Solar Flare: Science Fiction News

I got the opportunity to watch the Incredible Hulk over the 4th of July weekend and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. In many ways this movie is a complete contrast to the 2003 Ang Lee Hulk movie. Where as Hulk was a character movie with some action sequences, The Incredible Hulk is almost exclusively on the action with just enough character moments to keep the story moving forward.

From the opening sequence which hurriedly gives us the origin of the Hulk, through the early segments in Brazil (which make excellent use of the crowded and colorful setting) we are barely given a moment to breath as Banner is chased until he has nowhere else to run and the inevitable happens.

It has been reported that a significant amount of footage was cut from the theatrical release of The Incredible Hulk (as much as 70 minutes perhaps) and I did notice a few awkward cuts. However the movie still runs for most of 2 hours and honestly I don’t see any way that audiences would have gone for the full length movie. I am very curious to see it on DVD though.
Image by tim ellis via Flickr
While this movie is really no more faithful to the comic than its predecessor it captures the spirit of both the comics and the TV series very effectively. From little touches like the use of the Weapon X program, through to the role of Samuel Sterns, the movie is filled with nods to the fans. And of course we get another glimpse into Marvel’s master plan as a certain Anthony Stark appears briefly in the final scenes.

Less obvious elements are the use of Mr Blue as a codename and meditation as a method of controlling the Hulk. These are details from Bruce Jones run on the Incredible Hulk comic a few years ago. Of course the eyes turning green is a clear wink towards the old TV series and they even paid for the rights to use that music.

It doesn’t take itself quite so seriously either was some amusing moments along the way. The movement between humor and despair does seem a little abrupt at times and I suspect this is another issue with the heavy editing that happened.

Edward Norton’s portrayal of Bruce Banner is as good as you would expect from an actor of his class, but more importantly he was surrounded by top notch supporting talent who made his opponents look credible.

And of course there’s the action. Fundamentally what Hulk fans want is to see Hulk SMASH. And thats exactly what they get in this movie. Lots of things getting smashed in all sorts of different ways. It’s not an intellectual film, but it is fun.