'The Incredible Hulk' Movie Review

I wasn’t kind in my review of 2003’s The Hulk. I ranted about the CGI, the plot, the dialogue… Everything about The Hulk hit me the wrong way. Even now just thinking about Ang Lee’s version of the comic book character sets my nerves on edge. Whatever could go wrong with a film went wrong with that one. And horrible as it sounds, if the destructive fire that wiped out so much of the backlot and film vault at Universal Studios’ in Los Angeles on June 1, 2008, had obliterated the master copy of The Hulk, I wouldn’t have mourned its loss for one moment.

So now, Universal Pictures and Marvel Studios have teamed up to give the big green guy one more shot at capturing glory on the big screen in The Incredible Hulk. Gone are Ang Lee, Eric Bana (2003’s ‘Bruce Banner’), Jennifer Connelly (‘Betty Ross’), and Sam Elliott (‘General Thunderbolt Ross’). In their places are Transporter and Unleashed director Louis Leterrier, two-time Oscar nominee Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, and Oscar winner William Hurt. Comparing the talent involved, Leterrier has the edge in at least being familiar with over-the-top action of the non-martial arts variety prior to taking on a Hulk movie. And on paper, 2008’s The Incredible Hulk steps it up in the acting categories.

Now, skittish fans who were burned by The Hulk have every right to be leery of The Incredible Hulk. Fool me once, shame on you…fool me twice, shame on me. Well I’m here to say the only shame you’ll feel after watching The Incredible Hulk is over doubting there could ever be a compelling Hulk feature film. This 2008 version has it all: action, drama, humor, incredible effects, and the acting is absolutely top notch.

The Story

What little backstory you need to know unspools within the first 10 minutes of The Incredible Hulk. General Ross is the reason Bruce Banner (Norton) has gamma poisoning and turns into a 9’ tall monster when he gets angry. Ross’ daughter, Betty (Tyler), is the love of Bruce’s life, but he can’t be around her, not just because he’s wanted by the American military, but because he doesn’t trust himself to not hurt her after putting her life in danger once already.

That explanatory bit out of the way, it’s off to the races with The Incredible Hulk. Bruce is hiding out in Brazil when the story catches up with him. He’s working in a soda factory, trying to stay as inconspicuous as possible, and taking lessons in how to breathe deeply to keep his temper under control. Bruce is not harming anyone, but of course that doesn’t stop General Ross (Hurt) from his nearly one man crusade to get him in custody. I say ‘nearly’ because he finds a kindred spirit in Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth). Calling Blonsky a pit bull in military clothing is an insult to pit bulls. The man is obsessed, possessed, and totally absorbed with doing his job. Collateral damage isn’t an issue, so no civilians are safe when this guy’s on the hunt.

After an encounter with Banner that leads to the fugitive hulking out, Blonsky quickly comes to the conclusion that he needs a little of whatever drug Banner has coursing through his system. With Ross’ blessing and backing, Blonsky fully commits to taking down Banner/The Hulk any way possible, no matter what he needs to become to do the job.

The Acting

What can you say about Edward Norton that hasn’t been said before? Norton’s a chameleon who transforms into whoever he’s playing, and his take on Bruce Banner is on par with Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman and Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark/Iron Man. These three actors have raised the bar high and have guaranteed no one will ever look down their nose at a starring role in a well-written superhero movie.

As Banner, Norton conveys a man torn apart by this thing inside of him he considers evil. He’s equally as good at tackling the action scenes as he is at the romantic bits with Tyler, which are central to the plot but not obnoxiously sweet or obtrusive. And speaking of Tyler, Liv’s never looked better than she does in The Incredible Hulk. She’s maturing into a fine actress and delivers an emotionally powerful performance as a woman whose one true love is quite literally a monster. Here’s hoping this is the sort of role she’ll latch onto again soon.

Tim Roth and William Hurt are an explosive tag team. Roth plays evil well, and although action isn’t his forte, the Oscar-nominated actor gives it his all. And Hurt not only looks the part of General Ross, but commands your attention the way his military character does his troops. Stealing scenes in a supportive role, Tim Blake Nelson adds a little comic relief to his scenes with Bruce and Betty, although his character, Samuel Sterns, is very serious. Watch for him to have a larger presence in a future Hulk movie, which there will be if audiences turn out in the necessary numbers to justify another Hulk.

The Bottom Line

Because director Leterrier and writer Zak Penn don’t have to set up the story and because this film’s goal is to show Hulk as a hero, there’s no real brooding or whining over Bruce’s fate in this Hulk movie. It’s a fait accompli in The Incredible Hulk and Bruce’s dealing with his condition as best he can. That means more time can be devoted to seeing The Hulk in action, and these actions scenes are a thing to behold.

If the trailer or TV commercials have spooked you, rest assured the CGI is utterly flawless. When The Hulk is engaged in battle with multiple foes, the interaction is seamless. The creature is smoothly integrated into the scenes with the live action actors so much so it’s quite possible to completely forget you’re watching a computer generated image. And never once does he seem to change sizes as he did throughout the disastrous 2003 effort.

Leterrier claimed he didn’t stop the story to add in action and he didn’t stop the action to have his characters discuss what’s happening, and he was right. This is a smooth-flowing comic book-inspired film that never fails to impress. I liked The Incredible Hulk as much as I liked Iron Man, which is a huge - but pleasant – surprise to me. I counted down the days until that film’s release and with The Incredible Hulk, I was torn between not wanting to see it because I didn’t want to be disappointed, and realizing there was no way it could be any worse than the Hulk fiasco of 2003.

Thankfully, lessons were learned in 2003, and 2008’s The Incredible Hulk is the movie fans have been waiting for for years. It honors the comic books and the TV series (look for cameos from familiar faces) in such an entertaining, intelligent way that it very neatly wipes away all bad memories of The Hulk on the big screen.

GRADE: B+

The Incredible Hulk is rated PG-13 for sequences of intense action violence, some frightening sci-fi images, and brief suggestive content.

Theatrical Release Date: June 13, 2008