It is rare to find a sequel that is as good as the original.
It is even more rare to find one that was BETTER than the original. Very rare indeed. I can only think of one movie that I found better, and that was Terminator 2. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the first Terminator movie…
Anyhow, I recently had a chance to catch the premier for The Incredible Hulk, starring Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, and William Hurt.
I won’t deny that I went in with serious reservations. I didn’t care for the Hulk that came out several years ago, even though it was directed by a hell of a good director – if you’re into art like movies.
So, of course I was sceptical. In fact, I fully expected to dislike the movie, even though I am a fan of Edward Norton and several other members of the cast.
I was very pleasantly surprised. I actually enjoyed the movie. It was far better than I had hoped it would have been.
As is the standard case with all my reviews, I will not give away any spoilers, with the exception of what you would see in the standard trailers on the TV, internet and in the theatre.
I would say that it wasn’t really a sequel to the Hulk, but a remake. In fact, it had far, far more in common with the original television series than the first movie.
If you are at all familiar with the series, you already know that Dr. Banner was always on the run from the government, moving from town to town, always trying to stay one step ahead.
That was the case with this movie. It really did feel lonely, and Norton did one hell of a job portraying this.
Even the music was very reminiscent of the original series during the first part of the movie.
This time around there was actual chemistry between Bruce and Betty, something that I found lacking in the original Hulk movie.
That is what made the movie so good! The chemistry, and lets not forget the tension between the primary characters. William Hurt as General Ross was better than Sam Elliot’s portrayal, but in this case, I’d say it was the script, not the actor.
There were several scenes with humour in it; some really made me laugh as well. Think Hunger, without me spoiling it. You’ll understand what I mean when you see it.
Also, this time around the story was far closer to the Marvel comics than Ang Lee’s envisioning of the Hulk. That was a major improvement.
Now, I won’t deny it… I’m not a huge comic book fan. I read many comics when I was growing up, so I do know a little about pretty much all the comic movies we’ve seen over the past decade or so.
However, after watching the Hulk, I will say this… there were a great many tip of the hat to the Hulk comics, and many well known figures and organizations in the Marvel universe.
Considering how many I spotted watching the movie, I was left wondering how many I missed!
The special effects were what one would expect today with computer graphics, although I would have to say - believe it or not, that th original Hulk movie had better action sequences when the big green guy got angry.
Still, give me superior acting over visual effects anytime.
Oh, and there is a nice little bonus at the end of the movie. Unlike another Marvel comic brought to the big screen earlier this year, you won’t have to sit through the credits to see this nice little bonus scene.
Yes, Stan Lee has a cameo in the movie, as he does with every Marvel movie, and Lou Ferrigno shows up as a security guard, again. He also provides the Hulks voice for the film.
After watching this movie, I have to admit that my faith in the franchise has been renewed. It probably won’t be one of the top five movies of 2008, but it will make more than enough cash to warrant a sequel in a few years time.
As long as they bring back the cast, I’ll be eager to see it.
3.5 out of 5