The Incredible Hulk : a Movie Review

The Incredible Hulk was definitely NOT a disappointment.  D and I saw it on Friday night, and I’ll tell you right up front, I will have to see it again.  And so will D… Because I’ll make him he’ll want to see it again.

For those of you who know nothing about the Hulk, you must be in the minority, because it has been prevalent since waaay back in the day.  One comic book spawned a tv show of the same name in the 70’s, an awful first movie, and an awesome second one.  Random confession: I had limited prior knowledge of this idea before seeing the first movie.  Even AFTER seeing the awful first try… I knew very little about the concept.  I had watched the original tv show starring Lou Ferrigno in reruns, and I figured that it was an original idea that the fabulous TV people came up with.  It wasn’t until years later that I realized that it was originally a comic book.  Yeah.  I think I lived in a hole for most of my life.

OK, to start with, Ed Norton: INCREDIBLE.  He did an excellent job.  Heck.  He’s always awesome in everything he does.  But I was impressed with his control of Bruce Bana, and the level of humor that he brought to the character.

Now, on to more important things.  My likes and dislikes about this movie.

What I loved:

• The special effects were pretty sweet.  The Hulk put out a fire by clapping his hands.  He cracked the earth by stomping his foot… And the Hulk himself was just insane.  The amount of detail that went into that was just awesome.
• The storyline was a little more plausible this time around. 
• There were a lot of throwbacks to both the comic book and the TV show. 
• Cameos were made by Lou Ferrigno and Stan Lee.
• The movie kept referencing (in little ways) back to the original Bruce Bana, AND the music to the original TV show was played in the background of one scene.
• Hulk was more proportional to the comic book than the first movie AND the show.  And he was freakin’ HUGE!
• Robert Downey Jr.  Yup, he had a cameo.  And it was to tie in the whole Iron Man/Avengers thing that may be happening within the next few years.  Next up may be Captain America.
• Marvel Stuidos.  Yes.  They have founded their own studio, which means they won’t be selling any of their rights to Sony or Paramount.  They will be doing all their own movies.  Perhaps this will mean they will actually be good (unlike the first Hulk movie).
• Bruce was finally able to control the Hulk.  At the end, he secluded himself far away, and discovered that if he controlled it, it would be AWESOME! 
• The Hulk was talking more than before.

What I didn’t like:

• There were a few things the movie didn’t address.  First, in the comic book, the Hulk gets bigger as he gets angrier.  The movie did not portray that at all (and if they did… it was not noticeable).  Also, the Hulk is all about leaping.  I’m talkin’ miles.  The movie did not address it directly, but it was suggested in one scene where he made a big landing.
• The scary skinny guy that became the other “hulk.”  He was just gross.  I didn’t like him before he was HULKIFIED.. and I definitely did not like him after he changed.
• Liv Tyler.  I am not a fan.  She often comes off as whiny in everything she’s in.  I’m not sure that I could have seen anyone else in that role… But I definitely did not like Liv Tyler.

All in all, it was a good movie.  While discussing this with a coworker this morning, I realized there was a ton of stuff I missed, so I’ll have to see it again.