"The Incredible Hulk" Talkback (Spoilers)

[Hanshotfirst1138]

I'll post my full review later, but PLEASE tell me I wasn't the only one who caught the obvious nod to The Leader with the obvious dripping of the blood on the head?

 

[garfield15]

Stan Lee so totally needs to Hulk out in the next film. Maybe as a 'Grey Hulk'?

A great film and it was nice to see so many cameos.

4/5

Oh God yes

 

[Caswin]

I'll post my full review later, but PLEASE tell me I wasn't the only one who caught the obvious nod to The Leader with the obvious dripping of the blood on the head?

You weren't.

My turn: Did anybody else get confused and think that was Mr. Blue at first smiling and starting to transform? Or was that just me?

 

[BonyT]

I'll post my full review later, but PLEASE tell me I wasn't the only one who caught the obvious nod to The Leader with the obvious dripping of the blood on the head?

Dude, I don't even know the Hulk's comic mythos very well (and didn't know the Leader's name in fact), but even I said to one of my buddies after the movie, "Hey, isn't there some guy who took a shot of gamma and got a really big brain instead of muscles? I guess maybe that was him, huh?"

I don't have time to post much either right now, but let me just say that since Marvel started their own production company to have more control over these movies, they're two-for-two on just knocking the ball out of the park with really great films. I also love the little interconnecting scenes they're throwing in, leading to the inevitable Avengers film. Wish DC was doing something this comprehensive this well, leading to a Justice League movie.

Btw, am I the only one who had the thought, when Banner was first communicating with Mr. Blue, "Hmm, I wonder if there's a chance Blue is Hank/Beast from the X-Men?"

 

[M.O.D.O.K.]

Btw, am I the only one who had the thought, when Banner was first communicating with Mr. Blue, "Hmm, I wonder if there's a chance Blue is Hank/Beast from the X-Men?"

Actually for some strange reason, I thought that was going to be Betty, helping him from behind the scenes. Liked the twist with Sterns.

Also, since this and Iron Man are in the same universe, I wonder if they are more Stan Lees running along. Or I'm thinking about it too much. Or one of them is a Skrull.

Anyways, excellent movie.

5/5

 

[Hanshotfirst1138]

Did anyone else feel like they basically watched a two-hour trailer for the Avengers movie ?

 

[Stu]

Absoloutly brilliant film. It pretty much hit all the notes a good Hulk movie needs to and got the main bulk of it right - Banner's conflict with the creature inside him, which among many other things, was sorely missed from the 2003 movie.

It was great seeing all the nods to the past incarnations of Hulk and such, but even better that they all worked in the context of the story. It was especially nice seeing the legendary portrayal of David Banner from the late Bill Bixby make it's way into the show.

I hope the movie does really well - I can't express how interested I am in seeing the direction this character takes, especially after that wonderfully creepy ending.

This was the Hulk I've always wanted to see - like last month's Iron Man, they've arguably made the character more interesting than he's ever been, beyond just having him smash.

Absoloutly incredible.

 

[KYO'NYUU IMOUTO]

Did anyone else feel like they basically watched a two-hour trailer for the Avengers movie ?

I felt like it was basically a 112 minute crossover issue.

 

[The Overlord]

I felt like it was basically a 112 minute crossover issue.

Is that really a bad thing though?

 

[KYO'NYUU IMOUTO]

Is that really a bad thing though?

Ah, you assume I insinuated it was, but ye assume wrong young grasshopper. Crossovers in the sense that this motion picture conducted itself in work well because while the universe is quite big the story is all about that even in which the one man and his struggles are the center of the universe.

 

[ShadowGUN]

Just got back from seeing it. It was incredible. Love the acting. Love the action scenes. Love cameos. This is what the first movie should have been. The fight between the Hulk and the Abomination was epic. Gotta say I didn't saw the Leader being Mr. Blue coming. Again love the movie. Hope the sequel and the Avenger movie are just as good.

