Incredible Hulk: You Don't Mess With the Green Man!

Watching the Incredible Hulk, I noticed it had the exact opposite problem of the Hulk (2003). The current one had potential to be a great piece about characters, but was confined to a comicbook movie. Its predecessor did the opposite, leaving us desiring for more action. Hulk had a big green guy in the corner of the room looking for action. Looking back, I realize Incredible Hulk is paced and can keep both audiences attention, leaving me doublely-entertained with what is ultimately the superhero who will be overshadowed by Iron Man.



Incredible Hulk (no longer simply Hulk since the movie provides two big guys) follows Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) as he flees from the US military to hide in a cliff-side village in Brazil. After exposed to Gamma rays, he becomes an enlarged, massive, upset green hulk whenever he becomes too angry or his heart rate goes too high. The military, led by General "Thunderbolt" Ross (William Hurt) relentlessly chases Banner. The ground teams are led by Blonsky, who is the kind of guy that joins the arm so he can shoot stuff and feel macho. He's the equivalent of a well-trained bully who doesn't know not to pick on the green guy. The only other character worth mentioning is the General's daughter, Betty Ross (Liv Tyler). Her relations with her father haven't improved since he turned her boyfriend in a fugitive.

The movie shines beyond the special effects, or maybe only before it. I admire the storyline in its simplicity, avoiding overacrching lines to talk about the gravity of the situation, but instead leaving it simple lines or the look in Banner's eyes to see the level of danger he fears. As entertaining as the big green fights - but more intriguing - is watching Banner live with the monster inside of him. He flees to a city in Brazil built along a mountain, every building and apartment stretching up, reaching for air. At first it seems it was choosen only for its beauty and to reveal how many possible places Banner could run in the cover of the mountains and trees. Looking at it again, I realize we see it to realize he's hiding among the dense masses, harder to find than Waldo (except he's the only white man). On the flip side, we see how many people could be killed if the Hulk came out.

Banner is careful and thorough. He takes lessons from a breathing master to control his anger and practices Judo to calmly avoid accelerating fights. The dangers of turning into the hulk are everywhere. White guy is pushed around, an electrical spark or prick of the finger could start on his way to getting too upset, and his friends are bullied too. What director Louis Leterrier and screenwriter Zak Penn don't do is capitalize on this. They start off showing how cautious and dangerous the life of Banner is, but then they drop it for action. What was stressed in Hulk (2003) was Banner enjoyed being the hulk. How much more difficult would Banner's life be if he wanted to turn into the hulk every time he's picked on, but has to convince himself not to.

The action is also good, but nothing new. We never expect the military to be that much of a fight against the hulk, and their story is more of Betty and the General than anything with Banner. They steal time for the super-soldier serum to be given to Blonsky, which is a setup for two things: the Captain America movie, the Avengers movie, and the big fight between Blonsky and Hulk at the end. In the general direction of the family drama and Blonsky mutating, there is nothing original.

There is one new thing out of Incredible Hulk: Marvel-comics mega-action. We got a peak at that in Iron Man's armored-suit fights, Superman 2's Kreptonian fights, and various scenes in the Spider-Man series. Here, it comes full-circle, taken seriously, and done well. Special effects add a touch to it, espically when the hulk tears a cop car in two and uses it for boxing gloves while the car horn honks and siren flips on and off. Harlem gets ripped apart in comicbook boxing match. Speaking of which, if Marvel studios will be adding in cameos and matching up movies for to team-ups, why didn't Daredevil come down from Hell's Kitchen or Spider-Man from Downtown NYC? Where's the Punisher with a rocket launcher and C-4 when you need him?

Is it entertaining? Back and forth. It's entertaining half the time, a slow, calm the rest.

Is it marketable? The movie can be enjoyed by all, and so long as no kids have a problem with needles or action, there's only a minor foreplay to cover their eyes about. We all root for the big guy once there's an even bigger, meaner guy for him to pick on.

Is it memorable? It is a replacement for Hulk (2003) and it succeeds in changing the direction Marvel wants for the Avengers and Captain America. It will be remembered for following Iron Man in Marvel tying its universe together, but ultimately it will be in Iron Man's shadow.