I was thrilled with the opportunity to catch an early look at The Incredible Hulk Monday night at Universal Studios. I’ve been looking forward to this film since I saw enough of the previews to know it wasn’t going to be like the 2003 snore-fest they did. It was worth the wait. Here’s my review:
Don’t tell him I said this, but the Hulk is the kind of superhero I was always kinda ho-hum about. Basically the guy’s a Jekyll and Hyde-type character who loses it when someone gets on his bad side. Although my friends and I admired his strength and ability to turn bricks into dust, none of us ever dreamed of one day being overdoses on Gamma radiation and struggling to keep an inner monster in check.
So how do you make a crowd-pleasing summer blockbuster about a literal blockbuster with dual personalities who destroys as much as he protects, but also one who has had several visible interpretations—television show, Ang Lee’s 2003 Hulk film and the comics? It appears director Louis Leterrier (The Transporter) wanted to combine all of those elements and deliver it in an action-packed, Michael Bay-like package.
The Incredible Hulk, which added the worthy descriptor ‘incredible’ to distinguish from its predecessor, is an enjoyable popcorn movie, full of fights, flights, chases and even humor, which was sorely lacking in the bleaker versions. Edward Norton, with his everyman demeanor, captures the lonely fear and guilt of Bruce Banner perfectly, drawing in the audience in to root for him as he’s pushed beyond his limits.
Read the rest at the New Man site.
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