The Incredible Hulk Review
by Steve Rhodes (steve DOT rhodes AT internetreviews DOT com)June 13th, 2008
THE INCREDIBLE HULK
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2008 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ** 1/2
Perhaps the biggest surprise about director Louis Leterrier's THE INCREDIBLE HULK is that it is only marginally better than its widely derided predecessor, Ang Lee's HULK. This much, however, can be said in THE INCREDIBLE HULK's favor. When it's fighting, it's fun -- but, when it isn't, it's not. Too much of the movie is consumed with tedious small talk and a lame and superfluous romance. The acting leaves a lot to be desired. Even the usually reliable Edward Norton doesn't seem to have his heart in it.
Norton stars as Bruce Banner, a man with significant anger issues. He has been trying to learn deep breathing exercises to keep his heart rate below 200. Once it busts past 200, he busts out of his pants and turns into a really mean green guy of enormous size and with almost unlimited power to boot. Sure, he'll act nice to the ladies, but everyone else in his path is apt to be smushed. He is, of course, the Hulk.
Currently Bruce is in Brazil hiding from the United States military. As three-star general Gen. Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross (William Hurt) puts it, "That man's whole body is property of the U.S. Army!" Along with Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) and a hundred other heavily armed men, the general is in Brazil to bring Bruce back to the United States. That THE INCREDIBLE HULK is an unabashed B movie can easily be seen by how many soldiers and policemen waste mere bullets in trying to bring him down. He is an almost unstoppable force, who flicks off bullets like you'd bat away pesky gnats.
The movie's paper-thin plot has the army playing cat and mouse, trying to chase after Bruce. With Bruce's love interest, Betty Ross, by his side, he tries to elude the army while looking for a cure that will rid him of his powers, and hence his troubles, forever. Liv Tyler sleepwalks through her underwritten role as Betty.
The most successful times in the movie come when it takes itself least seriously. The best of these occurs in an aborted romantic interlude between Bruce and Betty. You can probably figure out that having sex with a pretty woman is something that might make his heart race a bit too much, and you'd be right. Luckily Bruce stops just in the nick of time before he crushes the love of his life. His squeeze almost becomes one literally.
The action is pure popcorn movie material. But too much of the movie is remarkably lifeless and fairly slow too. Still, except for an ending battle that felt like it was never going to end, the movie has almost enough good bits to be able to recommend it. Well, almost.
The bad guy says in the ending showdown with the Hulk, "Is that all you've got?" Many viewers may have similar thoughts about the film itself.
THE INCREDIBLE HULK runs 1:52. It is rated PG-13 for "sequences of intense action violence, some frightening sci-fi images, and brief suggestive content" and would be acceptable for kids around 10 and up.
My son Jeffrey, age 19, gave the film ** 1/2. He said that he liked this one better than the previous film, and he especially liked the fight sequences. He thought the first half of film had only 10-15 minutes worth of material. He said that Tyler's acting was atrocious and that the whole love story was unnecessary. Overall he thought the film wasn't horrible -- it was just merely okay. It did, however, make him hopeful that the next one would be much better. Jeffrey's girlfriend Yasmin, almost 19, gave the movie ***. She liked the romantic part, as well as Tim Roth as the villain. Overall, she said that her main criticism of the film was that she just "wanted more Hulk."
The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, June 13, 2008. In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the AMC theaters, the Century theaters and the Camera Cinemas.
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