Will Woods Reviews “The Incredible Hulk”

by Will Woods on Jun.14, 2008, under Will Woods' Brain

“The Incredible Hulk” benefits from Ang Lee’s “Hulk” bomb by comparison, but director Louis Leterrier and writers Zack Penn and Edward Norton don’t deliver a Hulk smash either. The best of the latest Hulk movie is in the human element it pulls and updates from the T.V. series of late 70’s, the worst is failing to include much of that humanity in the Hulk character. The movie also suffers from bad villain development. Tim Roth as the power hungry soldier who becomes the evil Abomination has no more motivation than a simple case of penis envy. Despite these flaws, Edward Norton performs admirably as the cursed Dr. Bruce Banner running from the government as he tries to rid himself of his giant green anger driven alter-ego. “The Incredible Hulk” does not live up to the new “Iron Man” standard of Marvel Super Hero movies, but remains an enjoyable diversion.

Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno brought “The Incredible Hulk” into the homes of mainstream America from 1978 to 1982. A little corny at times, the T.V. series still captured the public’s imagination. In much the same way Christopher Reeve made us believe a man could fly, Bixby and Ferrigno made us believe a man could become an incredible giant green monster. Edward Norton makes the new Dr. Banner a believable man on the run from”Thunderbolt” Ross (William Hurt), an Army General who wants the Hulk as a weapon. However, the new Hulk creative team seems to forget that Bill Bixby alone did not bring the televised stories to life. Lou Ferrigno may have been recruited as the voice of the new Hulk, but the CGI is still cartoonier and less believable than a large human in green body paint and a bad wig. The CGI Hulk does share a few tender moments with Banner’s love interest and estranged daughter of his pursuer, Betty Ross (Liv Tyler). These moments still fail to bring the audience closer to the Hulk as anything more than an animated prop.

The Hulk faces two villains, General “Thunderbolt” Ross and Emil Blonksy (Tim Roth) who becomes the Hulk-like Abomination. Of the two villains, Ross is the more interesting as an “end justifies the means” Army General bent on using Dr. Banner’s research to create an ultimate soldier. Enter Emil Blonsky, just the kind of psychopath a power drunken Army General needs to carry out his orders. Ross recruits this Russian born, England educated Royal Marine no doubt because the U.K. was glad to be rid of him and the U.S. tries to weed these types out of its own service. Sadly, so much money must have been spent on the CGI budget that no one bothered to obtain a Royal Marine uniform for Tim Roth and so he must appear in an U.S. Army Captain’s uniform. Blonsky’s credibility as a villain is lost only partly to wardrobe errors. Blonsky is ruined by poor motivation and General’s Ross’s more complex scheme. Even if the Hulk did not have a compatible villain to exchange punches with, having General Ross bring his military resources to bear on the Hulk would have made for a more interesting story.

What may be lost on the public at large are the references that place “The Incredible Hulk” firmly in the Marvel Universe of comics. True Believers will find a few Easter eggs that may let them enjoy the film slightly more than their neighbor because they know the back story. Some are obscure, while others are more obvious, like the brief appearance of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. The most excitement of the movie is the inclusion of Stark who hints at things to come (say sometime in 2010).

“The Incredible Hulk” is not the best thing you can see at the multi-plex right now; after all, “Iron Man” is still playing. Super Hero action fans and those nostalgic for the T.V. series should still enjoy this film.

2.5 stars

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