THE “VERY GOOD” HULK

When I was a kid my father and I would watch the Incredible Hulk series on CBS every week and make the same jokes about poor Bill Bixby’s wardrobe costs. It’s one of my favorite childhood memories – not because the jokes were so funny but because we kinda bonded over that show in a way. The people who made the new Incredible Hulk movie seem to have the same type of affection for it, because all the way through the new movie – from the opening frames to the last scene – you can feel the respect they have for the subject matter.

Make no mistake – that is not to say that this is a perfect movie – It’s too choppy toward the end and literally feels as if there may be a reel missing with the speed in which everything gets tied up. So if all those rumors about Marvel and Ed Norton arguing about the cuts Marvel wanted made are true – it would seem as though Ed Norton was right. As much as I like this movie – AND I REALLY DO – it’s VERY rushed at the 3/4 point.

Ed Norton is great. Really great. A fantastic choice and maybe one of the only actors I can think of who will be able to share screen time with Robert Downey Junior and Sam Jackson when we finally get to that portion of the Marvel movie dynasty.

William Hurt was effective and Tim Roth starts out great (hey you can’t really fault him – ALL OF HULK’S villains are lame. Every one of them.) but he literally morphs into a cartoon monster by the end and it felt forced. Liv Tyler was perfectly acceptable as scientist Betty Ross – and in a very subtle move – she looked like she COULD be a scientist – not like some 19 year old “movie star” scientist. It was a nice change from
the “Chase Meridians” and “Vicki Vale-esque ” female comic book leads we have become accustomed to.

One GIANT GREEN problem I have with this movie is the Hulk himself – and the Abomination. We are in the golden age of CGI. Polar bears talk and wear body armor, Lizards sell us car insurance, Cars transform into giant freakin’ robots, Harrison Ford runs – so why can’t we have a HULK that looks REAL.

This one looks like a COMIC BOOK Drawing. Which is OK, but everything else around him DOES NOT.

Say what you will about Ang Lee’s HULK, but I never for ONE MOMENT in that movie thought to myself that he was a CGI character. HE WAS THE FREAKING HULK. He was way too big and fighting poodles – but he looked great doing it.

That’s all about this. It was a very good comic book movie but it was not quite Incredible . . . the very last scene was extremely stark . . .

Cue the sad music, I’m hitch hiking outta here . . .