Movies

The Incredible Hulk Review

Scientist Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) desperately searches for a cure for the gamma radiation to which he was exposed in a scientific experiment. Meanwhile, the General (William Hurt) who funded the experiment, pursues Banner, hoping to extract the technology to create his own force of super-soldiers. One of his tools to apprehend Banner is Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth), a special forces soldier. Banner hides from the woman he loves, Betty Ross (Liv Tyler), mainly to keep her safe from the General. After Banner eludes Blonsky in Brazil, Blonsky undergoes some medical techniques to make him faster and stronger. Every injection makes him stronger and faster until finally his DNA is altered and turns into the Abomination. This sets the scene for a final showdown between the two in an epic 20 minute battle royale.

 

All in all, this movie is an excellent superhero movie. It is far better than Ang Lee’s version from a few years back. The special effects are first rate and Norton’s portrayal of Banner is strikingly similar to Bill Bixby’s tortured TV version two decades ago. His slight frame is an excellent contrast to the 10 foot tall force known as the Hulk. Indeed, the writers used a lot of material from the TV show, bringing in Lou Ferrigno for a cameo, as well as the famous line, “You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.” Marvel also used the haunting theme from TV’s Hulk several times. They also draw on comic lore, using the Abomination (and possibly the Leader in a future movie), sonic cannons and of course, “Hulk Smash!”

 

Marvel Studios, the brains behind this incarnation of the Hulk, use the movie as a platform to launch at least one, and maybe two superhero series, with allusions to Captain America and the Avengers, by having a cameo with Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark.