The Incredible Hulk'

Overall Impressions:
So, being a fan of the character, being a fan of the comic books (it was the 1st series that I actually bought), being a fan of the TV series (& that piano piece at the end of each episode), being even a fan of the Ang Lee film of 2003, what can I say?

Well, I think it's mandatory to say it was 'incredible' and then change the context to positive or negative based on the context I use it in. Throwing in the word 'smashing' gives me extra points. So I'll throw in a little story that covers this: My friend and colleague did send me a quick blank mail on the Monday after I saw this (twice) with subject line, "What did you think of Incredible Hulk?", I instantly replied "Smashing", he replied back with you've waited all weekend to say that haven't you? ... He wasn't wrong :-P

Moving on to the film, in a nutshell it was pretty damned good, but not quite perfect. If you were disappointed by Ang Lee's Hulk, this one is pretty much made for you, it's all about the chase, Dr. Banners' search for a cure while being hunted by the authorities, while a villain is practically being built to fight him.

The pacing is good, it does crack on with the story without spending too much time messing about, which is good, the revelation of Mr. Blues' actual identity was interesting. For a moment I did wonder if it could be Beast of the X-men, which too would have been cool. (not quite spoiler: it isn't him).

A major issue I think the film has is that it does all seem to be a lead up to the one final showdown, which I have to say, though visually spectacular, logically was a bit of a let-down. It begs a number of questions a) why would you do that? (the jump from the helicopter that you see in the trailer) b) why did the fight end? c) how is this a resolved issue?

The issue here being the lead-up is a lot more fun and better explained than the last 15 minutes. This is me being objective about it. This said, I'm a Hulk fan-boy. I absolutely loved it. After whatever else I have been watching at the multiplex, I must have sneaked into the last 15-20 minutes of this film about 10 times by now & I still love the final showdown .. I totally still get goosebumps when I see him ripping a car in half, and oh the ''Hulk Smash" moment. Ohhh man!! Fricking Awesome!!

Ok, back to objective-mode. The performances don't blow you away, but you're not really there for the acting are you? Ed Norton is a well-seasoned actor & doesn't have to stretch himself too much ;-), Liv Tyler looks lovely & cries on cue, while Tim Roth looks pretty mean. If I was to add who impressed me most, I'd probably have to turn to William Hurt, he came off more like General Ross & not a bumbling fool. As said above, they all do what they have to do.

As a plus I have to say the little cameos and referencing to prior hulk material was better placed than usual. There's no denying Lou Ferrigno is still pretty big & intimidating, having him in this light was spot on. Catching Bill Bixby on TV was a nice touch, even Stan Lee's little cameo was well-placed.

I can say to you that if you loved Iron Man, you may feel a little let down by this, that was a well polished film, this is still a bit rough on the edges. Iron Man in recent times is over-shadowing it a bit. In an ideal world if they were released the other way round, there would be less disappointment all-round I think. Ah well.

Delivers the thrill of a chase, the quest for a cure, a bad-ass villain and of course ample SMASH from the big green. This said, it's not perfect, but there is still hope. That's right.. here's hoping the deleted 70 minutes of footage that they deleted will make it onto the DVD and make it only a better experience.