The Incredible Hulk (2008) ***

Marvel's second tent pole picture of the summer brings high hopes for the future of Marvel Entertainment as an independent production company. Starting with Iron Man which kicked off this year's summer movie season, Marvel began a system of financing its own movies about superheroes under the Marvel banner as opposed to the old system where the rights were sold off to the highest bidder. This allows Marvel greater control over their own content and also presents the opportunity for the movie franchises to cross over with one another much like the comic books do with characters that can interact with one another rather than being completely separate franchises. The Incredible Hulk is the second film to be released in this manner and while it does not live up to the quality of Iron Man it is a sold entry into the Marvel canon and solidifies its new future in the entertainment industry.

I want to judge this film on its own merits and not just as a comparison to Ang Lee's Hulk which debuted in 2003. I was wary of a franchise ready to reboot itself after only one film had been made (Punisher is about to do the same) but Ang Lee's unique vision of the superhero film led to mixed critical reception and even worse in terms of the future of the franchise: poor box office returns. I can see why the director and writer want to take a fresh look at the franchise instead of having to move forward continuing a series after such a controversial beginning. The film is actually able to use this to its advantage. Usually the first film of a superhero franchise has to spend a significant portion of the story dealing with the origin and the growth of the character into the role of a superhero. Taking advantage of the fact that the origin story was already handled in Hulk and that like most of the classic superheroes the origin is pretty well know, the film has the origin story limited to some flashbacks in the credits sequence and begins the film with Dr. Banner in hiding and attempting to control his transformation into the Hulk persona. The film while technically retconning the previous film does make several allusions to it, in that Bruce is in hiding in Brazil and he was shown to be in the Amazonian rain forest at the end of Hulk. It's also stated he's been in hiding for five years, the same amount of time between the films. There are also allusions to the late 70s television show which played a large role in the popularity of the character including how the accident occurred which turned Banner into the Hulk and a very amusing cameo by Lou Ferrigno who played the Hulk.

The main appeal of the film is it able to successfully balance the action set pieces required by such a film and the comedic moments which highlight the heart of the story. For instance, I have a high regard for Spider-Man 2 (my best friend actually considers it to be the best superhero movie) however I thought some of the comedic moments appears out of place with the tone of the story. I never once thought that of this film. There are some very tender moments between Liv Tyler and Edward Norton and they make you believe the love that exists between these characters. That's one aspect that I felt never rang true in the original Hulk. I never saw that spark between Eric Bana and Jennifer Connelly in the previous film. The action sequences are thrilling and are sure to appeal to the mass audiences of the summer season but it's the character relationships which will determine the success of the franchise.

It not a perfect film however and no attention is really given to the development of the villain: Emil Blonsky (Abomination). We never really understand his need to take down the Hulk or his obsession with becoming like him. We can probably assume it had to do with the nature of the injuries he suffered after his second battle with the Hulk but we're never shown any development of his character and his transformation into the Abomination happens so quickly at the end of the film we never get to see how that impacts his character as well. There's always the sequel.

With regards to the sequel I would like to see a further examination into the mind of Bruce Banner. The character is one who constantly has to keep his emotions in check for fear of turning into a big green monster. Imagine how many times a day something bothers you or you get angry over inconsequential things. Someone cuts you off on the highway, you get into a fight with your spouse, etc. I for one would immediately have to quit my job because I wouldn't last 5 minutes without getting angry. It would be fascinating to see how this starts to play into Banner's relationship with Ross and the lasting complications. We didn't see any relationship drama in this film but we know it has to be coming and I think it's natural in this particular case because Banner is a man who needs to keep his emotions in check and we already saw he and Betty were unable to consummate the renewal of their relationship because of his problem. I'd also be interested in seeing how the lasting memories of what he does while he is the Hulk affects his regular mind. For all we know Banner is a peaceful man but the Hulk has already cost the lives (even if not intentionally) of quite a few people and although right now he only experiences flashes of the Hulk's experiences this could quickly change especially if he starts to control his transformations. How will his psyche deal with the extraordinary amount of death and violence that is associated with the Hulk persona? The sequel could be very intriguing indeed.

Favorite moment: The campus battle in the middle of the film was a great action set piece but also able to display some of the heart of the film derived from the relationship between Bruce and Betty. From the transformation being triggered to her being thrown on the ground by the soldier to his protection of her from the gunship crash and the fact that he carries her away from him shows that there is some hope for Banner's mind to break through the Hulk persona. Them sitting together in the cave during the thunderstorm is a sweet little moment in the relationship of the characters. It's a touching scene following an intense battle that encapsulates the balance the film is able to maintain between the adventure and the sentimental.