Check Out the Trailer

Having liked the Ang Lee version of the HULK, I had trepidations going into this reboot of the franchise for one major reason. Would Marvel sink to the level of pandering to a juvenile section of the audience who just want to see Hulk smash stuff real good? Nothing in the trailer made me think otherwise. What I got in the end, however, was another character-based superhero saga that honors the original source without indulging in the desires of the lowest common denominator. And Hulk smashed stuff real good too.

Over the opening credits we get a quick recap of the origin of the Hulk, which skillfully walks the line for those who liked Lee’s HULK and those who hated it. The other HULK’s existence is up to the viewer now. As we catch up with Bruce Banner (Edward Norton, FIGHT CLUB) he’s on the run in Brazil. Working with a secret partner in the States, he is looking for a cure for his rage problem, which transforms him into the big green guy. Gen. “Thunderbolt” Ross (William Hurt, KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN) is determined to find him, believing that Banner’s body is the property of the U.S. military. He enlists ruthless soldier Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth, PULP FICTION) in the effort. His pursuit of Banner has estranged him from his scientist daughter Dr. Betty Ross (Liv Tyler, LORD OF THE RINGS), who is in love with Banner. When he is found in Brazil, the Hulk emerges and Blonsky becomes drunk with the idea of gaining that same power.

As I sat in the theater and the tension built to Banner’s first transformation into the Hulk, I flashed back to when I was eight, watching the TV series starring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno (who both get cameos in the film). That eight-year-old was always intrigued with the way Bruce helped new people each week, but was always eagerly awaiting the moment when Bruce hulked out and kicked the bad guys butt. That same excitement fills director Louis Leterrier’s film. As a comic book fan since childhood, it’s exciting to see the Marvel universe unfolding on the big screen with characters coming in from other franchises. Fans will really love the last cameo of the film and can guess the villain for a possible sequel with the appearance of Tim Blake Nelson (O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?) as Samuel Sterns, who in the comics becomes Hulk’s arch-nemesis The Leader. While purists will find issue with something, most viewers will find that the film keeps alive the spirit of the Hulk that everyone knows.

While I will admit that the plot is fairly straightforward and the film doesn’t have the same smarts and wit as IRON MAN, I’m giving this film three-and-a-half-stars as encouragement. Marvel has now produced two wonderful films based on their properties. They are a company built on characters and they’ve shown they can deliver fun entertainment based around those compelling characters. While its too early to call them the superhero equivalent to Pixar, they have the potential to be just that. They have found the right talent both behind the camera and in front to make their “kids” stuff into something that doesn’t talk down to any section of their audience even when they are making a film for fans who want to see Hulk smash. Now that’s impressive.