posted
Man. I don't even know where to begin. I was not expecting to enjoy this film. I'm not a big Hulk fan. I watched the TV show when I was little, but haven't watched it since. I would read the odd issue of the comic, but never often, and never purchased a copy after I was 12.
I was not a fan of Ang Lee's failed "Art House" experiment Hulk film of five years ago.
So why did I find this to be a TOTAL BLAST?
This was (I dare say) an even tighter, better plotted, better acted film than the already entertaining and great Iron Man. From start to finish, there were no parts where I was counting minutes. No parts where I was rolling my eyes.
(Well, except for the classic eye-roller the Hulk's -always- had: How do his pants manage to survive all that punishment when nothing else does? The power of not wanting this to be an adults only show, that's how.)
Bruce Banner, Betty Ross and General "Thunderbolt" Ross are all spot-on with the classic comics...well, except that Ross's true motivation for hunting down the Hulk is far less noble, far more corrupt in this version. Their actors did a wonderful job. Liv Tyler's eyes alone should be registered lethal weapons. The lady can emote like nobody's business with just a glance!
While I dislike the Abomination's movie design, they did a great job on establishing Emil Blonksy (Tim Roth) as the true monster of the movie, long before he transforms into the super-villainous Abomination.
Likewise, while frightening and primal, they make clear the Hulk just wants to be left alone, never is the first to land a blow, and can be a protector instead of a destroyer if need be.
The references to the TV show are rationed wisely and used effectively. Fans will be pleased.
Stan Lee and Lou Ferrigno both get fun cameos.
For Marvel Comics geeks, there's a bunch of stuff slipped in: Two blatant references to the WW2 Super Soldier Serum (and a thinly veiled reference to Captain America, though he's never named), the notorious purple pants, S.H.I.E.L.D., and (of course) the Tony Stark cameo/foreshadowing of the eventual Avengers movie. And, oh yeah, "HULK SMASH!"
Lots of sequel-tastic seeds planted. The tantalizing hint at the end that Banner may have found a way to merge his intellect and personality with the Hulk's. The blink-and-you'll-miss it origin of the Leader. The Abomination isn't killed off.
Wow. I'm totally geeking out over this. And I'm not a Hulk fan.
So far, two of the summer's super-hero flicks have been great fun. Here's hoping Hancock, The Dark Knight, and Hellboy II: The Golden Army continue the trend.
Note: Several people brought small children to the midnight screening. As the film's battle sequences got increasingly violent, this turned out to be unwise. They don't pull any punches.
quote:(Well, except for the classic eye-roller the Hulk's -always- had: How do his pants manage to survive all that punishment when nothing else does? The power of not wanting this to be an adults only show, that's how.)
That's not just for kids. There are plenty of us adults who would like certain "hulked up" things to be left to, at the very least, the imagination, if not that magic black hole in the world that sucks up all icky things we don't want to even think about and makes them disappear from existance.
But alright! Okay! Your review has pushed me off the fence. I'll go see this Sunday with my dad for Father's Day. I was GOING to convince him to go see The Happening with me, but I'll push that to Monday now.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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So far, two of the summer's super-hero flicks have been great fun. Here's hoping Hancock, The Dark Knight, and Hellboy II: The Golden Army continue the trend.
posted
Unless you know something I don't, that's not coming out until December, not this summer.
(Plus, the trailer made it clear that Eisner's personal vision has been completely subverted by Frank Miller's, so I'm not really looking forward to it.)
Posts: 6689 | Registered: Jan 2005
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posted
Hulk was certainly fun, but I had a couple minor issues with it. That last scene? The one with Tony Stark? Should have been after the credits. And maybe I just don't get the "soldier" mindset, but Blonsky's god-complex seemed a bit of a stretch. And honestly, it felt long in a way that Iron Man didn't. But it was fun and it has a lot more rewatch potential than the last Hulk. I'm glad I went to the midnight show.
I do, however, think I'm going to teach myself how to say "You wouldn't like me when I'm ... hungry" in Portuguese. Posts: 3932 | Registered: Sep 1999
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quote:Originally posted by Carrie: And maybe I just don't get the "soldier" mindset, but Blonsky's god-complex seemed a bit of a stretch.
Hmmm. Where did it seem to you that they were implying Blonsky had "issues" because he was a soldier? From what little info they gave on his background and the insights they gave into his personality, I took it they were implying Blonsky was a latent psychopath for reasons that had nothing to do with his career.
