Review: The Incredible Hulk

Features | June 23rd, 2008 by Staggs

Enjoy Reading!

If you liked this story please show your support by subscribing to the What's Leet? RSS Feed.

Directed by: Louis Leterrier
Written by: Zak Penn
Genre: Action
Length/Rating: 114 minutes, PG-13
Leet Factor: Leet Rating

Almost a month ago we posted about how insanely cool Universal’s “The Incredible Hulk” looked based on the trailer. We were impressed then, and we were impressed by “wow” factor that the movie actually brought to the screen. The beginning is somewhat slow, and having no knowledge of any Hulk comic, or previous movie (Hulk, Ang Lee 2003) you’d be lost figuring out the character of Dr. Bruce Banner, a.k.a. Hulk.

First thing’s first: Action is definitely fantastic. The movie uses CGI wonderfully in creating intense action-sequence and definite “Oh Shit!” moments throughout the movie. First revealing the Hulk, and watching the monster’s destruction induced several “That thing is so freaking jacked!” The monster looks believable, and the animations of the Hulk flexing and using muscles was really amazing; one thing was odd was that the Hulk’s head was oddly small. Another gripe of the actual monster is that its size seemed to vary in comparison to humans and other objects. In one shot he would be big compared to a person, and another shot he would look huge compared to a person. It was inconsistant and noticable. But, this was just some observation.

Furthermore, the movie wasn’t over the top. There was nothing they overdid, which is common with such CGI-enhanced movies. The sequences were plentiful and entertaining while they didn’t engulf the entire movie in endless battles and pointless desctruction (as much as we love that, too). On the contrary, the movie lacked some essential aspects that made me feel the movie was empty.

The main problem was that the characterizations seemed to have been based on the viewer’s assuming that we know the material. We’re somewhat required to know how the Hulk was created, as well as know how the characters are supposed to act. The movie sticks to the original comic created by Marvel. However, the movie’s conflicts seemed to be inadequate or ineffective until the final scenes of the movie, where the previous conflicts simply don’t matter, and its almost as if the movie is already its own sequel.

The above is a lot to chew on. We can start with Dr. Banner, and his relation to his “alter ego” the Hulk. There is none. The movie makes a very poor connection between Dr. Banner and him turning into the Hulk; the only offering for the explanation is that his alteration is simply not himself, but a mind of its own. This was uninteresting, and left the plot feel, as I said earlier empty.

Another point that takes the shallowness into account is that the movie has one enemy, the military and General Ross who goes after the Hulk. This is great, but then the movie introduces another enemy, and we forget about the military which doesn’t even matter at the end of the movie. My reaction, they introduced the actual foe too late in the movie. It really just made me feel like a whole different movie was occuring at the end. Was The Incredible Hulk its own sequel?

Overall, the movie was good. I loved the action and the characters. Edward Norton as Dr. Banner is great. He plays a wonderful contrasting character as a calm and simple man to the angry behemoth of the Hulk. The story and sequence of events needed some work to make it more enjoyable, or more conflict depth. The movie was filled with sweet noise and is worth seeing it in a theatre for the “loudness” effect if you don’t have a home theater or surround sound. Thats why we see movies in the theater, right? We do it for the experience, and this movie is worth experiencing at the theater.