The Incredible Hulk

I have not seen the Ang Lee version and from what I hear, I don’t think that I would want to. I likewise haven't experienced the classic live action TV show but I know who Lou Ferrigno is. This reboot was very well done so as to fit alongside other Marvel films of the time such as “Spider-Man” and “Iron Man”. “The Incredible Hulk” utilizes the story qualities of a fugitive movie to great effect and also employs a few elements from the classic Marvel story pattern. When I saw the movie, I liked how simple but at the same time how dramatic it was. This was also the first Marvel film that wasn't a sequel but still directly intertwined with another Marvel film. This new form of franchise filmmaking would continue over the next decade as Marvel Cinematic Universe. I wonder whether the filmmakers on “The Incredible Hulk” would have created more references to Iron Man if they knew that later film was going to be such a hit a month prior to the release of their movie.

“The Incredible Hulk” has a story pattern that is familiar to Marvel fans and thereby allows for entertainment. Usually in a Marvel film, the main character is ordinary until a crisis happens that changes their life. They then have to face conflicts from their new life. This culminates into a climatic battle with an enemy that has acquired his superpower throughout the story. The end of the film has our main character become the hero that we are familiar with from the comic books. “The Incredible Hulk” follows this story pattern but not to the letter. This creates important originality. The origin story of the Hulk is told in the well-done opening credit sequence as opposed to telling it in the first 30 minutes of the film. This sequence sets up the story well and hints at other characters in the Marvel universe such as Tony Stark and Nick Fury. The origins of the Hulk are important but Bruce’s quest to cure himself and evade capture demands more time than just the last 2/3rds of the film. As a result, the filmmakers made a good decision in briefly showing the origin of Banner’s power. Unlike other Marvel superheroes, Bruce Banner doesn’t want his power. It is a great feature that makes the Hulk different and it was essential that the film portray this. It adds the aforementioned drama. The film does include humor such as the line “You wouldn’t like me when I’m hungry” and the usual Stan Lee cameo (it is one my favourites). It took me a while to get the inside joke of the pizza restaurant being owned by a character named Stanley. I also love the New York cab driver sequence and how Betty is the one that ends up loosing her temper. General Ross’ desire to capture Banner becomes so powerful that he becomes hypocritical. He warns Blonsky that any side effects to the serum he takes would result in the end of the experiment. Blonsky becomes egotistical but the General does nothing. This blindness results in disastrous consequences by the end of the movie. This subplot of Blonsky connects so well to the "Captain America" plotline even though "The Incredible Hulk" came three years before. I don't even think that the story for "Captain America" was finalized by this point so it is a convenient tie-in. Steve Rogers could handle the super soldier serum because his power came from his heart. Howard Stark put the project "on ice" as Tony put it because of its dangers. Decades later, General Ross "dusted if off" and because Blonsky was already a strong man before, he became an "Abomination". The Hulk on the other hand may have anger management problems but Banner's goodness and love for Betty creates potential for heroics. Banner understands that in order to cure himself, he has to get the data. He makes his way home and becomes reunited with Betty. As a side note, I love the Lou Ferrigno cameo. When I first saw the film, I could tell the Ferrigno was the Hulk in a past incarnation even though I was very unfamiliar with the TV show. All chase sequences and Hulk battles in the movie are exciting & cool. Abomination is quite well designed as the ultimate challenge for the Hulk. It is hinted that the antidote that Sterns gave Banner may have allowed Banner to control his transformation. One such hint humorously occurs when Bruce realizes that his transformation by the usual means has failed as he falls from the chopper. The climatic fight is pretty cool and I like how Hulk rolls his eyes once Abomination appears on top of the crashed chopper. It leads to the best part of the film as Abomination says to Ross: “Any last words?” We then get the long-awaited line “Hulk Smash”, which results in the defeat of Abomination.

The cast in the film was good. It was a little tough for me to buy Edward Norton as Dr. Bruce Banner because I loved Norton’s work as the villain in “The Italian Job”. It was hard for me to see Norton as a protagonist but just as “Batman Begins” and “Harry Potter” helped to change my persona of Gary Oldman, “The Incredible Hulk” allowed me to see Norton in a new light. I am a little disappointed that Norton wasn't in “The Avengers” because I like continuity. Liv Tyler was great as Betty and I also like Tim Roth’s work. Apparently, motion capture was used in this film and Roth both liked it and took it seriously. I didn't know Ty Burrell was in this show for the longest time by the way. When I was looking into the film upon its release, I noticed that Robert Downey Jr. would appear as Tony Stark. As the film closed, I was glad when he finally showed up and this was the first time that I found out about the MCU because I did not know about the post-credit sequence of “Iron Man” until its sequel was released. As a side note, writer Zak Penn has an impressive resume before and after he wrote this movie.

I was glad that motion capture was used a lot more in the creation of the Hulk for “The Avengers”. Just like other Marvel films, “The Incredible Hulk” both entertains and establishes another member of The Avengers. The story is straightforward and its pattern is similar to other Marvel movies. You really feel for Bruce and Betty.

4 Stars