 

[Hanshotfirst1138]

Incredible, No. Fun? Yeah.​

So, is Marvel two for two? Yes and no. After their spectacular Iron Man became one of the best comic book superhero films ever, there was bound to be a lot riding on The Incredible Hulk, their follow-up. So, does it measure up to Iron Man? No. It’s really that simple. But it’s not too bad. Joining the likes of Superman II and V for Vendetta or Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns (It’s not that bad blast it! It’s not I say!), The Incredible Hulk is a second-rank superhero adventure, but it has a lot of fun being just that.

Following Ang Lee’s (perhaps unfairly) reviled “psychodrama with a superhero,” The Incredible Hulk takes the smash’em-up route. That means less contemplation of what it means to be human, more destruction of everything and anything. Director Louis Leterrier, of the Transporter franchise, gets his comic-book on, culminating in a battle between the Hulk and his nemesis the Abomination, and with another twist at the end, suggesting that all that I basically watched was a two-hour trailer for The Avengers movie. Following the format the classic TV series (with a great cameo from Mr. Ferrigno himself), the film begins with Banner hiding out in a Brazilian favella working at a bottling plant, before the most contrived and frankly idiotic plot twist in the history of motion pictures puts General Ross (a delightfully campy William Hurt) on his trail, bringing with him Tim Roth’s Neil Blonsky. Ah, nothing like a classically-trained English thespian hamming it up to brighten up a comic-book flick! Blonsky, of course, is the other villain of the piece, the one who will eventually become the Abomination, the green giant’s foe. But first, he has to be injected with the Super-Soldier formula to set up for the Captain America movie.

Leterrier’s action sequences primarily consist of three big set pieces. The first is a parkour chase through a Brazilian Favella, culminating in Banner’s first transformation, a scene that, while a touch frenetic has a handful of great touches, with the Hulk working as a presence, lit in almost satanic shadows, dark and atmospheric. The second and best is a showdown in a college campus, with the Hulk taking on a Super-Soldier formula-enhanced Blonsky in a spectacular display of acrobatics and duking it out with the Army. The third and final set piece is the biggest, but unfortunately, the most disappointing. Hulk’s square-off with the Abomination in the streets has its moments, but it’s far too reminiscent of the showdowns that finished Iron Man and Michael Bay’s Transformers, and like them, it feel too chaotic and frenetic for its own good. With the Hulk and the Abomination both handing onto the bottom of a helicopter, followed by their tussling with the Ross pair standing and watching, recalls the wretched excesses of Van Helsing and the dinosaur stampede sequence in Peter Jackson’s King Kong. It’s a Stephen Sommers/Michael Bay-esque aesthetic that’s far too chaotic for its own good. Still, two out of three ain’t bad.

The cast is a mixed bag. Norton, still evidently channeling his world-weary protagonist from David Fincher’s Fight Club, is a reasonable lead, tortured, though he at times seems to look a touch….bored. Liv Tyler, gorgeous as ever, is also wooden as can be, and with a central relationship so important, much of Zak Penn’s often-clunky dialogue feels unwieldy and uneasily reminiscent of Spider-Man 3’s awful soap-opera histrionics. Hurt and Roth, though, are simply delights, campy, scenery-chewing villains that are clearly having a blast. Tim-Blake Nelson seems to have taken way too much of something for his role as the weirdo mad scientist, but he’s got his funny moments, even his inclusion is primarily predicated on sequel potential. And then there’s the big guy himself, the man of the hour. Handled this time by Rhythm and Hues, the Hulk himself is really imbued with a sense of humanity, particularly in a great sequence with Tyler in the rain, with an expressive face and a powerful presence. Their work is genuinely spectacular all around, with breathtaking special effects and dazzling action, though the Hulk himself still can't help but look somewhat artificial.


Leterrier cites horror films as influences on his direction, as did Stan Lee, who mentioned Jekyll and Hyde and Frankenstein’s monster as his inspiration. There’s a good sense of pathos in much of the film, especially with the pulse-counting wristwatch that Banner wears (vaguely reminiscent of the pulse rifle sensors in Cameron’s Aliens), but there’s a certain lack of tension throughout much of it, with little sense of urgency to Banner’s running from one place to the next. The film really strives and succeeds at making the Hulk himself more than a special effect, the Jekyll and Hyde effect of Banner constantly trying to fight with his inner demons like a drug addict, while not as rich as it could be, make for some nice allegorical implications all the same. Clearly, Leterrier learned a few things about the wild energy of making a movie from Hong Kong master Corey Yuen Kwai, and he doesn’t have the great inventiveness of so many of HK’s masters, he has their zeal. Leterrier’s direction may be a touch schizophrenic at times, but he acquits himself well enough.

