Hulk. Smash. But not Smash Movie.

The Port Arthur News

June 12, 2008 08:25 pm

— Hulk. Smash. But not Smash Movie.

"The Incredible Hulk"
Universal Pictures
Directed by Louis Leterrier
Starring Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt and Tim Blake Nelson
Rated PG-13

2 1/2 Stars

The Incredible Hulk gets a big screen re-boot following director Ang Lee's noble box office failure from 2003. Edward Norton slips into the big green dude's skin this time around, anchoring a movie that features a lot of “Hulk-Smash” action, but not the detailed character pyrotechnics that would make the film into something special.
Of course, if you just want to see some mindless Marvel Comics mayhem, this "Hulk" provides three thrilling fight set pieces that will easily delight summer action movie fans. Director Louis Leterrier is known for making brisk, action-packed movies, and his style will delight those fans hoping for a total change from Ang Lee’s original take on the material.
"The Incredible Hulk" is not an origin story, picking up the story with Dr. Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) hiding out in Brazil. Banner is meditating and trying to suppress his nasty habit of turning into an unstoppable green monster every time he gets angry. The US Military is hot on this trail, determined to extract biological samples and turn Banner into a super-soldier weapon.
It’s not long before a general (William Hurt) sends a commando team in to capture the good doctor. Banner is able to escape the raid thanks to his Hulk persona, but not before he faces off with a British special forces soldier (Tim Roth) who becomes obsessed with the Hulk and vows to do whatever it takes to best him in combat. “Whatever it takes” turns out to be participation in a super-soldier medical experiment that will eventually transform the soldier into the gigantic monstrosity known to comic book fans as The Abomination. It all leads up to a destructive finale where Hulk and Abomination face off in the streets of Harlem.
So much for New York’s plans to renovate the area.
"The Incredible Hulk" mostly succeeds on the action front, providing lots of energy, but mostly generic action. The computer generated characters look a lot more believable this time out, but they’re still not quite photorealistic, so the melees take on the inconsequence of a video game because we're never really convinced that these are flesh and blood characters.
Acting-wise, Norton makes for a great conflicted hero, but he’s alone in his efforts because the supporting characters mostly get overwhelmed by the story. I'm sure that fans of the comics will be thrilled to see nods to various characters from the Marvel universe, but these cameos mostly make for distractions for those average viewers just looking for a good story and some nice special effects. The one huge exception is the inclusion of Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.) showing up for a nifty coda that’s almost as exciting as the rest of the “Hulk” film.
Ultimately, "The Incredible Hulk" makes for a serviceable reboot, but there's nothing special about the computer-generated action scenes and most of the characters never really come to life. Fans will be happy. Non-fans will be okay with the generic action spectacle, but won’t be clamoring for more.
This Hulk may smash, but it's just not a smash at the movies.
Movie reviews by Sean, “The Movie Guy,” are published bi-weekly in The Port Arthur News. Sean welcomes your comments via email at smcbride@kavutv.com.