As I understand it, they decided since the Tony Stark scene was one of the worst-kept secrets in moviedom to go ahead and put it after the coda instead of the credits. Posts: 6689 | Registered: Jan 2005
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posted
It just seemed like a complete disconnect that Blonsky was some awesome and dedicated soldier on loan from the British who all of a sudden, and quite randomly, decided he was THE MAN. It jarred me a bit, and I totally didn't pick up on the latent psychopath vibe.
Yeah, I saw RDJ in one of the Hulk commercials the other day, so the overexposure was definitely there. Still, it made waiting through the credits interminable... Posts: 3932 | Registered: Sep 1999
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quote:Originally posted by Carrie: It just seemed like a complete disconnect that Blonsky was some awesome and dedicated soldier on loan from the British who all of a sudden, and quite randomly, decided he was THE MAN. It jarred me a bit, and I totally didn't pick up on the latent psychopath vibe.
I felt several of the conversations he had with General Ross dropped hints that he was a man who liked to hurt people more than a man who enjoyed being a soldier...but maybe I was picking up stuff not as obvious I thought, yeah.
Though, it is one of Marvel Comics rules: Gaining powers mean previously subtle aspects of one's personality suddenly come to the forefront.
Posts: 6689 | Registered: Jan 2005
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posted
Yeah, like Batman Begins and Casino Royale, The Incredible Hulk is a reboot to the franchise.
Best of all, instead of retelling the origin, we get shown all we -need- to know of the back story during the opening credits montage. Posts: 6689 | Registered: Jan 2005
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posted
I liked it a lot, and I have 200+ Hulk comics in my closet.
My only hope for the movie: Don't suck.
Well it didn't suck, and was actually pretty darn good.
I think Iron Man may have been a better movie overall, but not by much, and Hulk had a way better climactic battle. I loved when Hulk turned the cop car into boxing gloves. That's a move pulled directly from the Hulk: Ultimate Destruction game.
The CGI I thought was a mixed bag. The up-close anger shots of Hulk's face had the plastic look that I hate in movies these days. When Hulk's face was relaxed, it looked a lot better. He also looked great in low lighting, especially the cave and the end scene.
As for how it differed from the comics, I'd have loved to have them keep the Gamma Bomb origin, but that's not a big deal. Other than that, nothing stood out as being unacceptable.
I'd like to see the fact that Hulk's strength is limited only by his anger to be demonstrated in one of the sequels. I'd love for Stark and Banner to fight in a future movie, as the hero vs hero fight is one of us comic book fans' favorite trope. Hulk would kick his butt, of course, which would be fun to see . I also think Edward Norton and Robert Downie Jr. would have great screen chemistry. Norton can be a very funny actor, and RDJ and him could trade some great lines.
Edit: Though I hear Norton is being a bit of a drama queen about the movie. If he doesn't come back for sequels, this whole "reboot" will mean very little.
Edit 2: I also want to mention that I thought the factory girl in Brazil was stunningly attractive. Anyone else have the same reaction?
posted
I wasn't a huge Hulk fan as a kid, but I liked him well enough; I probably liked him as much as I liked Iron Man, but less than I liked, say, Thor, or Vision, or the FF, or Spider Man (who was pretty much my idol). If I hadn't read this thread before going to see the movie, I would probably have liked it better. Because I saw it being favorably compared to Iron Man, though, I got my hopes up, and felt disappointed when it was just good. Or maybe "just okay". I haven't decided yet.
Things that bothered me:
Betty was completely unharmed by the flames during the battle on the college lawn? Huh? I get that the Hulk shielded her from the initial blast, but her lungs would have been cooked from breathing in the midst of that inferno if nothing else. Not even a singed eyebrow, though.
It bugged me a bit that that chain was enough to subdue the Abomination; why wouldn't he have just torn it apart like toilet paper?
Also, the Abomination didn't look right to me; I wish they'd stuck closer to the way he looked in the comics.
Using the opening credits to get the origin out of the way was nice.
Edit--crap, I somehow managed to delete my entire "what I liked" section, with the exception of the bit about the credits. Not sure how that happened. I don't feel like retyping it now, but maybe later.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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quote: Betty was completely unharmed by the flames during the battle on the college lawn? Huh? I get that the Hulk shielded her from the initial blast, but her lungs would have been cooked from breathing in the midst of that inferno if nothing else. Not even a singed eyebrow, though.