Overall, while it doesn’t quite live up to it’s title (unlike another superhero film a few years ago with a similar moniker that did), there’s still plenty on display to like in The Incredible Hulk. It feels a bit like the respective first installments of the Spider-Man and X-Men franchises, Tim Burton’s Batman and Batman Returns, or Sam Raimi’s Darkman, all flawed but fun, still getting its feet wet. Though The Incredible Hulk is not quite in their league, it’s still miles above the likes of Elektra. As a reboot, it’s a bit shaky, but there’s lots of potential on display. A drama-lover like me might be a bit disappointed at the lack of darkness and overall emotion compared to the better comic book adaptations, but for those bored of the ponderous seriousness of so many superheroics today, it’ll be a welcome breath of fresh air. After all, Marvel already tried a more serious Hulk film. I whined about that one too. So maybe I should shut up. Cheesy? Yeah, but hey, the director’s French, and let’s face it, they’re known for their cheese. Art? Nah. Top-notch storytelling? Nope. A masterpiece? No way. Incredible? Sorry, un-un. Fun. Oh hell yeah. After Iron Man, pretty much anything would be regarded as a comedown, but The Incredible Hulk isn’t the disaster that I feared it could be. Marvel are on a good streak lately, and from the looks of Iron Man and Hulk, it’s only going to get better. Your move DC.

 

[Movie06]

I just got back from the seeing the film and I have to tell you that this was the Hulk movie I've been wanting to see and to me, it lived up to its title.

 

[Captain Highwind]

I'm really enjoying the continuity between the movies, and it still surprises me that they're going through with it all...DC's probably pissed. ^^

I really hope the Captain America movie isn't going to be a parody like I've been hearing since they really have a good thing going.

I had to walk out during most of the battle at the end because the chairs were killing me, so now I have an excuse to rent this one too. But for the most part I enjoyed it, which also surpises me because I absolutely hated the first movie and could not finish watching it. Taking away those comic panel transitions did wonders for the franchise.

 

[Nightwing]

Well! I'm glad there are more replies to this thread! This was a fun movie that did its job to give Hulk a restart well, and deserves to make some green.

IMO that was an exchange. He gave General Ross the sample he wanted from Banner. Ross has no need to chase him anymore.

That's actually one of the ending thread ties I MAY not like, because this movie gives a LARGE respectable nod to the 70s show, where we feel for Bruce as an outsider with a monster inside him. He's hated and CHASED, but we feel for him because we know it's not his fault. With the above quote it feels like some of that burden is lifted, if not all.

Yea i was thinking Mr. Fantastic or Beast but knew the chances of either one of those were slim to none because of their involvement with other franchises.

Someone else mentioned Beast too but I wouldn't even let that enter my mind. With X-Men already having it's movie locomotive a long way down the track already I wouldn't think they'd pull Hank in here. Besides, in X-3 they did a good job portraying him but he was a Mister instead of a Doctor.

Right before I entered the theater the ushers were handing out surveys. Half to be filled out before and half after. After the movie when they collected them we all got a nice Hulk poster for free. First time Ive seen a survey done.

That is the weirdest thing I have ever heard being done in a theater, and I'm super jealous the ones near me don't do the same. I would have loved a poster!

It was all right, but it was no Iron Man or Spider Man. Maybe its because the Hulk himself doesn't appeal to me. The ideas of beauty & the best and the misunderstood monster are classic themes but, of course, not new. ....I thought Banner was portrayed well, but he was always the man on the run.

I'm in the boat where we don't necessarily need a sequel, but this gave us a nice Hulk anchor point for future movies, like The Avengers, but the super fueled anger and actually DOING something about it, along with feeling bad for Bruce Banner is what Hulk is about! I think that draws people to the franchise plenty. It really hits me how he has to always be on the run by himself, with absolutely no one.

