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Plot of The Incredible Hulk
Geneticist Bruce Banner takes flight in order to understand, and hopefully cure, the condition that turns him into a monster.
Details of The Incredible Hulk
Directed by: Louis Leterrier
Produced by: Avi Arad, Gale Anne Hurd & Kevin Feige
Written by Screenplay: Edward Norton (uncredited), Zak Penn
Comic book: Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
Starring: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler & Tim Roth
3 votes
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June 16th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
Have they done the Hulk before with Eric Banna. They havn’t even promoted this as part of a series.
June 17th, 2008 at 8:12 am
From what I understand Si is that this is not actually a follow on from the Eric Banner movie which imo was a dud.
Guessing that is why Eric Banna did not do a sequel plus that his stardom has risen…
Jermayns last blog post..AFL 2008 round 12 wrapup
June 18th, 2008 at 11:11 am
I just arrived home from seeing The Incredible Hulk and I can sum up the movie in two words;
“Oh, YEAH!”
First Iron Man and now Incredible Hulk. If Marvel Studios keeps delivering movies of this quality comic fans and movie goers alike are going to be having a lot of fun in the years to come as more and more of these films are made. I really hope that DC/ Warner Bros. Are paying attention to these movies.
So, what of the movie itself. Well, I’m sure you’ve gathered by now that I enjoyed the film. Unlike the majority of folks who saw it I actually didn’t mind the Ang Lee Hulk film. I admit, however, the it probably wasn’t the best presentation of the character. Sure, you need to have psychology and character exploration but the film is about a giant green monster man. You need to have some smashing and that’s something Lee’s film seemed to ignore - the smashing part. Incredible Hulk, however, takes both Lee’s ideas from the first film (which, really, are there for anyone to see in Hulk Grey by Loeb/ Sale) and adds a very healthy dose of smash.
Yes, this is the Hulk as he is supposed to be, blowing things up, throwing large pieces of metal into fighter planes and generally smashing the heck out of everything. That is not to say that the film doesn’t have heart or mind (which I’ll touch on in a moment) but really the Hulk’s calling card is that when he gets mad things get broken and Incredible Hulk does not disappoint. The action in the film is some of the best I’ve seen. It’s a perfect blend of monster movie destruction and the flowing, elegant fights we’ve come to expect from superhero films such as Spider-Man and Marvel Studios previous Iron Man. It is simply beautiful to watch. The face off between the US army and the Hulk on the grounds of a university is a personal favorite.
But of course all the cool punches and FX in the world don’t make a good film on their own. The story of Incredible Hulk takes place after Lee’s film. Bruce Banner is searching for a cure to his…affliction while General Ross of the US Army is searching for Banner with plans to turn the Hulk into a weapon. Banner has learned to control his anger and hasn’t Hulked-out for a quite awhile. But then, of course, Ross finds him and it’s smashing time. While this might sound like a typical paint-by-numbers action story there is a lot of subtlety to this film that really makes an impression. Believe it or not but the Hulk is a very empathetic character and I found myself feeling for him quite a bit. There are some very touching scenes between the Hulk and Betty Ross, Bruce Banner’s true love. It is actually a quite emotional film.
Edward Norton as Bruce Banner is perfect casting and you really have to ask why he wasn’t chosen for the first film (although, in retrospect, perhaps that was a good thing). I’ve not seen him in lots of films but those I have he has always been brilliant in and here is no different. As for Liv Tyler as Betty Ross well, as soon as I see those sweet eyes and hear that breathy voice I’m like a school boy in love over the beautiful Livy. I could watch her read a phone book for two hours and be happy. Still, she does a great job as Betty and she is much more than the simple “delicate flower” of some action/ superhero films (I’m looking at you, Miss Dunst) with a few well placed punches and Hulk-out moments of her own, not that she turns green or anything.
