Incredible Hulk

Starring: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, and Tim Roth

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Release Date: 06/13/2008

Runtime: 114 minutes

Director: Louis Leterrier

Synopsis:

"The Incredible Hulk" kicks off an all-new, explosive and action-packed epic of one of the most popular superheroes of all time. In this new beginning, scientist Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) desperately hunts for a cure to the gamma radiation that poisoned his cells and unleashes the unbridled force of rage within him: The Hulk.

Living in the shadows--cut off from a life he knew and the woman he loves, Betty Ross (Liv Tyler)--Banner struggles to avoid the obsessive pursuit of his nemesis, General Thunderbolt Ross (William Hurt), and the military machinery that seeks to capture him and brutally exploit his power. As all three grapple with the secrets that led to The Hulk's creation, they are confronted with a monstrous new adversary known as The Abomination (Tim Roth), whose destructive strength exceeds even The Hulk's own. And on June 13, 2008, one scientist must make an agonizing final choice: accept a peaceful life as Bruce Banner or find heroism in the creature he holds inside--The Incredible Hulk.

CMC Review: Written by Aaron Rodriguez

Fairly unimpressive. Living in the slums of Brazil, David Banner (Edward Norton) cloaks himself from the ever-expanding intelligence of the U.S. government. This molecular research scientist works diligently to develop a cure that seeks to suppress the Hulk in him. Of course, Banner has learned to watch his back and cover his tracks, but nobody is perfect. Banner gets a little sloppy, and eventually his secret location becomes, well, not so secret. This prompts General Ross (William Hurt) to assemble an elite military combat unit in order to attain and weaponize Banner's DNA to create super-soldiers for the U.S. military.

This film appears to ignore The Hulk (2003) version of the story entirely with one subtle exception of Hulk's general physique and stature. What's not so subtle, on the other hand, is the difference between the two films concerning Hulk's abilities. In Hulk (2003), the Hulk made effortless mile-long leaps and drew incredible strength from his virtually unlimited pool of anger. In the Incredible Hulk (2008), however, leaping doesn't come quite so easily, and there is no indication that the Hulk gains any strength from his endless abyss of anger. Another point worth noting is that the mechanism for Banner's green transformation isn't limited to anger. Instead, his Hulk evolution begins when his heart rate exceeds 200 beats per minute, which I found sort of odd. It really doesn't jive. Anger alone couldn't get the heart racing quite that fast unless one was angry while exercising, which brings us to the next problem. While fleeing from commandos, Banner takes short recess breaks, hiding in dark shadowy areas, in order to keep his heart rate within desirable limits. Thank goodness Banner can create a large enough lead on his expertly trained and insanely disciplined enemies that he can afford to take some down time to recuperate!!! And apparently girlfriend, Betty Ross, is some catch because Banner's heart nears 200 bpm when getting intimate!!!

There were a few other smaller problems as well like Hulk's physical size varying throughout the movie. For instance, during the epic battle scene at the college campus, the Hulk appeared to be at least 10 to 11 feet tall, but during the cave sequence with Betty Ross, he appeared a mere 7 to 8 feet. And most distracting is the Hulk's increased ability to phonate grunts and speak in low, animalistic tones. Not only was it distracting, but it was overly repetitive and left the viewer feeling a little awkward.

Differences aside, the plot was poor, the script and acting was average at best, and it required the viewer to suspend any sense of realism even beyond what Sci-Fi films generally require! To start, there didn't seem to be any chain of command concerning General Ross' authority. He made executive decisions unilaterally, didn't appear at all concerned about taking a military battle into very public places, nor did he consult or work in concert with any other governmental agencies. Also, Banner's nemesis, a British mercinary loaned to the U.S. military, is given multiple injections of a super-enhanced power-increasing serum in order to "even out the playing field." However, there wasn't a second thought that this might not be a good idea and may very well re-create the same problem they were attempting to remedy by capturing the Hulk.

On a more positive note, the special effects were excellent as expected. The Hulk looked more realistic with the aid of better computer imaging. Even his darker green color seemed to fare better than the lime green color of the earlier version. Also, David Banner takes active measures to control his temper, and is willing to risk his life to neutralize a threat more dangerous than the Hulk. As the movie nears the end, something interesting happens that makes one reasonably anticipate a sequel, but I will not disclose it here. Let's just say there may be a league of heroes dispatched in the future.

Overall CMC Rating: 74/100

• Entertainment Value: 25/35
• Violence: 7/15
• Language: 15/20
• Sexual Content: 18/20
• Drugs and Alcohol: 9/10