The Incredible Hulk

[Darth Groovy]

Sucks monkey.

 

I honestly don't know why I keep giving these movies the time of day. The last movie, was terrible too. Not because of the CGI, but for the silly comic book style split screen comic book window style of film. And also for the most ridiculous performance of Nick Nolte's career. I guess I keep wanting the Hulk to be something special since I used to watch the old TV show with Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno when I was a kid. It was bad too, but in a campy charming sort of way. We loved it.

 

I had thought that this new movie was a re-make/do over, but it isn't. Instead it's basically a sequel to Ang Lee's nightmare. Picking up where Hulk left off, Bruce Banner (Ed Norton) is in hiding in Brazil. Working in a factory, keeping a low profile and trying to work on a cure for his ailment while taking training exercises to control his anger. William Hurt picks up the roll of General Ross from Sam Elliot, and Liv Tyler picks up the roll from Jennifer Connelly as Betty Ross. Now Liv Tyler is very pretty but outside of playing an elvish princess in the infamous LOTR series, she's not A-list actress material folks. Ross is still hot on the trail of Bruce Banner, and enlists the aid of super psycho mercenary Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) to help him track down Banner. That's really all you need to know, anything else would be a spoiler past that. The first half of the movie is basically Ross and Blonsky chasing Banner with minimal to no dialog at all. The second half is the big token Hulk transformation where Banner gets pissed and opens up a six pack of whoop ass on Blonsky, Ross, and the token evil army. The last half of the movie is Hulk vs The Abomination which has all the charm of an episode of WWE'S Monday Night Raw. This is basically Godzilla vs Mothra again, only we don't have the bad overdubbing to laugh at. Seriously folks, I have literally seen Saturday morning cartoons better than this. Know what the main problem with this movie is? The movie is filled with people who know how to act, but never get a chance to do so because the script is just that damn bad. I will never forget such memorable lines from Ed Norton as: "We all created this thing, we have to try and stop it", or Tim Roth "is that all you got?" I actually groaned when I heard the great CGI Hulk yell "Hulk Smash!" and he was being serious... My personal favorite scene is where Hulk and Betty Ross share a moment in a cave hiding from a storm. This scene is so stolen from Peter Jackson's King Kong, that I seriously hope he sues.

It is right off the pages of the past folks. We learned this from Batman & Robin back in the late 90's. You can't just fill a super hero movie with good actors and special effects and expect magic to happen. You need a good script, and a good director.

 

Honestly, it's not the CGI hulk, it's just the lack of a good story here. I think Hulk would serve better in a new TV series made for Sci-Fi channel type of thing, where Banner is always on the run, but saves the day. Seriously. Even the old 70's Hulk series at least had some good stories where Banner would show up to a town, try to help somebody, get in trouble, and then The Hulk either saves the day, spoils the party or both. But they were better stories than this latest 2 hour mess of a movie.

 

In the latest trend of tying Marvel movies together, we have a cameo from Tony Stark (AKA Robert Downey Junior), for which audiences cheered. I am sure in short time you can catch this highlight on youtube, don't waste your hard earned cash for just this 30 second segment.

 

I give this film one star for at least trying to have a good cast, even though they were ruined by a poor script. Sadly this movie has left such a bad taste in my mouth, that I will most likely never see another Hulk movie again. Maybe my expectations were to high. I wanted the Hulk to get the fame he deserved, but this is not it. That being said, don't waste your money on this stinker this weekend, either go see Iron Man again, or hold out for The Dark Night instead.

[Dath Maximus]

how exactly does one suck monkeys?

[Lorden Darkblade]

Oh well...

I had high hopes for this Hulk.... And are you sure it's a sequel??? Cuz when I saw a trailer it seemed that in this one Bruce Banner suffered another thing that made him turn into the Hulk when he gets mad.

[M@RS]

It's a sequel it leaves of with him in, where was it? Somewhere in South America or Central America...

[EnderWiggin]

how exactly does one suck monkeys?

 

...I'll tell you when you're older.

 

 

_EW_

[Dath Maximus]

It's a sequel it leaves of with him in, where was it? Somewhere in South America or Central America...

 

 

its not a sequel

[Mike Windu]

I actually kinda look forward to this movie. I rather enjoyed Ang Lee's take on it, and it's a shame mainstream audiences didn't take it more in stride. Won't be an Iron Man, though.

