Critical Hit - The Incredible Hulk
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Hulk Smash! Boy did he ever! This is what the Ang Lee movie SHOULD have been.
I loved this movie. There really wasn’t anything that could have been done to make this film better. Hulk came alive before my eyes like I’ve never seen. I thought I was reading a Hulk comic book but in film format. You need another comparison? How about this…Hulk and Ironman should exist on the same level…yeah, it was THAT good. Here’s why.
Let’s start with the acting. I love to critique acting first. I’m officially an Edward Norton fan. I thought his role in the Illusionist was pretty fantastic but his rendition of Bruce Banner was spectacular, nay, INCREDIBLE! Ha! He knows how to make a complex character realistic and lets face it, Bruce Banner is a pretty complex guy. You would be too if you had to deal with the Hulk living inside of you! Let me put it this way, Norton did to Bruce Banner what Robert Downey Jr. did to Tony Stark. Yeah, he couldn’t have done better.
Liv Tyler is next. While I’m not a huge Liv Tyler fan, I can say that I haven’t seen her in a film I didn’t like. She did a good job in the LOTR films and she did well in Hulk too. Betty Ross is a pretty dull character in my opinion. Thats not Liv’s fault, its Marvel’s. She’s in love with a scientist nerd who becomes the strongest human alive, EVER! At least she’s committed. Liv has the ability to open her mouth and give you the big brown cow eyes better than anyone. I like that look honestly and Liv makes Betty a fairly realistic person. It also has to be said that she’s pretty hot too. Yeah, I know who her Dad is but still, I’m just saying. So good job Liv, you can keep your job.
William Hurt played Gen. Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross. The Father of Betty who is always on the hunt for the Hulk, his daughter’s giant green boyfriend. Gotta love comic book stories! He did well. I loved Sam Elliott as the General because hey, its Sam “Freakin” Elliott but Hurt did great. He played the General and it was very realistic. I’m happy with his effort.
Lou Ferrigno oh yeah! The original Hulk plays a cameo role and the VOICE of the Hulk. HULK SMASH!!!
Ok, enough of the acting, time to celebrate the story! Yes I said CELEBRATE! Incase you haven’t figured it out yet, I LOVED this movie. The story was reset from the previous movie that was kinda sucky. Ok, a lot sucky but still, this made up for it. The story was a simple origin story where Banner is living in Brazil working at a Soda Pop factory to keep hidden from the U.S. Military. Gen. Ross wants to capture Hulk and test and prod him to backward engineer super soldiers. Banner is constantly checking his pulse so that another “incident” of him transforming into Hulk doesn’t happen.
After his location is found (which was brilliant by the way. You gotta love Stan Lee’s acting!) Banner ends up changing into Hulk and running away. Banner returns home in search for data on his “gama radiation” accident in hopes that a cure will be found. Betty ends up seeing him and then Hulk is trapped by the Military. Hulk is finally fully seen and he SMASHES everything. Afterwards he saves Betty from the troops trying to kill him. They end up spending the night in a cave on the side of cliff as Betty and Hulk. This reveals that Banner might be able to control the Hulk.
Meanwhile, a pesky soldier, Tim Roth as Emil Blonsky wants to defeat the Hulk and takes some experimental juice to make him big and hulky. During this time Banner brings his data to a scientist that’s been helping him. Samuel Sterns ends up bringing out the Hulk in Banner. Banner gets captured by Gen. Ross and taken away. Blonsky finds Sterns and wants him to give him some of the gama juice. Enter the Abomination who ends up trashing New York City in search of a good fight against Hulk. Banner requests that he be let go to save the city and take out the Abomination. Meanwhile Sterns gets transformed into the Leader. Hulk will SMASH him one day.
Now we get the epic showdown. Its classic and Hulk finally delivers his line “HULK…SMASH!!!!” Hulk escapes and ends up living in Canada. Meanwhile Gen. Ross sits in a bar and gets a visit from Tony Stark who tells him that he’s making a team. Avengers on their way baby! The last shot of the movie is Banner meditating and opening his eyes which are green. This means Banner can control the Hulk now. Sweeeeet.
The CGI was brilliant. Hulk was EXTREMELY realistic. The Abomination was pretty good too. Everything fit and was on par with Ironman. Loved it!
What can I say? I’m pumped. I haven’t been excited for a series of movies for a long time. Ant-Man, Thor, The First Avenger: Captain America, Ironman 2 and then the Avengers. It really is going to be a fantastic series of films.
The Incredible Hulk is a must GO from me. Excellent action, comic book film for everyone. If you loved Ironman, then you’ll love Hulk.
So what are your thoughts? What did you think of Hulk? Did Norton do well as Banner. Was the Hulk realistic enough? Was the story exciting enough for you? Talk about it in the forums and thanks for reading the Critical Hit. Till next time, be watching for those Critical Hits, they’re deadly.
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June 24th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
I agree. I thought the film was very entertaining. My only complaint was that the fight in the end between the Hulk and Abomination ended somewhat abruptly. It seemed to lack a little something. But certainly overall the movie was a blast!