Movie review 1: The incredible, incredible hulk

Title: The Incredible Hulk

Running Time 1 hour 54 minutes

Director: Louis Leterrier

Genre: Action, Fantasy, Sci-Fi

For starters, if you did not know already, this is NOT Incredible Hulk 2. It is not a continuation of The Incredible Hulk movie which was on cinema in year 2003. Apparently, The Incredible Hulk (2003) had a rather ‘lackluster reception’.
Thus, the movie makers decided to rewrap and remake the whole movie series again to better suit the audience taste, just like the Batman series. Wipe the slate clean and start all over again. To that, I must applaud their effort. The resulting movie is way much better than its predecessor. One of the several points I like about this movie is its apparent rather brief introduction to the events leading to the creation of the Hulk. While some might find this rather appalling, I prefer this summarized introduction to the movie. To be fair, it is somewhat wrong to assume that everyone who watches this movie knows about the history of Incredible Hulk. However, even if you stayed in another planet and had no idea who the Incredible Hulk is, you’ll still be able to follow the movie without much difficulty; although you might have some problem at the early stages.
Anyway, back to the movie itself, the movie unfolds itself quite well. Ignoring the quite confusing (for those who know nothing about Incredible Hulk’s history) at the beginning; the movie starts of with Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) as a fugitive. Edward Norton’s small built is a sharp contrast to the green behemoth and he is able to play out the character quite well. However, his facial emotions could use some improvements. He reminds me of Keanu Reeves sometimes wooden expressions. Maybe it’s due to Edward’s attempt to portray the character’s effort to distance himself from all kinds of emotions? Anyway, he is a rather enjoyable character and I’m glad he is chosen for Bruce Banner’s character.
The Hulk itself is also brilliantly displayed. I am no experts in 3D animation and effects, but it is a rather convincing monster. I can really feel anger seething out from him with his green-eyed stares and heart wrenching howls.
The love chemistry between Edward Norton and Liv Tyler, however is a little bit… well, cold. But some might argue that it is purposely done since both of them cannot do anything more intimate than a peck on the cheek in order to prevent Bruce’s darker side from awakening. Liv Tyler’s portrayal of Betty Ross, Bruce’s flame is okay, but not stunning. As in her character of Arwen in LOTR, there seems to be a lack of passionate fires in her relationships. Her act as an angry woman is quite comical (and it was intended to be) and that was one of the few rare comical moments available in the movie. In general, this movie is a more serious type and comical moments will not be suitable with its theme.
Tim Roth’s portrayal of Emil Blonsky, Hulk’s arch enemy left much to be desired. First of all, his hatred for Bruce seems somewhat diluted. Although he is easily identifiable to be the final boss enemy, he does not seem imposing at all. He is rather unconvincing as a “special professional”, a KGB agent and spy who receives heap of praises from his superiors.
The battles were also quite astounding. However, the final battle between the Hulk and the Abomination (that is really its name) lacks some sort of adrenaline pumping actions. Maybe it’s because both of them are computer generated and thus their punches and kicks does not seem to be… well, destructive enough.
In conclusion, although this movie would not remain in the minds of moviegoers for a long time, it is still an enjoyable movie (unless you hate violence). So, if you have nothing better to do and is mulling over which movie to watch, you can safely choose The Incredible Hulk.

Observation: The Americans build their buildings with extremely high safety factors because the roof did not break even though the Hulk was jumping around…

Bottomline: An enjoyable movie for those who love this kind of genre.

Bamboo Ranking: 3.5 / 5.0