[M@RS]

its not a sequel

 

here...read the second paragraph

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Incredible_Hulk_%28film%29

[The Seeker]

I saw the midnight showing and thought it was great. Very well cast and very well done. The escalating duels between the Hulk and Blonski are fricking amazing. especially

the second one at the college where blonski has just been mildly enhanced. The super speed was awesome

 

 

I never saw the show, so I don't have the hurt fanboy "this isn't like when I was 13" mentality happening. But I did not like Ang Lee's version, and thought this was great. Nice to see Tim Roth onscreen again and his highly aggressive military badass character suits him eerily well. It's not iron man for sure, but let's face it, few Superhero movies will ever top that.

 

It is a Hulk movie so it has the serious carnage that you'd expect with a bit of a tragic story. All the cast are great actors and the director did a very good job.

 

Don't know what movie Groovy was talking about, but it seems like he's got a case of the modern critic where you go into a movie to not like it and just pick it apart.

 

Take it for what it is: a superhero movie ( a Hulk movie) and you'll find it's actually really good. I recommend it.

[MrWally]

On the whole it got better reviews than the original, but not by much.

 

However they said it seemed to return to the comic book roots, and that fans of the original comics should be pleased.

 

Or that was rottentomatoes take on it, anyways.

[M@RS]

Wow, that's funny, you'd think the first one would get a better review...

[Rogue Nine]

here...read the second paragraph

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Incredible_Hulk_%28film%29

 

Geez, you don't read, do you?

 

From that same second paragraph at Wikipedia:

Norton rewrote the script after he signed on to star, severing all ties to its predecessor by retelling the origin story in flashbacks and revelations, thereby establishing the film as a reboot.

Emphasis mine. Dath is correct, it is not a sequel to the first movie.

[Dath Maximus]

he's also basing his info on wikipedia, if i felt so inclined i could edit that post on wiki and say its a direct sequel to batman forever if i chose to

 

if you even saw the movie youd see from the opening scenes during the credits that its a complete revamp and honors the 70's tv show

 

but hell, the hulk sequel to batman forever is an awesome idea ya know

[Darth Groovy]

 

Don't know what movie Groovy was talking about, but it seems like he's got a case of the modern critic where you go into a movie to not like it and just pick it apart.

 

That is absolute BS, and I will fight you all the way on this one. I go to a movie for the same reasons that everyone else does. I want to be entertained. And when I pay almost $10 to see it, I get more than aggrivated when it sucks. When a movie sucks, I don't usually write about them, but this time I felt the need to, because come on....two crappy Hulk movies now? WTH? And this one had absolutely no excuse what so ever to come out the disheveled mess that it was. I suppose you also thought AVP: Requiem was the best Alien movie ever made?

 

I KNOW this movie is NOT a sequel but rather some sort of remake. However, the script started out as a sequel and there were things left in that made it seem like a sequel. Remember when Banner was in the car with Betty? And he told her that General Ross wanted to "cut it out of him, and duplicate it?" That was right out of Ang Lee's movie. Don't remember seeing THAT in the opening credits... So it's not a sequel...so what? It's a cartoon starring Ed Norton.(one of my favorite actors) Nothing more.

[The Seeker]

Yeah, I'll pass on the flame bait there groovy. You can go on not liking movies, and I'll go on liking them and we can be respectively happy. No point having a debate about the validity of a movie with a stranger on the internet.

 

So people, Groovy thought it was horrendous. I thought it was really good. Judge for yourselves.

 

(and no, AVP: R was no good. Alien is still the best in the series followed closely by #2. Sheesh it's heresy to even imply that AVP: R was better than those. Now, better than Alien Ressurection...definately)

[Darth Groovy]

There is no wrong at all in disagreeing with my assessment of a movie. I am glad you liked it.

 

I just strongly disagree with you trying to lump me into a generic category.

 

but it seems like he's got a case of the modern critic where you go into a movie to not like it and just pick it apart.

 

You assume that I am trying to be "trendy" at finding flaws in a movie, which is an absolute fabrication. First of all, who are you going to listen too more, a person who is paid to critique movies, or a person who pays to go see them? I am not a professional critic, but last time I checked there is no professional critic license to be had. People like Roger Ebert, are professional journalists who also go to movie screenings and make assessments. If it makes you feel any better, I did spend the earlier part of my youth as a student journalist, and then spent a few years in the Navy as a command journalist. Doesn't make a professional critic. And I refuse to have you accuse me of going to a movie just to "not like it, and pick it apart". When a movie fails to entertain me, I try to assess what it is that made that movie not work, that is all. And yes, when a movie stinks, it deserves to be made fun of. I would never just go to a movie just to write about how it sucks, I don't get paid to do that, and it would be a colossal waste of money wouldn't it? Most of the time I try to do my homework BEFORE I see a movie. There are only a select few that I will try to brave either way, as I have a soft spot for genre movies, and especially Marvel comic book movies. Also, I been writing reviews and posting them on the swamp, off an on over the last few years, most swampies will tell you I am usually spot on and fair.

