Hulk 2.0 (Or The Remedial Hulk)
The Incredible Hulk Movie Review (2008)
Directed by Louis Leterrier
Writing credits
Marvel comic book character created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Story and screenplay by Zak Penn
Major Cast
Edward Norton as Bruce Banner
Liv Tyler as Dr. Elizabeth 'Betty' Ross
Tim Roth as Maj. Emil Blonsky
William Hurt as Gen. Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross
The difficulty in reviewing The Incredible Hulk (or Hulk 2.0) is that the first Hulk film (Hulk 1.0) set the bar so appallingly low that the only real expectation was for the second Hulk movie not to suck quite as bad. In essence, we have a built-in curve rating system that I’m unable to ignore.
So why fight it? This is an exceptional opportunity to perform a mini-case study on how a franchise reboot is done. Let’s consider The Incredible Hulk as a makeup test, or a remedial assignment. Like most remedial assignments, all that matters is that minimal requirements are met, so I’ll completely throw out the letter grading system, replacing it with a simple pass or fail.
But before I get to the grades, I will compare The Incredible Hulk with its predecessor in several key areas.
Plot – Hulk 1.0 or Hulk 2.0 - The story of The Incredible Hulk severs all ties to its predecessor, except for the location of Bruce Banner. At the beginning of the film, Bruce is in South America hiding from the U.S. military led by General Ross and working on a cure for his condition. An unfortunate event leads General Ross’s team to Bruce’s doorstep, and the chase begins. Obviously, there’s more to it than that, but essentially, the main plot element is the fugitive story that’s consistent with the television show from the 70’s and 80’s. The previous Hulk movie strayed as far from this element as possible and served-up psychoanalysis of Banner/Hulk in a flowery gumbo of that and other nonsense.
Now, in a blockbuster comic superhero action movie, which direction holds more bang for the buck, Hulk being chased by unscrupulous villains for their own selfish gain, or Hulk being tied to a psychologist’s couch, struggling to integrate the repressed childhood memories that make him so angry? It’s supposed to be an action movie! Let’s not try reinventing the wheel here, guys! Edge: Hulk 2.0
Better Bruce Banner – Eric Bana or Edward Norton – Eric gave an incredibly intense performance as a man struggling with his own suppressed rage, mutated genes, and repressed memories of childhood abuse. Edward gave an equally stellar performance as the subdued, mild-mannered Bruce coming to terms with his condition and seeking new ways to cure or control it. But while Eric’s Bruce seemed to be a perpetual victim, reacting to his environment and unable to control his own destiny, Edward’s Bruce seemed far more comfortable in his own skin and more willing to take action than waiting for things to happen to him. I’d chalk it up to the natural growth of the character, but according to the creators of The Incredible Hulk, the first film never happened, so these guys are two different people, right? Right? Edge: Edward Norton, Hulk 2.0 (I liked Eric, but I liked Edward better.)
Better Hulk CGI Character – Hulk 1.0 or Hulk 2.0 – This was no contest. Hulk 2.0 had a better range of motion, was far more ripped, had a broader vocabulary, and was infinitely more pissed-off. I especially liked the subtle emotional quirks. During a pivotal fight sequence that seemed to be lasting a bit too long, as his rival, Abomination, picked himself from the ground for the umpteenth time and goaded Hulk into more fisticuffs, Hulk sighed and wearily rolled his eyes as if to say, “Seriously dude? You want to fight some more?” It reminded me of Apollo Creed’s reaction to Rocky Balboa during the climatic fight scene of the first Rocky film, except Hulk’s reaction was intentionally funny. Edge: Hulk 2.0
General Ross – Sam Elliot or William Hurt – Sam’s performance was more dynamic and had more range (If you can call having a rigid, wooden actor play a rigid, wooden character dynamic. Still, Sam’s the man.) Though relentless in his quest to capture Hulk and put the genie back in the bottle, suppressed empathy for Bruce leaked onto the screen from Sam’s performance, which redeemed his General Ross. But there are almost no redeeming qualities to William’s performance of the General, and I think that was intentional. William’s General Ross was created to be a bit of a dick, which essentially throws gasoline on the fire of the manhunt and keeps the film moving. Still, though William’s relentless chase of Hulk drives the film, I prefer Sam Elliot’s kinder, gentler take. Edge: Sam Elliot, Hulk 1.0
