Hulkable Smash!!!

Contrary to popular belief, 2003’s Hulk wasn’t really all that bad. It just wasn’t what people were expecting. It was a bit too heady, a little too stylistically alienating for an audience that only really wanted to see a big green guy smashing things. This new version, The Incredible Hulk set out to be the complete antithesis to the previous film. It goes a much easier route, providing pretty strong popcorn thrills and lots of explosions at the expense of any sort of complexity. It doesn’t make for the most inspired film, but one just can’t deny how fun it can all be.

The film begins with Bruce Banner hiding out in Brazil, learning techniques to control his anger and trying to find a permanent cure for his unfortunate condition. He is corresponding with a biologist back in the States, who is making promising strides toward eliminating the Hulk. General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross is still on Banner’s trail, and has teamed up with Emil Blonsky, a ruthless and fearless special-forces soldier who will do absolutely anything to gain the power to defeat the Hulk. Banner must travel back to his home, where the potential cure may be found, and his only love is still waiting for him.

Zak Penn’s script is at best, utilitarian. The story is very simple, and every scene is peppered with all the information that you might need to understand what’s going on. There isn’t a whole lot of subtlety, but the Hulk doesn’t really call for a lot of subtlety. The script mostly moves things along, moving Banner and the Hulk to where they need to be. Character development suffers a bit along the way, but this story is so easy to follow that people might not even notice.

For most people, it’ll come down to the action, and it just so happens that director Louis Leterrier is somewhat of an action prodigy. Best known for Transporter 2, Leterrier is an artist of destruction, and it really shows. His fights are brimming with energy, and a kinetic filmmaking style keeps up with all the movement. He’s able to convey the monstrous strength of the Hulk quite convincingly. Where he suffers is in the dramatic/romantic moments, where he has to fall back on some of the oldest tricks in the book. His use of the score in underlining every moment between Banner and Betty Ross gets pretty tiresome. It’s not particularly terrible, but it comes off pretty rote compared to his pretty stellar action scenes.

Edward Norton does well enough as Bruce Banner. He’s taking his cue from the Bill Bixby version of Banner from the television series, and it’s an effective, if a bit familiar approach. Liv Tyler doesn’t fare as well. It’s difficult not to compare her to Jennifer Connelly, who played Betty in the 2003 film. Connelly’s a far better actress. Liv Tyler only really has one trick: when she needs to say something important, she whispers it. By far, the best thing about this cast is Tim Roth as Emil Blonsky. As Blonsky, Roth is a heady, complex mix of arrogance and desperation. He steals every scene he’s in.

I think it’s fair to say that this version of the Hulk aimed much lower than the previous film. It stuck to the very basics, avoiding all the psychological hoodoo that can bog down (or alternately, elevate) a Hulk story. The end result is a film that isn’t particularly deep. But people mostly want to see Hulk smash, and in this way, the film delivers. There’s enough Leterrier madness and geek love in here to help people ignore the weaknesses of the script. While not nearly as strong as Marvel Studios’ first outing, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk is still pretty strong popcorn fun.