The second film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was The Incredible Hulk: a reboot from Ang Lee’s interesting, but ultimately failed take on the character in 2003. The new film is more action-oriented and closer in spirit to the Incredible Hulk TV show from the 1970s (which, despite its low budget, was probably the most effective take on the character to date, mostly thanks to the superb acting by star Bill Bixby).
The film starts off with a brief recount of the Hulk’s origins: Dr. Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) is experimenting with ways to insulate people against radiation and is so certain of his findings he tests them on himself, giving himself a massive dose of gamma radiation, which results in his becoming the huge, all-powerful Hulk when his heart-rate goes above a certain level. Discovering that his experiments were actually intended for the military, and that General “Thunderbolt” Ross (William Hurt) considers his whole body government property, Banner has to go on the run while attempting to find a way to cure himself of the Hulk.
When we catch up with him as the story begins, he’s hiding out in Brazil, working in a bottling plant. This whole opening sequence is essentially structured the same as an episode of the TV show: Banner works a menial job while searching for a cure and exploring various techniques to prevent his transformations, gently woos a local beauty, has a run in with bullies, and eventually hulks-out and has to move on (the movie even plays the show’s beautiful “Loneliest Man” theme at one point). As a fan of the old TV show, I appreciate the efforts to match the feel of the show (the show’s stars, Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno, both have cameos; the late Bixby via stock footage and Ferrigno both as the voice of the Hulk and as a security guard who gives Banner a helping hand).
In this case, however, his Hulk episode is triggered by Ross, who tracks him down and sends in a team to capture him, led by the formidable Emil Blonsky (effective Tim Roth). After his Hulk episode lands him all the way in Guatemala, Banner decides to return to America to seek out the mysterious Mr. Blue, a fellow scientist he has been in contact with who might be able to cure him. Along the way, he returns to his home town and meets up with his lost love, Betty Ross (Liv Tyler), the general’s daughter. Meanwhile, Blonsky and Ross decide to dust off an experimental World War II era super-soldier program in an effort to give Blonsky an edge over the Hulk…
While The Incredible Hulk is a definite improvement over Lee’s film, and it’s certainly not a bad movie by any stretch, I would still call it the least of all the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far. It fails to craft a clear story arc, makes a number of crucial mistakes, and while it’s ultimately a worthwhile experience, it’s frustratingly apparent how much better it might have been.
One of the primary missteps, in my opinion, is changing the catalyst for Banner’s transformation into the Hulk from being explicitly anger to simply his heart rate. I can understand the motivation behind the change: the desire to give a scientific rationale for the transformation, but I don’t like it. I think it robs the character of a lot of his meaning and thematic interest. The Hulk is supposed to be an exaggeration of the effects of adrenaline on the human body: our ability to perform starling feats of strength under duress or anger. Removing the specific anger catalyst removes this. Frankly, it’s worth the questionable science to keep the whole “you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry” aspect of the character (that catch phrase shows up, but in a humorously butchered form).
The thing is, though, that anger still is what actually precedes Banner’s transformations anyway, so the change really doesn’t do anything except dumb down the character’s symbolic power. This means that the damage done to the character is minimal, but it’s still an annoying element that cheapens the film.
Another major problem is the lack of any real story-arc to the film: the major characters, with one, possibly two, exceptions are pretty much the same people in the same positions at the end of the film as they were in the beginning. Bruce Banner doesn’t grow or discover anything new about himself, nor does he come to accept the Hulk or even acknowledge the Hulk as a part of himself (one scene has Betty speculating on whether the Hulk is actually a separate entity, like he claims, or just an altered version of Bruce, but it ends inconclusively and isn’t brought up again). This lack of any real character arcs or storyline makes the whole experience feel rather shallow: as though the film is intended less as an independent story and more as a character demonstration for the Hulk.
The final main problem with the film is the character of General Ross, who’s an unreconstructed cliché of the evil, narrow-minded military general who wants to use everything for warfare. Worse, he’s an irresponsible idiot: are we supposed to believe that he would have gotten the go-ahead to launch a full-scale military operation in the middle of a college campus? And shouldn’t he, of all people, know better than to try and subdue the Hulk with machine-guns and small arms fire? In fact, why is he attacking the Hulk at all? Shouldn’t he know that once Bruce Hulks out that the game is over and he should just pull his people out? His goal is to capture Bruce, but he really ought to know by now that he can’t capture the Hulk (shades of the JSDF insisting on attacking Godzilla with tanks and jets: though at least in their case the argument could be made that they have to try something as they’re on the defensive. Ross, by contrast, is attacking the Hulk, which makes his use of such patently unsuitable weaponry that much stupider).
