Hey everyone. Capone in Chicago here. Let's just assume for the moment that it was okay of Marvel Studios to make a new Hulk movie that isn't exactly a sequel and isn't exactly a reboot of Ang Lee's perfectly fine 2003 effort. The difficulty in producing any movie based on this character is that the Hulk himself isn't that interesting a character. Now before you jump up and down and wish me death, allow me to explain. I think Bruce Banner is one of the most fascinating Marvel creations ever invented, and Ang Lee did a terrific job plumbing the psychological depth and struggles this man must go through on a daily basis to keep his cool and not let out the ultimate manifestation of his raging Id. Sure, it's always a blast to watch the Hulk demolish anyone and everything that challenges him, and in this new film these sequences are mind-blowing, especially now that we've got a villain of equal, possibly superior, strength. But let's face it, plot and character development get pummeled right alongside cars and buildings when the Hulk breaks out. The challenge for any filmmaker is making the Banner character even a fraction as interesting as Hulk, a nearly impossible task. And so watching a Hulk movie or the television show (which I cherish) is essentially a waiting game for many. My memory hasn't been tested on this point in a while, but I always remember TV's "The Incredible Hulk" coming up with halfway decent stories that actually held my interest. In the first HULK movie, Eric Bana did an excellent job capturing the turmoil of carrying a monster within him. My point is that live-action Hulk is nearly impossible to get right because everybody wants to see destruction, but destruction only takes you so far. So we turn to the plot of a Hulk movie, which is doomed to be less interesting than the destruction. Do we really care about Banner's love life? Okay, maybe we're curious to see what happens when the old heart rate gets a-pumpin' under the sheets (a scenario dealt with clumsily in THE INCREDIBLE HULK), but it's not nearly as satisfying as watching Hulk strap police cars to his fists and use them as boxing gloves. The point is, the Hulk taps into our most primal needs as action film lovers, and more often than not, anything that stands in our way of said action seems like a pesky nuisance. So how is THE INCREDIBLE HULK? That's a tough question. Four scenes in the new film are downright glorious. Three of them are the film's main action sequences, and one, well, you know what the fourth one is if you've heard anything about the cameos in this movie. It's the final sequence, set in a dive bar, and it's equally great for what it represents and for what it is. The rest of the movie is more of a mixed bag. I think Edward Norton is one of the greatest actors of his generation, and I've thought so since I first saw him in PRIMAL FEAR years ago, where he also played a character with something dark and destructive inside of him. But I could never shake the feeling that his heart just wasn't in this movie. I'd love to throw some of the blame at the screenwriters for failing to make Bruce Banner as compelling a character as he's been in the past, but I'd still be blaming Norton (who co-wrote the screenplay—under the name Edward Harrison—with Zak Penn). Growing a few day's worth of stubble and making yourself look sweaty doesn't make your character deep and thoughtful; it makes him unkempt. I liked the idea of Banner living a life of solitude and relentlessly practicing meditation to keep his heart rate under control under the most intense circumstances, although I wonder if an impoverished city in Brazil is the best place to build a calm environment around you. Anyone who has seen CITY OF MEN knows that's pretty much impossible. But let's give Banner the benefit of the doubt and assume he's found the one major Brazilian city that has little or no violence. The initial attack on Banner by the U.S. Army led by General Ross (William Hurt) is a pretty solid re-introduction to the Hulk persona. Coming into close contact with Hulk is Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth), who wants another crack at the monster after getting his ass handed to him in their first encounter. When the film throws around terms like "Super Soldier" and "S.H.I.E.L.D.", of course, it makes me smile. And there are quite a few nice comic book fan touches like that scattered throughout THE INCREDIBLE HULK, but those winking recognitions only carry you so far. (Composer Craig Armstrong's not-so-subtle inclusion of the "walking away" piano music from the "Hulk" TV show got one of the best crowd reactions.) Blonsky insists that General Ross subject him to exposure testing similar to Banner's and the results are grotesque, eventually turning Roth into a warped and hideous Hulk-like creature called the Abomination. Roth gives the best performance in the movie. As interesting as the Abomination is to look at, I'm more of a fan of the middle fight sequence involving Hulk and a juiced-up Roth, who jumps and scurries around Hulk but still looks like Roth, who appears to be the only one having fun in this movie. Liv Tyler's take on Betty Ross, the good general's daughter and Banner's love interest, works fine, but nothing grinds a superhero movie to grinding halt more than a boring love story (unless the love interest also has superpowers). I used to dismiss Tyler as an actress, but between this film and The Strangers, I find her a much more engaging performer. The film almost self-destructs when Tim Blake Nelson comes into the picture as Prof. Samuel Sterns, a biologist who is secretly helping Banner in his effort to rid himself of his little Hulk problem. I've always dug Nelson, but he's so fucking annoying here and acting for the folks in the rafters pretty much non-stop. Like Blonsky, Sterns is seduced by the power he sees manifested in the Hulk, but he sees Banner's blood as a means to cure hundreds of diseases. The film leaves the distinct impression that the professor would be a villain should a sequel happen. THE INCREDIBLE HULK has some decent ideas kicking around, but in the end they don't ever gel the way they should. Somehow Banner has managed to elude those chasing him for years, yet when he gets with 50 feet of Betty, his mind turns to mush. When you're trying to stay undercover and your lady friend says, "Can I walk you to the bus?", the answer is "No, because the same people who are looking for me would likely be looking for you as well, and it's broad daylight, dummy." I know this is a small instance, but the film is filled with moments like that, and the cumulative effect on my brain was too much to handle. In fact, it made me angry. And when I get angry, I type angry stuff about your deeply flawed film. For those wanting to see the coolness of how Marvel is establishing its film universe, THE INCREDIBLE HULK is a must-see. But for those of you that just don't care, you can probably skip this one. Capone capone@aintitcoolmail.com
