The Incredible Hulk smashes!

When I watched the first Hulk film in 2003, I was awed as to how they breathed life into the Hulk. The Incredible Hulk is one of my favorite superhero comic book characters (next to Spider-Man and Batman). While most people panned the overly introspective 2003 Hulk movie, I loved it because it provided a different spin to an otherwise great fictional character.

Five years later, a major reboot of the movie franchise was done and out came The Incredible Hulk. I was thrilled again yet slightly dissapointed that they didn't do a sequel. But this version is a lot more fun to watch. So here's my take on the movie. There will be some major spoilers in this review so bare with me if you haven't watched it yet. You have been warned. :)

First off, if you're a fan of the comic book, and the TV series that was spawned in the early 80s, you'll definitely love this movie. It's a reboot, not a sequel to the much-maligned Ang Lee version released in June 2003. The Incredible Hulk is more like a souped-up version of The Incredible Hulk TV series starring the late Bill Bixby. The TV series had this cool setup wherein Bruce Banner exposed himself to Gamma Rays in this movable steel chair. And before he got to change to his Big green persona, the first thing you'd notice was the change in his eyes. The Incredible Hulk movie is a clear homage to the TV series. The first few minutes roughly explains how the transformation occured and why General Thunderbolt Ross became obsessed with capturing the Hulk. I said roughly because if one is not familiar with the Hulk origins, he/she won't get it the first time.

Anyway, Edward Norton fits the bill in portraying the tormented Bruce Banner. He's got that scruffy, nerdy, vulnerable side of the character pat down. The rest of the characters, however, weren't that fleshed out. Liv Tyler's Betty Ross is okay being a good foil to Banner and the Hulk but in the comics, she was supposed to be this scientific babe as well. William Hurt's Thunderbolt Ross was just angry and secretive all the time, and Emil Blonsky, played by brilliant actor Tim Roth, was just too two dimensional.

As for the story, it's pretty decent. It's not as brooding as the Ang Lee version but I kind of liked the earlier version because it tried to explain why Bruce Banner became the Hulk and why he got so angry.

But the Incredible Hulk movie had more references to the Hulk Comics, contained humor ( I liked the stretchy purple pants Betty tried to offer Bruce in the middle part of the movie) and it's easier to understand.

So how was this Hulk different from the 2003 movie? This Hulk seems a tad weaker than the 2003 Hulk. This Hulk felt the sting of bullets and is relatively smaller. This Hulk wasn't vibrant green but rather a dull slightly grayish green. They made this Hulk far more human which to me is okay. The Hulk is still CG which was a sigh of relief because the producers would be hard pressed to pass off a Lou Ferrigno-sized Hulk and sell it to moviegoers. It would never work.

What the movie did right in spades was to have Hulk smash more stuff. And I loved every minute of it, although I was left wanting more.

The first fight between the Brazilian thugs and the military was good and the fight at the University was even better. The fight with Emil Blonsky who became the Abomination, was the piece de' resistance. If you played The Incredible Hulk Ultimate Destruction video game, you'll see the game's signature moves like Steel Fist and Sonic Clap in the movie. That was really awesome. It was really the main event. They traded punches, smashed things up and caused untold mayhem on the streets of New York. I was hooting everytime something was smashed up.

I would say that the Incredibe Hulk managed to improve on the earlier version on a lot of things but it still needs some work, especially in giving the characters more depth and a meatier plot. Still, the Incredible Hulk is darn good popcorn-leave-your-brain-at-the-door movie. I loved the fact that Samuel Sterns (who became the gamma-irradiated Super Genius The Leader in the Comics) was introduced, possibly as the next antagonist of the sequel. I also loved the fact that in the end of the movie, Tony Stark a.k.a. Iron Man showed up for a cameo. It gives movie goers, a sneak peak of what's in store for Marvel Comic's most loved superheroes.

I'll definitely add The Incredible Hulk to my DVD list once it gets released. But until then, if you're a fan of the comic boook character, you owe it yourself to watch this movie.