I have stated numerous times that I was in the minority who enjoyed the first Hulk movie. With the exception of "hulk dogs", I found Ang Lee's take on the Hulk to be an intriguing examination of both the duality of the human condition and society's insistence on the suppression of the inner savage beast and the potential negative outcomes of that suppression. I never really followed the Hulk character that closely in the comics, as I never found the shallower version of the Jekyll/Hyde motif to be all that interesting. However, I did enjoy how the 2003 film added some meaty psychology to the characters and made an effort to offer more than just green monster action scene after green monster action scene. I found the respective "daddy issues" of Bruce Banner and Betty Ross to be a refreshing introduction that really explained why the characters were drawn to each other. With that said, I completely understand the common criticisms levied at the film. It was indeed a "slow" film, and it deviated from the source material in a multitude of ways. If I'm not mistaken, incredible or not, Hulk isn't able to run at mach 10 or cover many miles in a single jump. Although, I enjoyed the comic panel sequences, those also seemed to rub some people the wrong way. Ultimately, I think the main problem with Hulk was that it simply wasn't what people wanted. It offered a character study when people wanted "hulk smash." Which leads me to this year's film.
If you loathed Ang Lee's Hulk, you are likely going to enjoy The Incredible Hulk. Despite some alarming similarities in plot, the movies are simply different animals. The Incredible Hulk, starring Edward Norton as Bruce Banner, is pure popcorn, summer movie entertainment. That's not to say it is a shallow film by any means, and as someone who geeked out over Transformers last year, I see no problem in enjoying a movie that is clearly not even trying to be anything approaching deep. This movie obviously strove to be the antithesis of the earlier film and when judged on those merits, it succeeded. Throughout the 114 minute runtime of the film, the plot continued to move at a brisk pace. It's not that I was bothered by this, I just got the impression that a fair amount of "character" material was left on the cutting room floor, which is unfortunate, because most of the actors did a good job, they were just given only so much to work with. From what I have heard, Norton wasn't particularly happy with the final cut of the film, so it will be interesting to see if any scenes or alternative cuts appear on DVD in the future.
The effects of the movie were solid in my opinion. One of the criticisms of the CGI in the 2003 film was that the Hulk looked more like an angry Shrek than an unstoppable monster. Not the case here. Although the Hulk is still obviously computer generated, the level of detail in the skin and hair was very impressive. This is particularly apparent in a scene where the audience is actually able to observe Banner change to the Hulk and back again, no cutaways, you get to see the bones and joints popping, skin stretching, and the obvious pain that is involved in the process of "hulking out."
The movie's climax is likely going to be the icing on the cake for Hulk fans who have been craving a no-holds-barred action sequence. Seeing the Hulk go toe-to-toe with a villain that is at or beyond his level is a sight to behold, not to mention that there is something cathartic about cheering for the good guy as he leaves a trail of mayhem and destruction in his wake.
This leads me to why I think the Hulk character is popular with so many people. He represents a very real desire that many of us share, a desire to hulk out and smash things on occasion. Over the centuries, mankind has attempted to "evolve" and become more "civilized". In many ways we have, but when held under the microscope for further scrutiny it is quite clear that despite our attempts, we have yet to tame the beast within. Perhaps we never will? Perhaps that is okay? It is possible that this is why people are drawn to Mr. Green. He is a symbol of the rage inside us all, and a reminder of what can happen if we let it take control.
I give The Incredible Hulk a B-. It's not as good as Iron Man, but it sure as hell is above many other comic books films from the past few years. It won't make you ponder much, but it may show you how enjoyable smashing things can be.
Oh, for those who haven't seen it yet...
