The Incredible Hulk

Venue: Hoyts Melbourne Central

Here we go again. The Incredible Hulk? Wasn't there a hulk movie not too long ago? The one where there's a certain Eric Bana and Jennifer Connelly in it? The one where it's directed by the famed director Ang Lee? Which in all honesty, sucked big time?

Well yeah, I don't know if you guys are excited or not - but there's a new Hulk in town. Now played by Edward Norton - and co stars Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, and William Hurt - it's a total revamp from the old movie. It has a totally new cast, new production crew and even a new director (Louis Leterrier). Fortunately, this one is waaaayyy better than the Ang Lee version 5 years ago. So much better.

Does this shirt make me look gay?

What's the deal with this one then? Apparently the first one sucked so bad (it didn't do well in the box office, and also didn't get the praises from the fans) The studio execs and the Marvel directors felt compelled to make a better version of The Hulk. One which stayed true to the comics, the old television series and above all, more action!

This movie is essentially a remake of the first one, although chronologically it happens after the first movie, where our tortured hero Bruce Banner is on the run from the U.S military. So you're not wrong if you wanna call this a sequel of sorts. If you have seen the first movie, as sucky as it is, it works as a strong foundation for this one. Now, there's not much explanation on how he became The Hulk - the viewers are assumed to know roughly how he came to be. I mean come on, who doesnt know The Hulk? The new movie smartly focuses on what Bruce Banner already is, and how he tries to search for an antidote to cure his 'condition'. Although of course, that doesn't come off easy.

There is so much to like about this movie. First off, it is perfectly casted. Just like Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man, I thought Edward Norton as The Hulk is spot-on. He plays the tormented, brooding, and lonely Bruce Banner character to perfection. And his love interest - Betty Ross, played by Liv Tyler is superb as well. Ok, maybe she's just gorgeous, but i thought the chemistry between those two were there, and it showed throughout the movie. You could actually feel the connection between them. Tim Roth plays Emil Blonsky - a British special operations expert - brought in to capture Bruce Banner by the evil General Ross (played by William Hurt). He then becomes The Abomination, an amped-up, mutated and uglier version of The Hulk.

Blonsky never knew Tetanus shots were quite painful..

Another thing to point out about this movie is it's pace. It's fast and filled with action scenes. There are two memorable scenes in the movie, first is the one that takes place in the university, and the other, the climactic scene when The Hulk inevitably squares off with The Abomination. These 2 scenes alone are well worth the price of the ticket. One other thing that i really like about the movie is how it made it feel believable and relevant. I know there might be two CGI monsters bashing each other towards the end but how the movie explains the situation and tells the story is excellent.

Beauty and The Hulk

I'm glad to say that the movie wasn't boring at all. There's a good mix of action, romance and abit of drama that makes this movie a hella entertaining. Im giving this movie a lot of praise maybe because this year there hasn't been a lot of movies that's just crazy good - some were a tad bit dissapointing too. Iron Man was the best movie so far - I know a lot of you dig that show, but for me this one just nicks it by a bit. There are a couple of releases in the movies this week, but by all means, skip the rest and catch this one! Highly recommended!

p/s: A super cool billionaire will appear at the end of the movie, signalling an upcoming Avengers movie. Superb!



Stars: A solid 4/5


Things not to say to The Hulk: Is that all you've got?

Look out for: Other "Hulks" in the movie :)