Sure, lots of this in comic movies though I'd say. Stark would have been killed several times in Iron Man from things he didn't even get a bruise from. I guess that's one area where I've honed my suspension of disbelief.
Posts: 5656 | Registered: Oct 1999
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quote:Originally posted by Xavier: As for how it differed from the comics, I'd have loved to have them keep the Gamma Bomb origin, but that's not a big deal.
Since the live action TV series has the origin most familiar to the general public, I can understand them using it as a springboard. Better that than the Hulk coming out because of inexplicable genetic experiments by an insane father (2003 film), or because Banner is a perverted loser (The Ultimates).
And hey, no annoying Rick Jones! Posts: 6689 | Registered: Jan 2005
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posted
I thought Liv Tyler and Edward Norton had amazing chemistry. Interestingly enough, Liv Tyler recently separated from her husband...could this be Norton's handy work?
I love love loved the Robert Downey Jr. cameo. I am really looking forward to the sequel, and I was not a Hulk/Iron Man comic fan prior to this, but movie tie-ins done right certainly get me excited.
Yeah, who was that Brazilian chick? She got a reaction from everyone in the theater, guy and girl alike.
Posts: 2064 | Registered: Dec 2003
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posted
Way better then I ever hoped for. That last fight scene blew Iron Mans scene right out of the water. I was literally on the edge of my seat. We had so many little geek out moments, from homages to the T show, to Stan Lees hilarious cameo, Hulk Smash, super soldier serum, the birth of the Leader, Betty Dating Samson...I had fun just trying catch them all. I'm loving the Marvel Movie Universe so far.
Posts: 796 | Registered: Mar 2005
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posted
All I have to say is AVENGERS!!!! omigod and Mr.Blue!! First they should put out a Thor movie, While releasing a Captain America movie,then a couple of months later release The Mighty Avengers. Super heroes are Spider-Man, Thor, Captain America, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, Iron-Man, and Black-widow.
Posts: 1574 | Registered: May 2008
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quote:Originally posted by Valentine014: I thought Liv Tyler and Edward Norton had amazing chemistry. Interestingly enough, Liv Tyler recently separated from her husband...could this be Norton's handy work?
They attended the premiere arm in arm...but speculating her marital problems are Norton's 'handy work' seems a bit of a major conclusion to draw from their film chemistry. For all we know, the separation is due to factors that have nothing to do with her career and co-star.
They were really good team onscreen. Posts: 6689 | Registered: Jan 2005
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quote:Originally posted by T:man: Super heroes are Spider-Man, Thor, Captain America, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, Iron-Man, and Black-widow.
Spider-Man's film rights are still held by Sony. They refused to sign off on a planned Peter Parker cameo in the new Hulk movie, so I don't think we'll see him in any Marvel Studios film soon.
Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver may be tied up at Fox. They still hold the film rights to the X-Men characters, which both technically are. We'll see.
Posts: 6689 | Registered: Jan 2005
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posted
In service to that idea, it was a tranq designed to incapacitate a fully-grown struggling human being many times the body weight of the dog...so there's a chance it was fatal.
Poor doggie:(
Loved the movie, though. Awesometastic all around IMO.
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quote:Originally posted by Puffy Treat: Saw it again with my youngest brother. Definitive proof that Blonsky was scum long before the serum injection: He shot dogs.
As any movie-goer knows, the rule is that a character who shoots dogs is thus established as being the vilest of villains.
(Okay, they were tranq guns, but STILL!)
I saw it yesterday and when that happened the 10 year old boy one row in front of me said loudly, "Did he just kill the dog?!" Unfortunately his parents felt the need to maintain absolute silence so when they showed the dog about 15 seconds later laying on the floor with the tranq sticking out he asked his question again just as loudly and with alittle more sadness. His parents still didn't answer him, it was really annoying.
I really enjoyed the movie, there were several moments in the action where I physically winced with the force of the blows being exchanged. That's what I call sound editing.
When Liv Tyler tries to jump Norton in the motel all I could think was, "WOW that leg is ghostly pale compared to Norton's beige." Oh, and I knew the heart monitor was going to stop them from doing anything before he even kissed her.
Best moment of the movie for me was when Norton jumps from the helicopter expecting the fall to up his heart rate and when his eyes open they remain blue and he says, "Oh Shi...." and plows into the pavement. Posts: 14316 | Registered: Jul 2005
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I also liked that the film was unashamed to do stuff like have the military pull out those big, goofy, wonderfully Kirbyesque sonic cannons. Posts: 6689 | Registered: Jan 2005
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posted
I was actually thinking they would be those microwave cannons that heat up the surface of the skin to some unbearable temperature, but it seemed they went with a comic-y sonic cannon, hehe.
