The Incredible Hulk (Three-Disc Special Edition) | Edward Norton, Liv Tyler

The Incredible Hulk (Three-Disc Special Edition) | Edward Norton, Liv Tyler | HULK

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The Incredible Hul...

	The Incredible Hulk (Three-Disc Special Edition) Edward Norton, Liv Tyler Universal Studios, 2008 average customer review:based on 285 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

This IS The Incredible Hulk on Blu Ray!!! An awesome release!!!

This is a great Blu Ray release!!! 2008's Incredible Hulk delivers in spades!!! It's been a good year for Marvel(This film,and Iron Man!) and DC too(The Dark Knight)!!! If you have a Blu Ray player than this is the version to get,these kind of films look freakin' awesome on the superior Blu Ray format,it also has a super cool 3D lenicular outer sleeve too,but this collectable packaging is for a limeted term only!!! Much,.much better than the 2003 version,sorry Ang Lee!!! Very recommended!!! A+

HULK

WAY BETTER THAN THE FIRST, if you wanna see a MF'er "F" some "S" up!!! then this is your movie. HOOAH!

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One of the Best Superhero Adaptations, but who Noticed?

In the summer of 2008, two superhero adaptations ruled the box office: Iron Man, and the Dark Knight. Released in May, Iron Man was something of a surprise hit, with perpetual rehabber (and then-b-lister) Robert Downey Jr. turning a fantastic performance as Tony Stark, playboy and armored hero. On the other hand, the Dark Knight (released in July) was the most anticipated movie of the summer and its success was neither surprising nor undeserved. (I do think they took the "dark" part of the title a bit too seriously but it's still an excellent movie.) These movies left little room in the public's awareness for a third superhero movie, "The Incredible Hulk" (TIH), which debuted just a few weeks prior to the Dark Knight. TIH did well at the box office, but nothing like the stellar numbers attained by the other two movies. This is unfortunate, because it's an excellent movie.

Aside from the timing of the release, a couple of other factors left TIH at a bit of disadvantage. First and foremost, Ang Lee's "The Hulk", rightly pilloried as a leaden, quasi-freudian waste of time, left moviegoers with something of a bad taste regarding this particular character. Second, TIH was directed by the Frenchmen Louis Leterriere, whose prior work (Transporter 2, Danny the Dog) did not suggest that we should have high expectations. Those aren't horrible movies...okay, danny the dog was horrible... Anyway, "Who cares about the director?" you may ask. Well, look at the recent history of superhero movies and you will find that most of them have B-list or low A-list stars, but are helmed by critically-acclaimed directors.

Batman: Time Burton directed the first two. Michael Shumacher, who wrecked the franchise, was no slouch, with movies like "The Lost Boys" and "The Client" under his belt. Christopher Nolan, who revived it, made his name directing the acclaimed, cult indie hit "Memento". Neither Michael Keaton nor Christian Bale were household names as actors (perhaps Keaton could be called well-known at the time, but he was famous for comedy, and his casting as Batman was a bit unexpected).

Spider-Man: Tobey Maguire? Household name? No. Sam Raimi lacked the critical approval of the batman directors, but he was well-established as a creative force, mostly for the evil dead/army of darkness movies.

X-Men 1&2/Superman Returns: Hugh Jackman was not famous BEFORE X-Men, but Bryan Singer (the director) was, for "The Usual Suspects". X-Men features some well-known actors, but who (aside from trekkies and RSC fans) would see a movie because it features Ian McKellan or Patrick Stewart. Singer directed the first two X-Men films, then cast unknown Brandon Routh (Brandon Routh), in his well-intended but over-long attempt to resuscitate Superman.

I already mentioned Ang Lee's mangling of "The Hulk", but Mr. Lee was (and still is) a great director, and landing him for that movie was seen at the time as a real coup.

The list goes on, but I will stop there. Suffice it to say, getting a respected director has been standard to the recent formula for making superhero movies. They lend comic book movie projects an aura of cultural legitimacy.

Well, TIH departs from that template, and guess what? It works. First, unlike other superhero movies, this one really revolves around the guy playing the hero--in this case, Edward Norton. Norton is one of the (if not THE) best actors of his generation. From his breakout in "Primal Fear", to the haunting "American History X", "Fight Club", and the more recent "The Painted Veil", it's clear this guy has chops as an actor. Critics love him. He is active in social enterprise, and he's done some admirable work in writing and production, as well ("Frida"). Indeed, without Norton's involvement, TIH never would have been made. So in this case, it's the actor who brings the legitimacy, and he picks a director who won't mess around with the deeper meaning and motivations of the character, but will simply tell the story.

And Leterriere is up to the task. He may not be Ingmar Bergman, but he has a nice, taut script to work with, and he definitely knows how to direct action sequences. Indeed, whereas many recent superhero movies have tested audiences bladders with 2 1/2 hour runtimes (don't tell me you didn't think the Dark Knight was going to end sooner than it did), TIH clocks in at just under two hours, and it never drags. We get the exposition of the origins of the hulk in a clever montage sequence that is clearly derivative of the opening of the original Bixby/Ferrgino Hulk TV series. By the end of the opening credits, the movie has established: 1) How Bruce Banner became the Hulk (note--avoid using self as subject in radiation experiments); 2) Where Bruce Banner is and what he is doing. (I love it when movies use a variety of expository tools--text, dialogue, images--to explain something in an efficient manner. The Tony Stark power-point at the beginning of Iron Man is another example.) TIH does in 3 minutes what Ang Lee's "Hulk" failed to do in over two hours.

