The Incredible Hulk

The Incredible Hulk seemingly starts off right where "Hulk," the 2003 movie, ended. However, this movie is not a sequel; this movie was made in an attempt to erase the damage that Ang Lee had done to the Hulk's name, as well as to start a new Incredible Hulk movie series. It was #1 at the box-office on opening weekend, but seriously, is that still indicative of quality? This movie really filled me with mixed emotions. I didn't like how the opening credits serve as a fractured, shallow backstory, abruptly ending and shoving you into the movie slightly disoriented, but my main issue with this movie was the fact that it's hard to feel an emotional connection with any character here.

Obviously they spent a lot of money casting all those big names, but to me it didn't really pay off. Edward Norton was good, but that's all I find myself able to say about him, which is a far cry from his usual work. This movie was supposed to be about the inner-turmoil that Bruce Banner feels about what's inside of him, yet Norton did little in the way of portraying that besides telling us that he "want(s) it out." William Hurt, a fantastic actor, was probably not the right choice for General Ross. He can yell, yes, and he sports a fantastic mustache, but he just couldn't summon that cold, detached look that General Ross SHOULD have. Liv Tyler (Betty Ross) is a bad choice for almost any movie. So the cast, while looking good, falls short of expectations. Further, this movie was somewhat unrealistic, even for a comic book movie. For God's sake, Blonsky, the British Marine hired to hunt down Banner in Brazil, had at least 3 shots to peg him with a tranq dart, yet took none of them, while his generic American military back-up men quickly out-shined him, utilizing every chance they could get to shoot at Banner. Also, while Banner was a fugitive in America, Betty Ross and he decided it would be alright to walk through the college campus that Ross works for, exactly where the military is watching for him, allllllll the way to the public bus station. Guess how good of an idea that was. Possible spoiler alert, but at the end of the Hulk's fight with the Abomination (Blonsky), he just gives up. The stronger, bigger, more intense monster decides he's not as good as the Hulk and just gives up. It's just dumb little things like these that make this movie less enjoyable. However, if you're going to see this expecting only a decent comic book action movie, you might actually be satisfied.