Movie Review: The Incredible Hulk - Starring Edward Norton & Liv Tyler
Released: June 13th, 2008
Runtime: 1 hr. 54 min.
Ticket Price: $5.00 Early Matinee
Refreshments: None
Starring: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, Tim Blake Nelson & William Hurt
Director: Louis Leterrier
Rating: Worth a Matinee
Synopsis: A scientist who has been poisoned with gamma radiation while testing his theory on himself now lives in seclusion and separated from his former life and the woman he loves. He is being tracked by a military general that was in charge of a secret government program to create super soldiers. He wants what is inside, what makes this scrawny scientist turn in to a beastly hulk. This leads to confrontations between he and the military. A soldier that has been supped up by another serum gets turned into another beastly abomination. This leads to one final confrontation in the streets of New York City.
Review: The Hulk is big, mean, loud and green, but his movie wasn’t all that incredible. It is a fun time at the theater, but if you were hoping for another Iron Man, you will be a bit disappointed.
The Incredible Hulk drops you into the story long after the accident that created the creature inside Bruce Banner, played by Edward Norton (The Illusionist), that comes out when he gets hungry…err, angry. I was hoping for a movie that is a reboot of this story on film, would tell the story from the beginning. Not in bits and flashes through the opening credits. This is what I liked about Batman Begins
There are some good bits of humor, like the purple stretchy pants, the way Stan Lee’s (Incredible Hulk creator) cameo is worked into the story, Lou Ferrigno’s (Incredible Hulk) cameo and the hungry bit that was alluded to above. It was also nice to see Bill Bixby (Incredible Hulk), show up in a clip from The Courtship of Eddie’s Father as Bruce changes the channels on his TV.
The good thing about this incarnation of The Incredible Hulk is that the special f/x make it seem more realistic, not as fake looking as The Hulk animation was. It allows you to suspend your disbelief much easier and enjoy the movie. Much of what you see on screen was computer generated and it is done extremely well.
There are lots of great actors in The Incredible Hulk, but they don’t really get to do much. You don’t get a lot of character development. You get your typical bad guys, but Tim Roth (Dark Water), as the soldier in charge of capturing the Hulk and William Hurt (Vantage Point), as General Thunderbolt Ross, don’t really do a whole lot. The standout is Liv Tyler (The Strangers), as Betty Ross. Many of her best scenes are with the Hulk, which means she is acting without being able to see who she is acting with. Yet, those scenes are some of the best of the movie.
Overall, it is worth checking out a matinee, cause you should definitely go see it on the big screen. And, you don’t need to wait until after the credits to leave, since Tony Stark shows up right before the credits roll. Although, it might have been more effective had they played it after the credits, as they did with the Nick Fury scene in Iron Man. It was a good scene that hints at the future of the Marvel movie universe. Yet, what it really did was remind me how much better Iron Man was than the movie I just saw.
What New Movies Start Playing Friday, June 13th?
On Friday we get five new movies arriving in a theater near you. Two are opening everywhere and three are in limited release.
Opening Nationwide on Friday, June 13th:
Movie: The Happening (R)
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo, Ashlyn Sanchez & Betty Buckley
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Synopsis: There is no warning. It just happens. All of a sudden there are episodes of strange and chilling deaths all across the country in major cities. Philadelphia high school science teacher is trying to figure out a way to escape what is happening. He and his estranged wife and his math teacher friend and daughter head for the countryside. Yet, it seems that nowhere is safe from what is happening. Only after finding what may be behind this, is a small ray of hope found. Will they be able to escape what is happening?
First Thoughts: Does anybody really care that this is M. Night Shyamalan’s first Rated R movie. If that’s the best they can do to try and entice me into the theater, then I’ll just wait and maybe check it out down the road sometime.
Movie: The Incredible Hulk (PG-13) (Read Review)
Starring: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, Tim Blake Nelson & William Hurt
Genre: Comic-Book Sci-Fi Action
Synopsis: A scientist has been poisoned with gamma radiation that can turn him into The Hulk. He is searching for a cure. The military wants to capture him and figure out how to use this power of his. So, he lives in obscurity trying to evade capture, which leaves him separated from his former life and the woman he loves.
First Thoughts: This looks so much better than the last attempt
Movies in Limited Release:
- Baghead - Comedy about a guy wearing a bag on his head.
- Encounters at the End of the World - A visually dazzling look at life in the Antarctic community of McMurdo Station, headquarters of the National Science Foundation, which is home to eleven hundred people during the austral summer.
- My Winnipeg - An avant-garde biographical documentary about growing up in Winnipeg.
For New Movie Friday there are two new movies to choose from this week. They are The Happening and The Incredible Hulk. What new movie looks good to you this week?
What New Movies Begin Playing Friday, May 30th?
On Friday we get six new movies hitting screens near you. Two are opening everywhere and four are in limited release.
Opening Nationwide on Friday, May 30th:
Movie: Sex and the City (R) (Read Review)
Starring: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon & Chris Noth
Genre: Comedy
Synopsis: Don’t really have any idea, other than the ladies from the show are all back and Carrie gets a new assistant played by Jennifer Hudson of Dreamgirls and American Idol fame.
First Thoughts: I don’t think I have ever even watched a full episode of the show, but given the week’s other offering, this is probably what I’ll be watching.
Movie: The Strangers (R)
Starring: Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman, Gemma Ward, Kip Weeks, Laura Margolis & Glenn Howerton
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Synopsis: A couple in a remote house are terrorized by three masked strangers. The couple has to do whatever they can to survive.
First Thoughts: Could not careless about another psychos chase people and try to kill them movie.
Movies in Limited Release:
- Bigger, Stronger, Faster* - Biographical documentary about steroids and pop culture.
- The Foot Fist Way - A martial arts comedy that has a strip mall dojo owner heading out to find he movie hero after he finds his wife is cheating on him.
- Savage Grace - Julianne Moore (Freedomland) in a period drama about parent’s insecurity and conflict over their son’s sexuality that leads to tragedy.
- Stuck - Psychological thriller about a young woman with a bright future that hits a homeless man on her way home after too many drinks, but instead of trying to save him, decides to let him die and dispose of the body later, so no one will know what happened. The guy tries to figure an escape to get help before he dies.
For New Movie Friday there are two new movies to choose from this week. They are Sex and the City and The Strangers. What new movie looks good to you this week?
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