DecoyMusic.com

Though not as profound, unique or maybe even as well made as it could have been, The Incredible Hulk is nothing if not exciting. Even in the long stretches without Hulk-outs, the blockbuster is fast paced and light - propulsive, always moving. Since fiscal matters make two hours of nothing but Hulk impossible, Bruce Banner is naturally left shouldering a lot of the load. The way that The Incredible Hulk focuses on Banner definitely calls to mind the format of the 1970’s television show; the brief flashbacks to this Hulk’s origin look as if they could have been filmed on the primetime drama’s old soundstages. Rewriting much of the film’s dialogue, star Edward Norton did his best to give Banner a true emotional core and sense of inner conflict - the Hulk is utilized only as a mindless walking action set piece (as he should be). Though some of Norton’s attempts at fleshing out the Banner character fall flat, the bits that do work coupled with the natural charisma that he always exudes carry Norton’s performance to more than satisfactory levels. It’s nothing like Robert Downey Jr.’s engaging embodiment of Tony Stark, but Norton carries the film capably as the tormented Dr. Bruce Banner.

But storylines and puny humans aren’t – and really shouldn’t – be at the forefront of a movie about a giant rampaging monster that destroys everything in sight. And the abundant action is where The Incredible Hulk really manages to approach being incredible. Most importantly, this action is photographed surprisingly well , more than making up for the cartoonish, never realistic, computer generated sheen of the Hulk himself (although can a nine foot tall green guy ever really be realistic?). The cinematography in the action sequences is slightly Bourne influenced - filmed in a more verite, almost documentary style where the camera isn’t directly centered on the Hulk but instead feels more like some guy on the scene trying to capture things as they happen. This slightly less polished presentation of the mayhem manages to make it infinitely more interesting for the audience., and the climax of the film – a brutal, 15 plus minute battle between the Hulk and the Abomination – could go down as one of the most thrilling superhero smackdowns in movie history. Though its obvious that the Hulk’s superhuman abilities makes his action sequences far more cinematic than someone like Batman or even Iron Man, this visceral fight scene is nonetheless truly memorable.

Comparing it to Marvel’s other 2008 release, The Incredible Hulk is undeniably more action packed in a very satisfying and wish fulfilling kind of way - but it still falls a little short when held up against the extremely financially successful origin of Iron Man released just a few weeks ago. The story just isn’t nearly as strong, and even more damaging is how impersonal the finished product is - in the end feeling more like a movie that was made by committee. The Incredible Hulk clearly puts a precedence on appealing to the widest audience possible more than it does to taking any chances; for example, Norton’s rewrite of the screenplay featured an opening sequence where Banner retreats into the Artic to rid the world of the Hulk once and for all via suicide, but director Louis Leterrier revealed in a recent interview that everyone involved in the film decided that ‘the sequence was too dark and off-putting for children’ and had it removed from the movie. A few more daring ideas like this one popping up in the finished product could have resulted in a film that was more artistically respectable - or at least less “b movie”-ish - but it certainly wouldn’t have resulted in a film that was more exciting. While it ultimately may go down as the Transformers of the Marvel Universe of films (re: mindless popcorn fodder geared towards action and special effects junkies), The Incredible Hulk satisfies in terms of exhilaration and fun.

Grade: B

- Jeff Latta