Man, Liv Tyler looked different in this than I remember her. Anyone know what's up with that?
That woman in the early portion of the film...Martina I think her name was...wow, she was gorgeous!
Posts: 17164 | Registered: Jun 2001
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There are better pictures out there, but this one is mostly safe for work. From her IMDB, looks like she's a Brazilian soap star.
None of these pics are nearly as hot as she looked sweaty and in a hard hat . Don't think this is going to be her last appearance in American cinema.
Posts: 5656 | Registered: Oct 1999
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posted
The general theme of scientists being the first to discover X but the last people to be consulted on how X will be used is a good theme. (There is a parallel theme in Iron Man, when Stark realizes his weapons are used on both sides.) It can't be emphasized enough. It's important. It's one of the few pauses I have in my stance concerning the use of embryonic stem cells. I think the General fell prey to a properly tragic series of events. The ending scene when he was at the bar reminded me of Creon at the end of Antigone.
2) It's weird. I think Ed Norton and I have strikingly similar stature- height and build. We could probably swap suits, maybe I'm a bit taller, but only by a hair. I think the problem with Bana as Banner was Bana was just too big. Norton had the medium-sized look that I think is proper to Banner.
3) Liv Tyler was tiresome. She is supposed to be as bright as he is, and as serious. I was annoyed when it seemed like she was talking like a little girl instead of a woman. I appreciated how often she put herself in harm's way because she trusted the Hulk, I just wish she didn't have the facial expressions and the voice of a whiny 16 year old. I kept thinking how much cooler Naomi Watts was in King Kong.
I liked the movie. ____________
I wish there were more, better women heroines. Maybe the next Wonder Woman movie will be stellar. The Sword of Truth books-- at least the first few-- would make good movies for that reason alone.
edit:
4) I like how they introduced the Super-Soldier Serum. If the first guy they tried(Blonsky) had a little to much macho-cowboy in him, it makes sense that they go the other way and inject a company man Boy Scout like Steve Rogers.
posted
Irami, my wife has a very high-pitched voice. Always has. She tends to giggle a lot. Neither of us is especially mature And she looked underage until halfway through her 20s (here she is at age 25 or so). When she was 20 and in the 9th month of pregnancy, we would walk through the mall and people would stare at her belly, her face and then glare at me. It wasn't until after the second kid that she finally started showing some age, but she still has a little girl smile.
It happens.
I actually thought Liv looked better here than I'd seen her before. She's filled out a little, her face has more character.
Posts: 7790 | Registered: Aug 2000
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quote:Originally posted by Irami Osei-Frimpong: 4) I like how they introduced the Super-Soldier Serum. If the first guy they tried(Blonsky) had a little to much macho-cowboy in him, it makes sense that they go the other way and inject a company man Boy Scout like Steve Rogers.
Blonksy wasn't the first guy they tried. General Ross was trying to recreate the WW2 era Super Soldier serum. Steve Rogers will still be from the 1940s, not the modern day.
(In fact, the Blu-Ray release of this film will include a deleted scene where Banner goes in a trek in the Arctic and comes across a mysterious man frozen in ice.)
I had no problem with Liv Tyler's face or voice.
Posts: 6689 | Registered: Jan 2005
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quote: And she looked underage until halfway through her 20s
quote:When she was 20 and in the 9th month of pregnancy, we would walk through the mall and people would stare at her belly, her face and then glare at me.
I had the same problem. My wife is Japanese, short, skinny, and has the cutest most naive face about her. When we first started dating she was 26 and looked like a high school student. She was also a teacher at a high school. She also wore jeans and a regular shirt. She had NO teacher authority in her clothing or demeanor.
I, on the other hand, am 2 years younger then her and look 15 years older--especially when we first started dating before our two kids.
I would pick her up from school/work and you could not tell the difference between her and a student. She was also very touchy.
My first memory of picking her up was the uncomfortableness of my girlfriend jumping into my arms and showing public displays of affection in front of her students at her work as the bell rang and swinging our hands as we walked to the car. I still have the image of a mom in an SUV just glaring at me with that accusatory "dirty old man!" look in her eyes.
I so wanted to knock on the SUV door and tell her I was actually younger.
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