SPOILER WARNING – Do not read this if you actually think you want to be surprised by some of the events in this film.
Opting to try and do a BATMAN BEGINS or SUPERMAN RETURNS with the HULK franchise the makers of the new film THE INCREDIBLE HULK are not dismissing the previous Ang Lee film HULK by any means they just want too move on and have fun with the character.
Apart from some stylistic flaws and some story elements at the end of the film that I didn’t really care for the original Ang Lee HULK film wasn’t that bad (in my opinion). It tried to take what is otherwise a throwaway genre of film – “the superhero film” and give it more credibility. This didn’t happen due to studio interference and the fact that the film was five years before its time and that audiences weren’t completely prepared for an all CGI green main character.
The new film THE INCREDIBLE HULK is a complete opposite affair as audiences have gotten used to the CGI characters from such films as the X-MEN trilogy, the MATRIX trilogy, and the LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy, to name a few. Also, the technology of creating a more realistic all green CGI character has advanced enough that the Hulk doesn’t look like a cartoon anymore. This new film also doesn’t have to waste time with an “origin” film and can get on with the business at hand mainly by giving the Hulk a real villain to have fun with in the appearance of The Abomination, which was always one of my favorite villains of the Hulk.
For purists of the Hulk comic the Abomination’s appearance differs but as played by Tim Roth he makes for one of the best comic book to screen villains yet (in a small group that only includes Magneto, Gene Hackman’s Lex Luther, and Jack Nicholson’s The Joker). The film does an excellent job of slowly developing Roth’s Abomination before the huge fight at the end. It’s a slow an logical build up that doesn’t pop out of no where like the Jeff Bridges fiasco at the end of the IRON MAN film (which in my opinion is only watchable because of Robert Downey, Jr.’s brilliant performance)
Another great thing about the new Hulk film is the reliance on the part of screenwriter Zak Penn not to repeat the mistakes of the first film. There are great references to all manner of supporting characters of the Hulk universe throughout similar to that which has been done in the Spider-Man films. For you die hard Hulk fans the rumors are true - the creation of The Leader (as played by Tim Blake Nelson) one of the Hulk’s biggest enemies is in fact in this film.
Needless to say with all these great things to say about the film the worst thing about the film is the two-dimensional Betty Ross (Liv Tyler) and General Ross (William Hurt) don’t exactly help the film. Tyler though has great chemistry with Edward Norton (as Bruce Banner) who plays the character closer to the Bill Bixby character of the television series, which this new film pays homage to at every turn. I enjoyed Norton as Banner but I believe Eric Bana (from the Ang Lee film) was the better choice. Norton seems to have lost a lot of weight to play the role.
Opting to try and do a BATMAN BEGINS or SUPERMAN RETURNS with the HULK franchise the makers of the new film THE INCREDIBLE HULK are not dismissing the previous Ang Lee film HULK by any means they just want too move on and have fun with the character.
Apart from some stylistic flaws and some story elements at the end of the film that I didn’t really care for the original Ang Lee HULK film wasn’t that bad (in my opinion). It tried to take what is otherwise a throwaway genre of film – “the superhero film” and give it more credibility. This didn’t happen due to studio interference and the fact that the film was five years before its time and that audiences weren’t completely prepared for an all CGI green main character.
The new film THE INCREDIBLE HULK is a complete opposite affair as audiences have gotten used to the CGI characters from such films as the X-MEN trilogy, the MATRIX trilogy, and the LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy, to name a few. Also, the technology of creating a more realistic all green CGI character has advanced enough that the Hulk doesn’t look like a cartoon anymore. This new film also doesn’t have to waste time with an “origin” film and can get on with the business at hand mainly by giving the Hulk a real villain to have fun with in the appearance of The Abomination, which was always one of my favorite villains of the Hulk.
For purists of the Hulk comic the Abomination’s appearance differs but as played by Tim Roth he makes for one of the best comic book to screen villains yet (in a small group that only includes Magneto, Gene Hackman’s Lex Luther, and Jack Nicholson’s The Joker). The film does an excellent job of slowly developing Roth’s Abomination before the huge fight at the end. It’s a slow an logical build up that doesn’t pop out of no where like the Jeff Bridges fiasco at the end of the IRON MAN film (which in my opinion is only watchable because of Robert Downey, Jr.’s brilliant performance)
Another great thing about the new Hulk film is the reliance on the part of screenwriter Zak Penn not to repeat the mistakes of the first film. There are great references to all manner of supporting characters of the Hulk universe throughout similar to that which has been done in the Spider-Man films. For you die hard Hulk fans the rumors are true - the creation of The Leader (as played by Tim Blake Nelson) one of the Hulk’s biggest enemies is in fact in this film.
Needless to say with all these great things to say about the film the worst thing about the film is the two-dimensional Betty Ross (Liv Tyler) and General Ross (William Hurt) don’t exactly help the film. Tyler though has great chemistry with Edward Norton (as Bruce Banner) who plays the character closer to the Bill Bixby character of the television series, which this new film pays homage to at every turn. I enjoyed Norton as Banner but I believe Eric Bana (from the Ang Lee film) was the better choice. Norton seems to have lost a lot of weight to play the role.
The last thing I’ll take into account is the tacked on ending between General Ross and Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) which gives a hint of the impending AVENGERS INITIATIVE film if they do in fact go ahead with the it. I’m all for another big superhero team film ala X-MEN or THE FANTASTIC FOUR but as a former comic book reader The Avengers were never that interesting of a group because so much of character was sacrificed for the “team” stories that they all seemed like two dimensional caricatures. Anyway, regardless, even though I dislike the ending to the film I hope they decide to do a sequel because The Leader would make one hell of a great villain.
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