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"This time, 'Hulk' is as angry as the fanboys were at Ang Lee, but accomplishes little to top the previous underrated gem"
[SIZE="3"](3/5 Stars)[/SIZE]
Lean, mean and green is what can describe the latest incarnation of the famed comic book hero, "The Incredible Hulk."
Besides the latter two are true for obvious reasons, this time around he's been stripped of story and development, cashing in on fanboys' intense hatred of Ang Lee's brilliant and underrated incarnation, 2003's "Hulk" for flashy fight scenes and more Hulk smash.
Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) is still on the run from the United States government, crossing international borders incognito while learning to control his heart rate and, therefore, his inner lime-colored alter ego.
Holing up in Brazil, Banner communicates back and forth via instant messaging about trying to rid himself of his problem. However, while working at a soda factory some of his gamma irradiated blood hits a bottle, alerting General Thaddeus Ross (William Hurt). Ross orders a crackpot group of elite soldiers, lead by the power-hungry and ruthless Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth), seek out Banner, tranquilize him and haul him back to the States. Problem is, Banner gets his heart rate up a bit too high, unleashing the Hulk.
On the run again, Banner ends up slipping back into the U.S. in search of his estranged love, Dr. Elizabeth Ross (Liv Tyler). He wants desperately to reunite with her but also seeks access to the data on the computers of the college Ross is a professor at-and where all the events that turned Banner into who he is all happened.
Meanwhile, Blonsky learns of the origins of Banner getting to get green and big-and he wants a taste. So they give it to him, and he becomes the supersoldier Ross had hoped for. Unfortunately, Blonsky wants more-he wants to be bigger and better than Banner. Introducing the Abomination.
Now, here's the problem. Many critics going into the press screening have called this the Unnecessary Hulk, a minority of film fans who not only understood what Lee did in 2003 but praised it and gave it high marks. Now, whether this is just a Chicago thing, I'm not sure, but I am part of that camp: Lee created a film that comic book moviegoers weren't ready for-a deep character study about one's personal struggle between accepting who he/she is or being normal.
"Spider-Man 2," another film dealing with the same theme, came out the following year and was a critical and box office success. The difference? The spidey sequel had enough of a balance of action and story (I'm praising it, by the way) to keep comic book geeks happy.
With this latest Hulk movie, director Louis Leterrier tries his best to reboot a green franchise (no pun intended) that started off on the right foot anyways. Writer Zak Penn, the genius behind the "X-Men" films and his directorial debut "The Grand" (a gem from this year, now out on DVD-seek it out), half-assed this script, but the final product wasn't fully his to blame; that falls on to Norton.
After signing on to star, Norton rewrote portions of the script, but there are too many in-jokes and references to past Hulk work and setting up future films. Yes, "Hulk" creator Stan Lee makes the obligatory cameo that he has done in nearly every Marvel comic book adaptation (most characters created by him) and it is amusing, as is TV Hulk Lou Ferrigno. Not to be forgotten, a notable and respected nod to the TV Banner, Bill Bixby, is also displayed.
But I guess that is what the main source of the problem is: the film appears to be more concerned with setup than what is going on now. It's like buying a burial plot while you're still in your diapers: it's too early. Yes, a cameo right before end credits sets up the future Marvel all-star movie "The Avengers" (and it's an amusing, iron-clad secret). Characters are underdeveloped (Roth) and just given garbage (Tyler). It's a talented cast (Norton is a decent fit as Banner/Hulk) but eternally wasted.
Additionally, with all the hoopla that comic book fanboys created with their heat on Lee's Hulk looking more like the Jolly Green Giant on steroids (in other words, bad visual effects), there isn't much to write home about here. Industrial Light & Magic, George Lucas' über effects house, created the first "Hulk" and did a far superior job than the sub-par work by Rhythm and Hues ("Babe," "The Chronicles of Narnia"). The fight scene between Hulk and the Abomination looks pretty darn good, though (plus, a great line by Hurt referring to the fight in Harlem is a hoot).
At the screening, several scenes of heavy drama or great importance failed, eliciting several bouts of unintentional laughter. Plus, the bits that were supposed to be funny weren't that great. The filmmakers aimed for the sharp wit from Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" films and ended up next door to the "Fantastic Four," which is not a good thing.
Now, I didn't fully hate this movie. I liked portions of it, but had problems with what didn't work. It's good, but was uncalled for.
This "Incredible Hulk" is pissed off, much like the comic book nerds who lashed out over the previous film adaptation of the big, green guy. It proves that fanboys don't know jack about making a movie.
"Snakes on a Plane," anyone?
