The summer film season train keeps rolling, and I keep finding myself tied to the tracks. This time I was hit smack in the face by the green menace himself The Incredible Hulk.
I was very skeptical about this one. The casting seemed off, well besides Billy Hurt, Timmy Roth, and our very own film buff alumni Shauny Mccomb. The timing seemed off with an overlong, over the top Ang Lee film that came out only 5 years ago or so. The excitement for this one was so subdued compared to the excitement I felt for Lee’s Hulk. Still I somehow, without planning it (I swear) attended a 12:01am screening of this sucker before anyone else in the city could see it.
I went in, (somewhat intoxicated as I said I wasn’t planning on going to this) and the mood felt with all the other audience members in the theatre was very much like my own, intoxicated somewhat. So there was a guy dressed as the Hulk running through the theatre before the lights dimmed yelling and punching people, other comic book characters running amuck, and many people yelling at one another. Basically it was fanboy anarchism to the highest degree. I squirmed in my seat yelling at people too and whispered to myself “this is how the world ends”. Yes, it was all very… cerebral.
Anyways, Ang Lee’s Hulk was criticized for being too long and too smart for it’s own good. I am one of those rare people who is actually a fan of Lee’s Hulk. I even liked how the Hulk fought Nick Nolte who was somehow a rainstorm by the end of the film. So, I felt a need to reinvent the Hulk so soon was premature and Edward Norton looked like he had nothing on Eric Bana as the green guy.
The theatre lights went down and everyone got quiet but not before someone jumped up and yelled “HULK SMASH!!!” promptly there afterwards the film began.
The Incredible Hulk is basically the anti-thesis of Lee’s version. It’s short and to the point and the action is nothing short of awesome. It picks up somewhat where Lee’s left it, with our hero Bruce Banner in South America but it’s not necessarily a sequel. The opening credits show us in a quick montage Bruce Banner becoming the Hulk and it’s very different from Lee’s ideas. This one is more like the comic in the way that Bruce Banner is helping the military develop biological weapons, but unlike Lee’s and the comic it’s not an accident.
If anything this is Iron Man with a different hero. It’s to the point and the dialogue sounds like a comic in that it’s very direct and it constantly makes fun of itself, if it gets too serious. One scene in particular where Bruce and his true love are about to engage in a PG rated love scene had me rolling my eyes until they made fun of themselves and cracked me up. It’s also covered with inside jokes and comic book connections that only nerds can really get going about. With Iron Man we got to see Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. To feel like our comic book movies can actually connect to one another in this other universe brings out so much happiness in my inner geek. This is most likely due to the fact that Marvel, the comic book company these properties belong to, have actually created a division for creating movie adaptations. All of our Marvel films from here on in are made in house with real comic book writers and people who care about the universe. Can you tell I’m getting a little moist over this?
But I digest, with the Hulk S.H.I.E.L.D. is talked about constantly, dialogue over serums developed in World War 2 is a nod to a Captain America film, Stan Lee makes his usual Marvel film cameo. Lou Ferrigno also makes a terrific cameo and provides the voice of the big green lug himself. The best cameo I think for any film ever is in this film but I’ll let you see that one for yourselves.
Fans of the comic will eat this up. Abomination is given a great screen adaptation and it also sets up The Brain as another villain. Fans of the show will rejoice over the overall theme of the film and the score that was ripped straight from the series.
Pure popcorn and a rush for sure and hey, if you don’t like it you can just play spot the landmark as this whole bad boy was filmed in our hometown or you can play spot the Film Buffians, as I spotted at least one frequent customer in the picture as well as our very own Shaun “McFly” Mccomb.
I’m going to head to the gym and hulk out myself right now.
P.S. – keep in mind I was a little intoxicated not to mention in a theatre filled with comic book nerds who kept screaming and howling the whole time. So that might have made the film better than it really was.
P.P.S. – I promise my next post will be about something substantial and that you can rent at the Buff. Maybe a comparison on Touch of Zen to The Fountain, or my thoughts on Once Upon a Time in the West. For now let me nerd out.
Dropkick out…. HULK SMASH!!!!!!!!!
I was very skeptical about this one. The casting seemed off, well besides Billy Hurt, Timmy Roth, and our very own film buff alumni Shauny Mccomb. The timing seemed off with an overlong, over the top Ang Lee film that came out only 5 years ago or so. The excitement for this one was so subdued compared to the excitement I felt for Lee’s Hulk. Still I somehow, without planning it (I swear) attended a 12:01am screening of this sucker before anyone else in the city could see it.