Now, I’m going to drop something of a bombshell here; I honestly think I enjoyed Incredible Hulk more than I did Iron Man. Don’t get me wrong, Iron Man was an absolutely brilliant film and I do love it but I just feel that Incredible Hulk somehow has more to it. The biggest reasoning for this I can make is that Incredible Hulks’ climax really felt like a climax. It was brutal and big and smashing. Iron Man’s, while fun, left me asking “what? Is that it?” I think Robert Downy Jr. probably pinned the character of Iron Man/ Tony Stark better than Ed Norton did Bruce Banner but there is still something about Hulk that impressed me just that little bit more. Maybe it was Livy’s eyes
As with Iron Man there is a lot here that fans of the comics are going to geek out on. Stark Industries is mentioned numerous times in the film with Tony Stark himself giving an appearance at the end of the film (not after the credits this time) further fueling the possibility of an Avengers film sometime in the future. Also, there is some not-so-subtle set up for Captain America. Yes, the Marvel Universe is going soon to a theater near you!
Incredible Hulk lives up to it’s name. It’s incredible and lots of things get bashed about. Solid acting, great story and awesome CG and action sequences. It’s the type of film that makes you forget about atrocities like Elektra.
All together now…
“HULK SMASH!”
JDs last blog post..Livy to Divorce?
June 18th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
Wow what a review . I need to see this one if you reakon it better than Iron Man. I thought Iron man was the best flick I’ve seen all year.
Keep those sort of reviews coming
June 19th, 2008 at 11:05 am
Yes thanks JD for your great review and I hope that we can see more of your reviews on WotUThink in the near future.
So if someone has not seen the first Hulk (staring Eric Bana) and if you see this you wont miss anything?
Jermayns last blog post..Tanking AFL style
June 19th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
Well, I PERSONALLY thought it was better than Iron Man, but others may not agree.
Jermayn, I think you’d probably get through alright if you hadn’t seen the first film. It might be a bit confusing at the start as you’d be wondering why Bruce dosen’t want to get angry and why he’s of such interest to the army. I don’t think it’s essential to see the first film but it defiantly helps to know who and what the Hulk is eg - the anger/ power thing.
JDs last blog post..Lisa Mitchell - Too Good For Idol Anyway
June 20th, 2008 at 10:16 am
Thanks for that JD, its for my wife as she has not seen the first movie.
Jermayns last blog post..AFL 2008 Round 13 Tips
June 20th, 2008 at 10:27 am
Just let her know that Bruce Banner got hit with gamma rays during a science experiment and when he gets angry the Hulk comes out. That’s all she really needs to know.
June 30th, 2008 at 11:25 am
We watched the first one first and I would agree that you would not need to do that for the latest Hulk.
A question that Hulk fans would be able to answer is which “origins of the Hulk” is right? In the first one, he already had the effects in him and then due to the Gamma Rays he became the Hulk, however with the latest, it was not an accident as he was a volunteer. So which is correct?
I am sorry JD but I thought Liv Tyler was average and I was really surprised with Edwards acting as I did not think he could do it but he did! Agree that Stark was better acted by Robert Downy Jr.
I was also surprised to see Stark in the movie and thought it was cool. You make mention that Captain America may get an appearance, anymore hints JD?
I think while it is a good movie, probably not as enjoyable as Iron Man.
Jermayns last blog post..AFL 2008 Round 14 pt1 wrapup
June 30th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
I’ve been a fan of Livs for a while now. I think she is a marvelous actress, much better than the more “famous” actresses such as Julia Roberts and Susan Sarodan, but each to their own.
As for the origins, the version in the current movie is the closest to the real thing. In the comics is was an accident but (as far as I know) banner didn’t have any symptoms previously.
Captain America will be featured in his own film in a few years (2010 I believe). His shield appeared very quickly in Iron Man and there was a scene in which Cap was seen in Incredible Hulk (I won’t spoil what it was) but it was cut from the theatrical version however it WILL be appearing on the DVD. Basically this is all set up for a future Avengers movie with Cap, Iron Man, Hulk, Thor and Ant Man and possibly others.
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