The Incredible Hulk (2008)
The Incredible Hulk (2008) 7/10
I’m probably in the minority, but i loved Ang Lee’s original version of the Hulk (Hulk 1). But apparently, the fans don’t agree and Marvel decided to reboot the franchise with the 2008 version called The Incredible Hulk (Hulk 2). The best thing about Hulk 2 is that it stars Edward Norton as Bruce Banner. Not only is Norton one of the most versatile actors of his generation, he also happens to be one of my favorite actors so his presence is very much welcome. Hulk 2 is in many way the antithesis of Ang Lee’s original Hulk 1. Whereas in Hulk 1, the green monster does not appear until well into the one hour mark, Hulk 2 brings on snippets of the Hulk in the very first scene. Hulk 1 was character driven drama; Hulk 2 is adrenaline infused action movie. And both of them are very good films.
Hulk 2 actually starts with a very good opening. The opening set in Brazil makes full use of the scenic vista offered by the favelas and Edward Norton does a mix of The Fugitive, The Running Man and The Bourne Ultimatum to cap off an excellent first act. The film sags abit however, when Norton’s character goes back to meet love interest Elizabeth Ross, played by Liv Tyler. Although Tyler is excellent eye candy and a decent actress, the problem is that the characters given have no back story and the supposed romance fizzles because of the lack of chemistry. Norton is great, but it takes two to clap and the Norton-Tyler pairing feels lacklustre. In contrast, although Eric Bana as the Hulk in Ang Lee’s orginal version does not have the screen charisma of Norton, he is paired with the excellent Jennifer Connelly as his love interest and the plot in Hulk 1 gave their characters far more depth and pathos.
Actionwise, the improvements in CGI are obvious and the action scenes are crafted with more fluidity. Most importantly, Hulk looks better in this second version with more believable movements and facial expressions. But although the Hulk’s action sequence is better compared to the original, the fact remains that the Hulk is eclipsed by Norton as Banner. The film is far more compelling when Norton is onscreen whereas the Hulk persona feels like the loud and not so interesting alter-ego of the film. Scenes between the Hulk and Liv Tyler lack the emotional power that was present in HULK 1.
Still, Hulk 2 should be judged by what it set out to do, which is to deliver a fast paced action vehicle. By that count, it succeeds as the big green monster hurtles through action scene after action scene with nary a pause. It is every bit the loud, crowd-pleasing summer blockbuster it wants to be, even though it sacrifices the depth and pathos of the original Ang Lee version. However, one limitation with such an approach is that if all Hulk aspires to be is mindless popcorn entertainment, it will only be a good film but not a masterpiece. Already, films like The Dark Knight and to a lesser extent Iron Man has raised the bar for superhero films and they have shown that the genre can transcend itself and become not just a good film but a masterpiece. Compared to the original, i’ll say that the new incarnation of the Hulk is just as enjoyable, but there is still much room for improvement. If it was up to me, my dream team would be to get Christopher Nolan/Ang Lee/ Darren Aronofsky/ David Fincher as director and cast Edward Norton and Jennifer Connelly as the leads. Now that would be a movie to really look forward to.
