THE INCREDIBLE HULK
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2008 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ** 1/2
Perhaps the biggest surprise about director Louis Leterrier's THE
INCREDIBLE
HULK is that it is only marginally better than its widely derided
predecessor, Ang Lee's HULK. This much, however, can be said in THE
INCREDIBLE HULK's favor. When it's fighting, it's fun -- but, when it
isn't,
it's not. Too much of the movie is consumed with tedious small talk and a
lame and superfluous romance. The acting leaves a lot to be desired. Even
the usually reliable Edward Norton doesn't seem to have his heart in it.
Norton stars as Bruce Banner, a man with significant anger issues. He has
been trying to learn deep breathing exercises to keep his heart rate below
200. Once it busts past 200, he busts out of his pants and turns into a
really mean green guy of enormous size and with almost unlimited power to
boot. Sure, he'll act nice to the ladies, but everyone else in his path is
apt to be smushed. He is, of course, the Hulk.
Currently Bruce is in Brazil hiding from the United States military. As
three-star general Gen. Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross (William Hurt) puts
it,
"That man's whole body is property of the U.S. Army!" Along with Emil
Blonsky (Tim Roth) and a hundred other heavily armed men, the general is
in
Brazil to bring Bruce back to the United States. That THE INCREDIBLE HULK
is
an unabashed B movie can easily be seen by how many soldiers and policemen
waste mere bullets in trying to bring him down. He is an almost
unstoppable
force, who flicks off bullets like you'd bat away pesky gnats.
The movie's paper-thin plot has the army playing cat and mouse, trying to
chase after Bruce. With Bruce's love interest, Betty Ross, by his side, he
tries to elude the army while looking for a cure that will rid him of his
powers, and hence his troubles, forever. Liv Tyler sleepwalks through her
underwritten role as Betty.
The most successful times in the movie come when it takes itself least
seriously. The best of these occurs in an aborted romantic interlude
between
Bruce and Betty. You can probably figure out that having *** with a pretty
woman is something that might make his heart race a bit too much, and
you'd
be right. Luckily Bruce stops just in the nick of time before he crushes
the
love of his life. His squeeze almost becomes one literally.
The action is pure popcorn movie material. But too much of the movie is
remarkably lifeless and fairly slow too. Still, except for an ending
battle
that felt like it was never going to end, the movie has almost enough good
bits to be able to recommend it. Well, almost.
The bad guy says in the ending showdown with the Hulk, "Is that all you've
got?" Many viewers may have similar thoughts about the film itself.
THE INCREDIBLE HULK runs 1:52. It is rated PG-13 for "sequences of intense
action violence, some frightening sci-fi images, and brief suggestive
content" and would be acceptable for kids around 10 and up.
My son Jeffrey, age 19, gave the film ** 1/2. He said that he liked this
one
better than the previous film, and he especially liked the fight
sequences.
He thought the first half of film had only 10-15 minutes worth of
material.
He said that Tyler's acting was atrocious and that the whole love story
was
unnecessary. Overall he thought the film wasn't horrible -- it was just
merely okay. It did, however, make him hopeful that the next one would be
much better. Jeffrey's girlfriend Yasmin, almost 19, gave the movie ***.
She
liked the romantic part, as well as Tim Roth as the villain. Overall, she
said that her main criticism of the film was that she just "wanted more
Hulk."
The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, June 13, 2008.
In
the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the AMC theaters, the Century
theaters and the Camera Cinemas.
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