I think part of the problem was that audiences didn't get that this movie was NOT a sequel to the 2003 movie.

I don't really see a problem. It could make sense to a less informed viewer either way. As a superhero guy, I knew enough to know it was more of a revamp, if for no other reason than the beginning scequences were very remeniscent of the 70s live action show. If others don't I don't see a possibility for confusion, except if said viewers wonder about the lack of the elaborate childhood trauma Bruce had from the 2003 movie.

After their spectacular Iron Man became one of the best comic book superhero films ever....

Kay! I loved Iron Man but your review has lost me so far.

....there was bound to be a lot riding on The Incredible Hulk, their follow-up. So, does it measure up to Iron Man? No. It’s really that simple.

Lost me a bit more there. I wouldn't go THAT far on the negative side of the scale. The Ang Lee film tried to hard. This one had to dumb it down, and I think it did just enough for it to be a backdoor pilot for future Hulk fun and more specifically some Avengers plans.

.....or Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns (It’s not that bad blast it! It’s not I say!)

And heeeee's OUTA THERE! Totally lost! OUT of the park: a grand slam home run that will clearly DESTROY the windshield of an unsuspecting parked car!

I also think The Abomination fight was the best in the movie. It showed fast paced action you could feel, along with a threat that was very real, even for the Incredible Hulk's standards, because this monster was not only stronger, but had the competent and cunning mind of a power hungry jerk with a soldier's training.

What I forgot to mention was the taste of trailers I got. I'm really looking forward to HAMLET 2 the most, but HELLBOY 2 has to be the best trailer I've seen. The TV spots are awesome, but they don't compare to the trailer I saw in the theater.

 

[Hanshotfirst1138]

I also think The Abomination fight was the best in the movie. It showed fast paced action you could feel, along with a threat that was very real, even for the Incredible Hulk's standards, because this monster was not only stronger, but had the competent and cunning mind of a power hungry jerk with a soldier's training.

I just didn't think that it conveyed that well. There was just too much hyperactive smashing on display. The two hanging on the helicopter is the most wretchedly excessive sequence I've seen since the dinosaur stampede in Peter Jackson's King Kong (though I haven't seen Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull yet), and the smashing of the ground and the tossing of the big chain into the air was just too much for me. It was great to see the Hulk's vulnerability when he bled, and the "car fists" idea was cool (if recycled from the "doors as shields" earlier in the movie), but as with the cluttered scenes in Iron Man and Transformers, I just felt that, in plain English, there was just too much stuff going on. The actual dynamic between the two beasts was great though, especially with Blonsky's mind retained, as you said.

What I forgot to mention was the taste of trailers I got. I'm really looking forward to HAMLET 2 the most, but HELLBOY 2 has to be the best trailer I've seen. The TV spots are awesome, but they don't compare to the trailer I saw in the theater.

Duh. Hellboy II is going to be all shades of awesome .

 

[Nightwing]

There was just too much hyperactive smashing on display. The two hanging on the helicopter is the most wretchedly excessive sequence I've seen since the dinosaur stampede in Peter Jackson's King Kong (though I haven't seen Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull yet), and the smashing of the ground and the tossing of the big chain into the air was just too much for me.

I guess I can consider myself more fortunate. See, with the helicopter scene, the first thing I thought of was the equally heart pumping helicopter scene from Superman Doomsday.

 

[Hanshotfirst1138]

I guess I can consider myself more fortunate. See, with the helicopter scene, the first thing I thought of was the equally heart pumping helicopter scene from Superman Doomsday.

Why do I not remember that . Gotta watch that again.

 

[DarkKnight]

...i actually thought this movie handled it's cgi action sequences with a lot more taste than most recent action movies do. nothing really seemed too over the top or ridiculous like a lot of movies that seem to go out of their way to throw the cgi in your face.

 

[Hanshotfirst1138]

Was the Hulk's face modeled on Norton? It was incredibly expressive, but I wasn't sure if it was Norton that they'd attempted to capture. Also, am I correct in thinking that Blonsky was first given the Super Soldier formula (rather than Gamma), and THEN the Gamma stuff to become the Abomination?