Betty Ross - Jennifer Connelly or Liv Tyler – This one was also no contest, but mainly due to script limitations more than anything. It’s probably a bad thing that I actually had to research The Internet Movie Database to recall the actress who played Betty Ross in the first Hulk film (Jennifer Connelly, by the way, is an exceptional actress, which makes the director’s squandering of her talents that much more tragic.) Jennifer’s Betty had that “stand by your man” disease, while Liv was more of an active participant in the story, even carrying key plot elements. Plus there’s that hot scene when Liv’s Betty and Bruce are close to being intimate, but Bruce resists at the last minute after realizing that he might be subjecting the love of his life to death by premature ejaculation. That last part might be just an assumption, but still... Edge: Liv Tyler, Hulk 2.0
Super Villains/Secondary Antagonists/Toadies
Hulk 1.0 – Josh Lucas as Glenn Talbot and Nick Nolte as David Banner/Absorbing Man – I consider these two characters as a direct assault on my intelligence. No, not an insult to my intelligence, but a direct, physical, blunt-force trauma to my cerebellum. Nothing about their origins makes any fathomable sense. They might as well have just walked up to Bruce Banner, shook his hand and said, “Hi, I’ll be kicking your ass and pissing you off until you turn green for the next 90 minutes. Can I offer you a tasty beverage before we begin?” But I already reviewed that movie. Let’s move on to…
Hulk 2.0 - Tim Roth as Emil Blonsky/Abomination – Now here is a villain! Spiteful, surly, abrasive to authority, resentful of his own rapidly-approaching retirement due to being slightly over the hill, motivated primarily by his own lust for battle, envious of his rival’s power (Banner), willingness to ingest a dangerous enhancement product to level the playing field in his favor, this guy is the Barry Bonds of villains. Bravo, Tim Roth! Bravo, Zak Penn! Bravo, Louis Leterrier! Bravo, BALCO!
Edge: Blonsky, Hulk 2.0
(The only problem I have with Blonsky involves a rather glaring logic flaw. Right after a sequence that depicts Hulk rampaging through armored military hardware WITH HIS BARE HANDS, Blonsky squares-up in front of Hulk and says something to the effect of, “Hit me with your best shot.” And so Hulk obliges him. What? Now, to be fair, Blonsky had apparently gassed-up on the super juice that makes him fast and agile enough to contend with Hulk’s speed, but NOT strong enough to repel a direct blow from this behemoth, and I repeat, right after witnessing Hulk essentially rip a few tanks in half, Blonsky offers him the first shot, right on the chin. What? Wait, just a sec… what?)
With a 5-to-1 edge, Hulk 2.0 is clearly superior to Hulk 1.0. Hollywood has successfully remediated a franchise worthy of saturation and over-merchandising. Let’s go to the scorecards.
The Grades
Story: Yes there are plot-holes and logic errors. Yes there are several loose-ends carelessly tossed around in an obvious attempt to provide various angles for sequels or spinoffs to launch from. Yes I feel manipulated as a viewer. And frankly, I don’t care because this time, Hulk really did smash. Grade: Pass
Acting: I thought I would miss Eric Bana. I thought Edward Norton didn’t have the chops to pull off being Banner. I was dead-wrong. Liv Tyler was actually supportive in her supporting role. William Hurt was sufficiently prickish as General Ross and Tim Roth was obscenely villainous as Blonsky. Had this not been a remedial review, they would have earned an A. Grade: Pass
Visuals: Out with the comic-book wipes, in with the cinematic ass-kicking. Though limited in stature to 9 feet, this Hulk was cinematically bigger and badder. General Ross had far more lethal toys in his arsenal which gave Hulk a better fight. Abomination was an uglier, nastier adversary for Hulk than the knuckleheads from the previous film. I got my money’s worth. Grade: Pass
Originality/Innovation: The old formula still works! Sure, a few new bells and whistles are always nice and welcome, but sometimes, you must dance with the date that brought you to the prom. Grade: Pass
Enjoyability Grade: Pass
Date Material: There is the underlying subtext of the love-story/relationship between Bruce and Betty and a few sexually suggestive scenes, which when combined with the ass-kicking, makes for grand date theatre. Grade: Pass
Contemporary Element (Will it be watchable two decades from now?): The jury’s still out on this one. Grade: Incomplete
Redeeming Quality: The entire film is an exercise in redemption. Grade: Not Applicable
Overall Grade: Pass
***
Blind Eye Turning: Poems, Prose, and other Scribbles, by Barry Dawson
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