Theatrical Poster
The Incredible Hulk (Theatrical – 2008)
Universal Pictures
Directed by Louis Leterrier
Written by Zak Penn
Cast: Edward Norton, Live Tyler, Tim Roth, Jim Hurt & Tim Blake Nelson
Review By: Adam Tracey
Bruce Banner, now a fugitive of the US Government, has buried himself in Brazil to be off the radar while he furiously looks for a cure to his Gamma Ray exposure. He is working online with an unknown scientist as well as resorting to working with a native martial artist and now wearing a heart gauge in an effort to control the inner monster. Despite his efforts the government has found him and unleashed the beast. Now heading back to the States, with super mercenary Emil Blonsky in tow, he is looking for a cure. Can he reunite with his past lover? Can he evade the US government? Can he stop what power hungry Blonsky has become?
Alright let us run down this list. We have gotten rid of the hokey comic book transitions. No more variable size and weight Hulk. No more odd casting choices (Sam Elliott and Nick Nolte). No more big name actress fresh off an Oscar win looking to cash in. No more 10 minute blocks of the Hulk jumping miles at a time. And no more hulk dogs. So all that said it is easy to say that this one blows the first one out of the water. The effects are better. There are some straight up gangster moments wrapped up in the action sequences. There is a much smoother and tighter script. My problem with the movie is in the last place I thought I’d find it, the acting. Edward Norton is a fantastic actor, but I wasn’t really feeling this one. It felt like he was just skating through for the paycheck. And talk about lack of chemistry. Norton and Liv Tyler looked like they were brother and sister playing these roles. You didn’t by them as a couple at all. Jim Hurt was in fine form as you’d expect.
What in the hell took somebody so long to put Tim Roth in a role like this. Is Marvel the only studio willing to look beyond the top of the list crop to fill their character’s roles? First Robert Downey Jr. in Ironman and now Roth in Incredible Hulk are both fantastic choices. Again, this one is better because of the effects and the action. When Banner wasn’t Hulked out or Roth wasn’t on screen, the movie bogged down and got a bit tiresome.