:arrow: [COLOR="Blue"]Fonte[/COLOR]
Tô com preguiça de traduzir. Lê quem quiser.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
"This time, 'Hulk' is as angry as the fanboys were at Ang Lee, but accomplishes little to top the previous underrated gem"
Lean, mean and green is what can describe the latest incarnation of the famed comic book hero, "The Incredible Hulk."
Besides the latter two are true for obvious reasons, this time around he's been stripped of story and development, cashing in on fanboys' intense hatred of Ang Lee's brilliant and underrated incarnation, 2003's "Hulk" for flashy fight scenes and more Hulk smash.
Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) is still on the run from the United States government, crossing international borders incognito while learning to control his heart rate and, therefore, his inner lime-colored alter ego.
Holing up in Brazil, Banner communicates back and forth via instant messaging about trying to rid himself of his problem. However, while working at a soda factory some of his gamma irradiated blood hits a bottle, alerting General Thaddeus Ross (William Hurt). Ross orders a crackpot group of elite soldiers, lead by the power-hungry and ruthless Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth), seek out Banner, tranquilize him and haul him back to the States. Problem is, Banner gets his heart rate up a bit too high, unleashing the Hulk.
On the run again, Banner ends up slipping back into the U.S. in search of his estranged love, Dr. Elizabeth Ross (Liv Tyler). He wants desperately to reunite with her but also seeks access to the data on the computers of the college Ross is a professor at-and where all the events that turned Banner into who he is all happened.
Meanwhile, Blonsky learns of the origins of Banner getting to get green and big-and he wants a taste. So they give it to him, and he becomes the supersoldier Ross had hoped for. Unfortunately, Blonsky wants more-he wants to be bigger and better than Banner. Introducing the Abomination.
Now, here's the problem. Many critics going into the press screening have called this the Unnecessary Hulk, a minority of film fans who not only understood what Lee did in 2003 but praised it and gave it high marks. Now, whether this is just a Chicago thing, I'm not sure, but I am part of that camp: Lee created a film that comic book moviegoers weren't ready for-a deep character study about one's personal struggle between accepting who he/she is or being normal.
"Spider-Man 2," another film dealing with the same theme, came out the following year and was a critical and box office success. The difference? The spidey sequel had enough of a balance of action and story (I'm praising it, by the way) to keep comic book geeks happy.
With this latest Hulk movie, director Louis Leterrier tries his best to reboot a green franchise (no pun intended) that started off on the right foot anyways. Writer Zak Penn, the genius behind the "X-Men" films and his directorial debut "The Grand" (a gem from this year, now out on DVD-seek it out), half-assed this script, but the final product wasn't fully his to blame; that falls on to Norton.
After signing on to star, Norton rewrote portions of the script, but there are too many in-jokes and references to past Hulk work and setting up future films. Yes, "Hulk" creator Stan Lee makes the obligatory cameo that he has done in nearly every Marvel comic book adaptation (most characters created by him) and it is amusing, as is TV Hulk Lou Ferrigno. Not to be forgotten, a notable and respected nod to the TV Banner, Bill Bixby, is also displayed.
But I guess that is what the main source of the problem is: the film appears to be more concerned with setup than what is going on now. It's like buying a burial plot while you're still in your diapers: it's too early. Yes, a cameo right before end credits sets up the future Marvel all-star movie "The Avengers" (and it's an amusing, iron-clad secret). Characters are underdeveloped (Roth) and just given garbage (Tyler). It's a talented cast (Norton is a decent fit as Banner/Hulk) but eternally wasted.
Additionally, with all the hoopla that comic book fanboys created with their heat on Lee's Hulk looking more like the Jolly Green Giant on steroids (in other words, bad visual effects), there isn't much to write home about here. Industrial Light & Magic, George Lucas' über effects house, created the first "Hulk" and did a far superior job than the sub-par work by Rhythm and Hues ("Babe," "The Chronicles of Narnia"). The fight scene between Hulk and the Abomination looks pretty darn good, though (plus, a great line by Hurt referring to the fight in Harlem is a hoot).
At the screening, several scenes of heavy drama or great importance failed, eliciting several bouts of unintentional laughter. Plus, the bits that were supposed to be funny weren't that great. The filmmakers aimed for the sharp wit from Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" films and ended up next door to the "Fantastic Four," which is not a good thing.
Now, I didn't fully hate this movie. I liked portions of it, but had problems with what didn't work. It's good, but was uncalled for.
This "Incredible Hulk" is pissed off, much like the comic book nerds who lashed out over the previous film adaptation of the big, green guy. It proves that fanboys don't know jack about making a movie.
"Snakes on a Plane," anyone?
:arrow: [COLOR="Blue"]Fonte[/COLOR]
Tô com preguiça de traduzir. Lê quem quiser.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