 

I am glad you liked the movie, but all I ask is that you do not try to assault my credibility as a "critic" by lumping me in with some fabricated group of trendy movie critics. Thank you.

[The Seeker]

Yeah, no sweat, I didn't mean to cause an offense. It's just that it seems that anyone who writes an actual review gives off this extraordinary vibe of trying to be above the movie in question; to assault it from an objective distance.

 

For me, movies are an experience that if done properly, can make me buy the story and accept it no matter how ludicrous it may be from a perspective that you get from trying to fit it into reality. Spider man is ridiculous, so is batman, the hulk, star wars, indiana jones and the matrix. But all of them were done in a way that I didn't think about it. I chuckle through it or get excited as they take me on the ride.

 

So yeah, "Hulk Smash!" is a ridiculous line. But it is a Hulk line, and if taken in context with the rest of the movie, is still ridiculous, but it fits. Just like the super enhanced Tim Roth, and the stoic obsessed general, and the weepy girlfriend.

 

I guess my question is what is it about this movie that doesn't fit your view of an ideal hulk movie?

 

Not enough carnage? not enough emotional distress with the dual personalities? not a hulk worthy bad guy? Bad acting?

 

I mean, the acting wasn't oscar worthy by any means, but just watch the first Spider man and you'll see some amazingly cheesy and over done acting that makes this hulk look like shakespear.

 

So like I said, for me, I had no pre-conceived notions about how the hulk should be, other than subconscious ones I guess. And this movie delivered.

 

edit: just saw the happening. Avoid at all costs. It's brain poison.

[MrWally]

Hmm.. I just saw The Happening as well, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

I have been a huge fan of M. Night Shyamalan, and while I understand why some critics disliked The Happening, I feel that, as a whole, the good definitely outweighed the bad (some poor acting here or there and the occasional over-the-top moment), but again, all in all I definitely liked the movie.

 

It managed to freak me out without being a crappy gore, splatter-flick like every other modern horror film, and it really tried to convey a powerful message to the viewers.

 

I loved it.

[Sivy]

i loved it myself.

 

its a thousand times better than the ang lee's p.o.s. being a big fan of the old TV series, i loved the fact that they used the same formula of the show... how every episode always starts with him running from the army while looking for a cure, then a situation crops up where he needs the hulk.

i thought the acting was great... Edward Norton, as always, is great. CGI was pretty good. and i thought the final showdown with Abomination was nicely done.

 

IMO i give it 4/5

[StormHammer]

My wife and son liked the movie. My son reckons it is on par with Iron Man.

 

I don't know, because I haven't seen either film yet. I did see the first Ang Lee effort, and I can't say I was very impressed with it.

 

I remember watching the TV series as a kid, and at the time it was one of my favourite shows. Don't know how I'd feel if I watched that series now, though.

[Q]

Probably the same way you would feel if you watched The Dukes of Hazzard now.

[Commander Obi-Wan]

Just saw both the Incredible Hulk and The Happening.

 

Honestly, I thought The Incredible Hulk was great. I enjoyed it more than Iron Man (and I thought Iron Man was effin' fantastic). The action was superb. I thoroughly enjoyed the finale. Although, they could have add a bit more. Heh. And the acting was fairly decent. I thought Edward Norton was pretty good. Same with William Hurt and Liv Tyler. I think they did a fair job casting for this movie. This movie definitely ranks amongst my favourite movies so far this year.

 

On the other hand, The Happening was ****in' awful. It pisses me off that some actors, like Mark Wahlberg (one of favourite actors), and go off and star in this movies that make themselves look like amateur actors. Like the acting in the movie was just horrendous. But whatever.

 

Hey Groovy, do you plan to see The Dark Knight when it comes out?

[Jeff]

I enjoyed the Hulk, not as much as Iron Man, but I thought it was decent. Edward Norton did a good job but I was not a fan of Liv Tyler, she just didn't say the lines very well I thought. Script could have been better but hey its definitely better than the previous Hulk movie.

[Darth Groovy]

 

Hey Groovy, do you plan to see The Dark Knight when it comes out?

 

Definitely! Schumaker ruined Batman movies, but Nolan revived it. I love all the TV spots for the new one. I have not been this excited since the last Star Wars movie!

[Mike Windu]

As long as we're comparing movies here, anyone had a chance to see Kung Fu Panda yet... it's been a while since I've made a trip to the theatre. Hulk and Panda are on my to see list...