DVD
REVIEW: THE INCREDIBLE HULK
10/20/08
SYNOPSIS:
“First, there was the rousing
Iron Man. Now Marvel Entertainment brings the equally
exhilarating The Incredible Hulk.” (Vince Horiuchi, The Salt
Lake Tribune) Academy Award® nominee* Edward Norton stars as
scientist Bruce Banner, a man who has been living in
shadows, scouring the planet for an antidote to the
unbridled force of rage within him: the Hulk. But when the
military masterminds who dream of exploiting his powers
force him back to civilization, he finds himself coming face
to face with his most formidable foe: the Abomination – a
nightmarish beast of pure aggression whose powers match the
Hulk’s own!Also starring Liv Tyler, Oscar® nominee† Tim
Roth, and Oscar® winner** William Hurt, The Incredible Hulk
is “steeped in action and spectacular special effects”
(Claudia Puig, USA TODAY) and delivers a mind-blowing final
showdown that can only be summed up with one
word...INCREDIBLE!
REVIEW: If you are a fan of mainstream movies then
you’ve got to love the summer movie season. I was looking at
an advertisement online and it had a picture of Ironman,
Indiana Jones, Hulk, and the Joker all next to each other.
It almost brought a tear of joy to my eye. The characters,
the fun, the stories, the special effects, the action, and
the entertainment this time of year is unparalleled. This
year, as in others, Marvel is leading the way with big
superhero productions. We all know how good Ironman did and
is still doing. Now we have this beastly movie, pun
intended. Ironman is still the best movie of the season so
far though. I will admit that I was very skeptical of this
release considering the prior release in 2003 was still
fresh in my mind. I was surprised that this was not treated
as a sequel but as an entirely different production, even
though Stan Lee and Marvel were involved with both. (By the
way, and I do get a kick out of it, Stan Lee does his little
cameo as does Lou Ferrigno. They both appeared in the 2003
version as well.) Not that it’s taboo, I mean they are
successfully doing the same thing with Batman now, but how
far apart are these latest Batman movies from their
predecessors. It just seemed too soon to me but you know
what, after all is said and done, it doesn’t really matter.
This movie is a lot of fun; it’s intense, suspenseful, and
action-packed. This one is arguably better than the 2003
version. It has better, more “realistic” action and it just
overall looked more real with sharper special effects. This
Hulk was more detailed down to the muscle fibers. It has a
better plot and it was more entertaining. If you are a fan
of the TV series then you will be pleased with Edward
Norton’s portrayal of Bruce Banner as being more Bill
Bixby-like as opposed to Eric Bana. I know it sounds like
I’m bashing that last one, but don’t get me wrong . . . I
liked that last one, heck I own the DVD and saw it recently.
So to say this one is better, is saying a lot.
We catch up with Bruce in Brazil hiding out while trying to
find a cure and then the chase ensues. Yeap, just like in
2003, Hulk always seems to be running from the Army. I must
apologize for constantly comparing this Hulk to the 2003
Hulk, but I figure it’s the best way to put this film in
perspective. This major similarity with the ‘03 Hulk is
probably the weakest aspect of this production. It’s a “here
we go again” feeling but luckily the action scenes are very
different. This one also has some pretty good comical
moments that sneak up on you but help you relax a little in
midst of all the tense action. There’s even what I like to
call a “King Kong moment” between Betty and the Hulk that
was interesting. Speaking of Betty, the film was well cast
with Liv Tyler playing Betty, Tim Roth as Emil Blonsky,
William Hurt as the General (Betty’s father), and of course
Mr. Norton. Liv wasn’t bad as Betty, but she wasn’t great
either. There is less attachment to her character compared
to Jennifer Connelly’s character in ’03. William is as good
as Sam Elliott in their common role. Tim Roth was a good
choice for his role as he has the talent to bring a cold,
calculated, ruthless villain.
You’ve got to give Ang Lee some credit for a pretty good job
with the ’03 Hulk. I mean come on, it’s Ang Lee. But
Director Louis Leterrier, Director of the Transporter
series, out did him with this work. Ang seemed to be more
into the psyche and drama aspect of the beast while Louis
was more into the eye candy and action aspect. If you saw or
heard about what happens after the end credits in Ironman,
you are in for a treat at the end of this movie right before
the end credits. (By the way, there is nothing after the end
credits in this picture, so you don’t need to wait to see
anything extra). What takes place in that last scene is
something special and very, very cool unlike anything I’ve
ever seen. I want to say more but I won’t so as not to ruin
it for you. Actually, I caught a glimpse of a preview on TV
and I saw part of that scene so the cat might be out of the
bag already. In either case, let me know what you think of
that ending. If you liked the ’03 Hulk, or you are a Marvel
fan, or at least a superhero movie fan, put this one on your
queue.
Movie
Review By Cine Marcos
cinemarcos@smartcine.com
DVD:
The single disc DVD of The
Incredible Hulk is presented in a nice 2.35:1 anamorphic
widescreen format that offers a very good viewing of the
film. The picture is complemented with a Dolby Digital 5.1
sound that offer a nice experience of the movie. The film
can be play in three different languages English, Spanish
and Francais. Since it is the single disc release, the DVD
doesn't contain too many special features. Only contains a
feature commentary with director Louis Leterrier and Tim
Roth and a total of 6 deleted scenes. If you just care about
the film this is the copy you should be getting, however, if
you desired is to get a full inside look about the film. You
should consider getting the 3 disc or the Blu-ray versions
of the film.
VIDEO:
2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
AUDIO:
English,
Spanish and French
5.1 (Dolby Digital).
Subtitles - English Spanish
French - Optional
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Deleted scenes A total of 6 deleted
scenes. In reality 1 is an extended scene and the others are
deleted scenes. All worth watching (13:28)
Gag reel
(2:52)
RATING BREAK DOWN:
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