Marvel Studios 2nd film of the summer of ’08 is out on DVD. And while I really liked their first, “Iron Man”, this one isn’t that incredible.
“The Incredible Hulk” stars Edward Norton as Bruce Banner, a scientist who suffered gamma poisoning during an experiment. If his blood pressure gets too high he turns into the big, mean, green guy. Liv Tyler plays his girlfriend, Betsy. They’re both good at their roles. In fact all the acting is pretty good, including Tim Roth, a solider who’s job it is to stop The Hulk, and William Hurt, who plays an Army general who was in charge of the experiment that turned Banner into The Hulk.
The story, of course, is based on the classic Marvel comic, and this is just the latest version of story. There have been cartoons, a popular TV show and other movies, including 2003’s “Hulk”, directed by Ang Lee. I didn’t see that film, but I know it wasn’t a big hit with critics or fans of the comic book. I think more people will like this version. There’s plenty of action and the animated creatures are well done.
However, “The Incredible Hulk” is not as enjoyable as “Iron Man”. The plot is too simple and a little too serious. The only funny parts of the movie are a couple of cameos and one scene involving purple pants.
“The Incredible Hulk” is rated PG-13 and it’s deserves that rating. There is graphic violence and some bad language and the monster scenes are pretty intense. Parents – this is not a movie for little kids.
On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, “The Incredible Hulk” gets a C+.
There will definitely be a connection between the The Hulk and Iron Man characters and other Marvel comic superheroes in other upcoming movies. And you learn more about that connection in the final scene of this one.
The next Marvel Studios productions are “Thor”, due out in June 2010, followed by “Captain America” and “The Avengers” in 2011. And, an “Iron Man” sequel is already in the works. Marvel has become a “Super Studio” in a very short time.