The worst part is that we can see how, with a little effort, the general could have been made into an interesting character. If they had just exercised a little nuance, maybe by making him more responsive to his daughter’s pleas or more aware of Bruce’s humanity, or even just more concerned about his own troops it would have gone miles to making him a more compelling villain. Heck, if they had only emphasized the fact that he wants to contain and capture a very dangerous fugitive rather than having his whole motivation being to use the Hulk as a weapon, it would have been better.
Basically, Ross is by far the least effective villain of the series, and the fact that he’s such an integral part of the film really drags it down. Hurt does his best with the role, but isn’t allowed to humanize the character enough to make it worth it.
To be fair, there is some gesture towards Ross being redeemed at the end, but it’s far too little and too late to affect our opinion of the character. He also gets at least one humanizing moment, where he cries out in fear for his daughter, but it doesn’t help much since the only reason she’s in danger in the first place is due to his own stupidity (after the Hulk has wiped out his entire company, does he really think a single helicopter is going to help things?).
Fortunately, the film’s other villain, Blonsky, is able to mostly pick up the slack. Tim Roth is an imposing figure; not big, but lean and nasty-looking, particularly after he starts taking the super-soldier serum. Roth does an effective job of conveying Blonsky’s increasing instability and disregard for orders in his eagerness to take on the Hulk. Blonsky’s transformation from brutal, but professional soldier to raging psychopath to full-blown monster is dealt with in broad strokes, but is nevertheless effective, and much credit must be given to Roth for making the transformation credible.
Other flaws are not as glaring as the two outlined above: Liv Tyler, while she gives a fine performance, isn’t entirely believable as a Professor of Cellular Biology, since she looks far too young to hold such a prestigious position (Jennifer Connelly, who played the same role in the Lee film, was a much more acceptable proposition). She also doesn’t have a whole lot to do: apart from a funny scene where she loses her temper at a cab driver she’s mostly reduced to holding Bruce’s hand in a comforting way or trying to talk the Hulk down. That isn’t to say that she doesn’t do these scenes well, she just doesn’t have a lot of variety to her role.
Other characters, such as Betty’s would-be-boyfriend, Dr. Samson (Ty Burrell) drop in and out of the film without much impact. Finally, the very last scene of the film doesn’t really make much sense and leaves us with a somewhat sour taste in our mouths…until, that is, we get a pre-credits teaser that washes it out with delightful cameo by Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr., as much fun as ever).
So, as you can see, this is a very flawed film. However, that’s not to say it’s a bad one, or even that it isn’t a good one. The film’s strengths ultimately outweigh its weaknesses and make for an enjoyable experience.
First of all, the acting is good across the board. Edward Norton does a fine job selling Banner’s quiet, reclusive nature, his need to pass unnoticed and not let anything get his temper up, but at the same time his strong sense of right and wrong which force him time and time again to put himself into positions that could lead to him becoming the Hulk. There is great care and nuance in his performance, such as the way he constantly scans his surroundings, the way he walks with a slight hunch, and how he generally has very muted expressions, showcasing how he carefully suppresses his emotions. The role of Bruce Banner is one of the most challenging and prestigious among comic book characters, with Bill Bixby’s superb interpretation being the benchmark for all other attempts at the character. Norton rises manfully to the challenge and while he doesn’t quite equal Bixby, I would say he improved upon Eric Banna’s version and it’s certainly an acceptable and skilled interpretation of the character.
Liv Tyler, as noted, does fairly well in a roll that she doesn’t quite fit. Her best scenes tend to be the quieter ones, such as a moment where Bruce is hiding out at her house for the night and their goodnights stretch long beyond where they needed to, with each reluctant to leave the other, but unable to go any further with each other. She also does well acting against the Hulk itself, coming across a little like Ann Darrow with King Kong (though a scene where the Hulk takes her to a cave in the mountains reminded me more of the Richard Kiel caveman-flick Eegah!). The ‘beauty-and-the-beast’ scenes between the two of them are very well staged and surprisingly touching, with the Hulk effects being particularly good in these scenes. Her best moment, however, is the aforementioned cab-driver scene, which gives us a glimpse of what her and Bruce’s relationship would’ve been like before he became the Hulk (“You know, I know some techniques that could help you control your anger…” “You zip it!”).
