2008-06-18 - YOU'LL LIKE IT WHEN HE'S ANGRY

Louis Leterrier's THE INCREDIBLE HULK had some pretty big shoes to fill.

Not the Ang Lee snoozer HULK from a few years back; heavens, no. THE INCREDIBLE HULK just happened to hit the screen only a month after IRON MAN, perhaps the best reviewed of Marvel's movies to date, and a runaway smash at the box office. In light of that success, following up with another big Marvel movie so soon had to make some a little nervous.

Turns out, they had no reason to be, as THE INCREDIBLE HULK is the cinematic surprise of the summer. An extremely entertaining mix of the comic books and the fondly remembered 1970s television series, the movie is a fitting companion to IRON MAN -- while I can't say it's better than Favreau's film, I'll definitely say this: THE INCREDIBLE HULK is as good a Hulk movie as IRON MAN was an Iron Man movie.

Wisely choosing to entirely disregard the previous HULK film, director Leterrier instead briefly re-tells the Hulk's origin over the opening credit sequence, in a scenario that borrows heavily from the CBS Bill Bixby TV series, right down to the green crosshairs on Edward Norton's face and the brightly lit red "DANGER" sign. Fact is, the credit sequence does a better and more enjoyable job of telling the Hulk's origin story than Ang Lee did in two and a half hours.

The other thing the credit sequence does is let the viewer know right up front that this is a Marvel Universe movie, with shots of both Stark Industries and SHIELD flashing by early on, firmly establishing to the sharp-eyed moviegoer that this movie is taking place in the same cinematic world as the earlier IRON MAN (of course, there comes a far more obvious confirmation of that fact at film's end, but most of you probably know that by now). In fact, there are Easter eggs for fans all over the place in the film, from blink-and-you'll-miss-them references to Hulk sidekicks Rick Jones and Jim Wilson, to the clever and appropriate use of "The Lonely Man" score from the TV series (more commonly though of as the "Bill Bixby walking away music").

So the biggest question is probably the most apparent: how does the Hulk look? And I gotta say, he looks pretty damned good, much better and more lifelike than the previous version, with his height scaled down to a slightly more reasonable level, still leaving him a giant, but not looking completely out of place and digitally "dropped in" among his flesh-and-blood co-stars. He also seems better...rendered, for lack of a better word, feeling much more like a real character on screen, and much better able to convey emotion. This generation of CGI Hulk also performs much better in the action scenes, which are far better executed here than in the last film, and also a lot more fun, with the Army bringing out some slightly sci-fi-tinged weaponry against the Hulk, sonic cannons and the like.

He also looks more like the Hulk, with the familiar Herb Trimpe-style face and tousled hair. Also, this time around, ol' Greenskin finally talks! I mean, he's not doing Hamlet's soliloquy or anything, but he does speak, with his voice provided by none other than 1970s Hulk Lou Ferrigno.

Speaking of Lou, he appears on screen as well in a neat little cameo, as does The Man himself, Stan Lee, in perhaps his funniest screen appearance yet. The main cast's performances are solid across the board. Edward Norton seems the perfect choice to play Bruce Banner, and he gets across both Banner's withdrawn intensity and tortured soul elegantly.

Liv Tyler does a much better job than Jennifer Connelly did as Betty Ross, providing the anchor of humanity and love that Bruce Banner (and his emerald alter ego) so desperately need. Connelly came across a little cold and remote in the role, unlike Tyler, who's wearing her heart on her sleeve here. On the opposite side of the table are the film's antagonists, General "Thunderbolt" Ross, played by William Hurt, and special-forces tough guy Emil Blonsky, played by Tim Roth. Considering that the previous Hulk movie didn't really have either a bad guy or a climax (ah, yes, that part where Nick Nolte turned into a cloud...), we're already ahead of the game here.

An aside: it's no surprise how much more enjoyable these movies are when you get really great actors in them. Whether it's Downey and Bridges in IRON MAN or Norton, Hurt and Roth here in INCREDIBLE HULK, guys like this can make even bad material enjoyable. When they're given good stuff to work with, as they are here, it's fantastic.

William Hurt's "T-Bolt" Ross is a man possessed, both with his notion of creating "super-soldiers" for the government, and in covering up his own culpability in the creation of the Hulk, and Hurt plays it subtly, conveying a world of meaning with a glower or a downward glance.

As for Roth, who slowly grows more and more obsessed with possessing the Hulk's power after each disastrous encounter with the creature, he gives us the focal point for the Hulk's rampages that the first film lacked: while General Ross is undeniably a self-righteous bastard, he's still on some level doing the right thing in trying to re-capture the Hulk. Blonsky is out only for himself, giving the film that villainous presence it requires.

When Blonsky undergoes the full Gamma transformation himself and becomes the Abomination, the resulting fight scene is a doozy, a super-slugfest reminiscent of the big Superman vs. General Zod fight in SUPERMAN II, only with much less comedy and played with a lot more brutality. And most of your trademark Hulk moments from the comics are here as well, from the big Hulk stomp to the concussion-force hand clap, making it all feel much more like the character we all grew up reading; when you see him rear back and yell to the skies "Hulk Smash!"...well, it was like I was nine years old again.

Scott Tipton is going back to see THE INCREDIBLE HULK again, and soon. If you have questions about Hulk or comics in general, send 'em here.

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