. It will be less burdensome and daunting. This movie did exactly what it needed to, but didn’t blow me away. I’ll leave that to The Dark Knight on Friday I hope.