William Hurt, as noted, does his best with the material he’s given, but he can’t quite rise above it to make Ross any more than a cliché. I discussed Tim Roth’s effective portrayal of Blonsky’s mental deterioration, though it bears repeating that he does a good job of becoming scarier and scarier as the film goes on. My favorite performance, however, is Tim Blake Nelson as the eccentric-though-amoral Dr. Stern, Banner’s mysterious Mr. Blue. He’s so much fun to watch, such a startling contrast to the serious, straight-laced Bruce and Betty (both of whom seem constantly on the verge of slapping him during their scenes together), that it’s actually quite startling when he turns out to not quite be the beneficent character he’s claimed to be…
Although the film has a number of strong scenes involving character interactions (particularly between Bruce and Betty), it really shines in its action scenes, which are spectacular. There are three major Hulk-outs over the course of the film, and each is unique. The first takes place in a darkened factory, where we only see flashes of the Hulk and the effects of its rage. The second is a full-daylight battle with the army on a college campus. The third is a knock-down-drag-out brawl on the streets of New York City between the Hulk and Blonsky, now transformed into the monstrous Abomination. The actions scenes are expertly staged and choreographed, making full use of the Hulk’s raw power while avoiding the silliness that the previous Hulk film occasionally fell into. Here when the Hulk pounds the ground, punches jeeps, and roars in fury, you really get a sense of just how strong and angry this thing is (one detail which most people probably won’t register is in the first Hulk scene where he effortlessly throws a forklift at Blonsky: for those who don’t know, forklifts are incredibly heavy pieces of machinery, much more so than cars or other similarly-sized vehicles). The climactic battle with Abomination, meanwhile, is quite simply the best monster fight we have had from Hollywood in recent years. It’s brutal, outsized, sprawling, fast-paced, and utterly thrilling from start to finish (though it does end with the unanswered question of what, exactly, is Ross going to do with Abomination now?).
The effects are, by and large, quite excellent, particularly the one full-transformation we witness, which is surprisingly gruesome as Bruce’s veins bulge green and his bones expand first, followed by his muscles. I like the more upright design for the Hulk, in contrast with the broader, more cartoonish version in the previous film. The Hulk doesn’t necessarily look ‘real’ in that it tricks your eyes, but it at least is solid, heavy, and textured. You have the idea that you could, possibly, touch the thing, and you can practically feel the bulging, rippling muscles under his rough skin. The Abomination, meanwhile, is more reptilian, boney, and slightly top-heavy. I applaud the designers for making it so easy to distinguish between the Hulk and the Abomination, even in long shots, as it makes following the battle much easier.
Meanwhile, there are a number of creative directorial touches that I liked, particularly how, when the Abomination first appears, we see it from a handheld camera accompanying some soldiers, giving it an almost documentary style and allowing us to feel what it would be like for these poor schmucks as they try to figure out what they’re up against. I also liked the return of the glowing green eyes that signal a transformation, a detail from the TV show.
Thematically, there isn’t a whole lot to get into here, since, as noted, there isn’t much of a story arc to the film. They more or less eliminated the ‘anger’ theme, more’s the pity, and other than that it’s just a glimpse at the story of a hunted man searching for a cure. Basically, it just feels like a particularly important episode in the tragic life of Dr. Bruce Banner: as if this were a season-ending movie of the TV Show.
To be fair, though, the characters are interesting enough and what story we do have here (of Banner’s best attempt at a cure and Blonsky’s descent into madness) is told well. It’s a good film, but it’s also a film that really could have been better with just a little more effort.
Final Rating: 3/5. Recommended for fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, monster-movie fans, and those who enjoy really good action sequences.
Memorable Quotes:
Soldier: “How’re you feelin’ man?”
Blonsky: “Like a monster.”
(in New York)
Betty: “It’s a long way up town. Subway’s probably quickest.”
Bruce: “Hmm, me in a metal tube, underground, with hundreds of people, in the most aggressive city in the world?”
Betty: “You’re right, we’ll get a cab.”
(on the contents of Betty’s purse)
Bruce: “Okay, basically…we can’t use any of this because they can track it.”
Betty: “What about my lip gloss? Can they track my lip gloss?”
Bruce: “No, you can take your lip gloss…”
Betty: “And I need my glasses…”
Bruce: “You can take your glasses…actually, we can use most of it, we just can’t use the credit cards or the phone.”
Bruce (in Portugese): “Don’t make me hungry. You wouldn’t like me when I’m…hungry.” (English) “No, that’s not right…”
Abomination: “Give me a REAL fight!”
Hulk: “HULK SMASH!”
Tony Stark: “Ah, the smell of stale beer and defeat. You know, I hate to say ‘I told you so,’ General, but that super-soldier program was put on ice for a reason.”
No comments:
Post a Comment