I went in, (somewhat intoxicated as I said I wasn’t planning on going to this) and the mood felt with all the other audience members in the theatre was very much like my own, intoxicated somewhat. So there was a guy dressed as the Hulk running through the theatre before the lights dimmed yelling and punching people, other comic book characters running amuck, and many people yelling at one another. Basically it was fanboy anarchism to the highest degree. I squirmed in my seat yelling at people too and whispered to myself “this is how the world ends”. Yes, it was all very… cerebral.
Anyways, Ang Lee’s Hulk was criticized for being too long and too smart for it’s own good. I am one of those rare people who is actually a fan of Lee’s Hulk. I even liked how the Hulk fought Nick Nolte who was somehow a rainstorm by the end of the film. So, I felt a need to reinvent the Hulk so soon was premature and Edward Norton looked like he had nothing on Eric Bana as the green guy.
The theatre lights went down and everyone got quiet but not before someone jumped up and yelled “HULK SMASH!!!” promptly there afterwards the film began.
The Incredible Hulk is basically the anti-thesis of Lee’s version. It’s short and to the point and the action is nothing short of awesome. It picks up somewhat where Lee’s left it, with our hero Bruce Banner in South America but it’s not necessarily a sequel. The opening credits show us in a quick montage Bruce Banner becoming the Hulk and it’s very different from Lee’s ideas. This one is more like the comic in the way that Bruce Banner is helping the military develop biological weapons, but unlike Lee’s and the comic it’s not an accident.
If anything this is Iron Man with a different hero. It’s to the point and the dialogue sounds like a comic in that it’s very direct and it constantly makes fun of itself, if it gets too serious. One scene in particular where Bruce and his true love are about to engage in a PG rated love scene had me rolling my eyes until they made fun of themselves and cracked me up. It’s also covered with inside jokes and comic book connections that only nerds can really get going about. With Iron Man we got to see Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. To feel like our comic book movies can actually connect to one another in this other universe brings out so much happiness in my inner geek. This is most likely due to the fact that Marvel, the comic book company these properties belong to, have actually created a division for creating movie adaptations. All of our Marvel films from here on in are made in house with real comic book writers and people who care about the universe. Can you tell I’m getting a little moist over this?
But I digest, with the Hulk S.H.I.E.L.D. is talked about constantly, dialogue over serums developed in World War 2 is a nod to a Captain America film, Stan Lee makes his usual Marvel film cameo. Lou Ferrigno also makes a terrific cameo and provides the voice of the big green lug himself. The best cameo I think for any film ever is in this film but I’ll let you see that one for yourselves.
Fans of the comic will eat this up. Abomination is given a great screen adaptation and it also sets up The Brain as another villain. Fans of the show will rejoice over the overall theme of the film and the score that was ripped straight from the series.
Pure popcorn and a rush for sure and hey, if you don’t like it you can just play spot the landmark as this whole bad boy was filmed in our hometown or you can play spot the Film Buffians, as I spotted at least one frequent customer in the picture as well as our very own Shaun “McFly” Mccomb.
I’m going to head to the gym and hulk out myself right now.
P.S. – keep in mind I was a little intoxicated not to mention in a theatre filled with comic book nerds who kept screaming and howling the whole time. So that might have made the film better than it really was.
P.P.S. – I promise my next post will be about something substantial and that you can rent at the Buff. Maybe a comparison on Touch of Zen to The Fountain, or my thoughts on Once Upon a Time in the West. For now let me nerd out.
Dropkick out…. HULK SMASH!!!!!!!!!
3 comments:
wicked review man. i wasn't going to go for this one, but i might now, after your review - coupla strong sodas and a big slice before going into the amc? can't beat it.... thanks for keeping this thing alive, at least until september, when i start watching movies again.
p.s. please never use the word "moist" in reference to yourself in a review again.
Agreement. Hulk was awesome. Marvel has begun to establish a consistency, it seems, with their comic-book movies. Hulk has the same great sense of humor about itself that Iron Man does. Although Robert Downey carries this much better in Iron Man than Norton is able to, it is still present and still really entertaining.
"Don't make me Ang Lee, you wouldn't like me when I'm Ang Lee".
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