Review: Hulk Smash!

By DeWayne Hamby

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. Liv Tyler also succeeds as love interest Betty Ross and even though it’s great to see William Hurt and Tim Roth, they’re both pretty cookie-cutter villains here.

Comic book fans (and I’ll admit I am one) will be thrilled the way Marvel Studios guides the process, including nods to other superhero properties and characters along the way as well as tributes to the 80s television show starring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno. These inside jokes and winks to the audience were well received in a preview screening, eliciting applause and cheers in the right spots.

Keeping its focus on mass-market, The Incredible Hulk is a great lesson in homing in on what the audience wants in a summer action movie. It’s big, loud and explosive, but still has a solid story, a standout cast and even a dash of romance for a broader appeal. Although entrenched in cartoonish violence, it’s mostly restrained on language and sexual overtones.

You’re wrong, Bruce. We do like you when you’re angry. So bring on the Stupendous Hulk … or better yet, the Amazing Avengers!

Visit DeWayne’s blog at dewaynehamby.com