Leterriere and Norton also understand the key to dramatic tension for Hulk stories (disclaimer--I loved the comic when I was a kid): it's not what happens once he becomes the Hulk that is really interesting, it's what happens BEFORE that matters. All of the tension and suspense comes from the events leading up to the transformation. Sure, the Hulk's violence is spectacular, and there are some great moments ("Hulk Smash!"), but you're paying the most attention to the movie when Banner is struggling to contain this awful beast that lurks within him. He has no idea what he will do if he becomes the Hulk, and he does everything he can to avoid the metamorphosis. Here is where Norton gives the movie its dramatic center. He is convincing in his abhorrence of this thing, and his obsession with getting rid of it. Banner's lone aim is to cure himself, but events transpire to make that very difficult. That is the essential story of the Hulk, and it's rather atypical for a superhero. Most heros want to do good, beat the bad guys, etc. Banner just wants to be normal, and the government and villains won't leave him alone, dragging him again and again into situations where he cannot avoid terrible violence. The movie sticks to this simple plot, to good effect.

The Hulk's antics are entertaining, and the final showdown between the Hulk and his even hulkier (though not green) adversary is exciting. I am inclined to agree with other reviewers who complain that the Hulk still looks a bit cartoonish, though it is a major improvement over the previous movie, and they use darkness and shadow to good effect. He is most life-like when you don't see his face well.

Norton is supported by a strong cast, notably William Hurt as the general and Tim Roth as a very nasty little (and later, big) soldier. I have never been fond of Liv Tyler, but one thing she definitely has going for her is that she's not Kirsten Dunst. (I must have missed the meeting when they decided that Dunst is pretty. Come on... she has fangs! And don't say I am cruel. If the character you play is supposed to be a model, you should be believable as a model.)

This really is an excellent movie. I highly recommend it to anyone fond of comic book adaptations or action movies. For people with younger kids, it's one of the more family-friendly of the recent crop of superhero movies. The bad language and sex quotient is low. Most of the violence is bloodless--bodies thrown hundreds of feet, but not gory. Indeed, I think the pg-13 rating might be a bit conservative.

On the technical side, the digital soundtrack is fabulous, with lots of rumbling bass. If you've got a good surround system, you'll have even more fun with it.

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Movie is good. Three disc special edition is a disappointment!

I like Ang Lee's Hulk. I thought that was a great movie. I enjoyed the, Sins of the Father, storyline. The characters, Bruce Banner and the Hulk's persona were portrayed well by the actors.

I like The Incredible Hulk, too. The story was strong and the actors did what they needed to do with the characters to move the story along. Tim Roth is a great actor, yet the Abomination isn't the greatest adversary.

****
Spoiler: The inclusion of Tony Stark and Stark Industries in the movie are cool and possibly an exciting thing to look forward to in upcoming films!
****

I am not impressed with the three disc special edition. I was expecting an alternate version included with extended scenes and added footage.

The alternate opening is nothing to write home about.

****
Spoiler: There is a blurry silhouette that is supposedly Captain America frozen in ice. It's there, yet it doesn't clearly resemble Captain America.
****

The second disc of extras are okay, yet why more deleted scenes?

Why a third disc solely for a digital copy? They could have released an alternate cut of the film on the third disc. Especially, with all those deleted scenes.

There are some two disc and three disc special edition releases that merit purchasing. The Incredible Hulk isn't one of them. The single disc edition would suffice.

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A lighter shade of green

THE INCREDIBLE HULK is a sequel to 2003's HULK film--if an adaptation of a 40+ year ongoing series can be called a sequel. It's not really a reboot, simply a change in style and creative team. This happens all the time in the comics. After a title sequence recap, the story picks up directly after the last one, with Banner hiding out in Brazil and learning how to control his emotions while searching for a cure for his condition. A random accident alerts the U.S. military to his whereabouts, and the chase is on.

I won't say anything more about the plot, because there isn't a whole lot more, and I don't want to give everything away. This is a very different film from its predecessor. People were strangely dissatisfied with that one; they said it was too "intellectual." If you're in that camp, you'll love this version. It's the simple action movie you were looking for. Sadly, INCREDIBLE does away with all the depth and complexity that made HULK--the film and the character--intriguing.

I preferred the original cast, but their replacements are adequate for the most part. (Liv Tyler is kind of wishy-washy.) One thing that has improved is the look of the Hulk. The rendering is a lot better; he has more weight and solidity now. More detail, too.

For what the film tries to do, it does it very well. It's actually better than I expected. The phrase "dumbed-down" kept echoing through my head when I was hearing about the film, but it's not dumb; it's just not as smart. It's a different interpretation and that's okay. It's just that I just don't find this kind of movie as interesting. I need more substance; I don't care if it is a summer "popcorn flick." I've never understood why that mattered.

On the technical side, the Blu Ray disc looks and sounds amazing. If you want to show off your high-def system, this is a disc you'll use. There is a fairly interesting feature commentary with director Louis Leterrier and actor Tim Roth, some making-of featurettes, and many, many deleted scenes including an alternate opening sequence. You can bookmark your favorite bits and play them back. Finally, there is a feature called U Control, with which you can view various supplemental materials while you are watching the film. I found this kind of tedious to operate, though, and not really worth the trouble.

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