Incredible Hulk (2008)

Well, the more ridiculous development is when Banner later cries "HULK SMASH!" as if his subconscious had decided to adopt the name coined from some college kid.  It'd make a lot more sense if the character was ever developed as a secondary personality, but as it is, it's incredibly random and senseless.

I legitimately forget that this movie exists sometimes.  I'll never have that problem with Ang Lee's version.

Well, Burrell's Doc Samson does deserve to be left by Betty, as I do believe he informs General Ross of Banner's whereabouts. Kinda disappointing he had to be THE Doc Samson, and not just random-dude-who-hooks-up-with-Betty, since I can't exactly imagine the goober from Modern Family sporting a long green mane of hair.

Speaking of why-are-they-here, does anyone know the full story behind the wordless appearances of Martin Starr and Michael K. Williams in this movie?

Even though this movie kinda adheres to formula a bit too much, and isn't as memorable or artful as the Lee version, I really like the extended cut (or "The Norton Cut"). I think it fleshes out a lot about Banner, who he is, and what he struggles with. And while the humor is present, and welcome, I think they get to the heart of sadness and tragedy of being Banner. Norton's really good in those originally-excised scenes.

Well the origin of the name "Hulk" is right out of the comics...the only difference is, it's an Army solider who says "it's like some kind of...Hulk!" instead of a student.

I like this movie a lot, I think it's on par with Iron Man. I particularly like the origin sequence in the opening credits; thank GOD we didn't suffer a 2 hour origin of the Hulk!

Tim Roth's character has a nice arc. I like how they tie in the Super Soldier serum into this film, and the theme of proliferation as Banner's Blood causes even Stan the Man Lee to Hulk Out! (That theme is also seen in Iron Man. It's interesting how in both cases the hero inadvertently creates their own super villains).

Not such a fan of the final fight, but all the action up until then is great, and the first appearance of the Hulk is a dozy.

Not having Banner try to cure himself would be like having Spider Man not be insecure. It's essential to that character.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cylon Baby 

Well the origin of the name "Hulk" is right out of the comics...the only difference is, it's an Army solider who says "it's like some kind of...Hulk!" instead of a student.

 

I like this movie a lot, I think it's on par with Iron Man. I particularly like the origin sequence in the opening credits; thank GOD we didn't suffer a 2 hour origin of the Hulk!

 

Tim Roth's character has a nice arc. I like how they tie in the Super Soldier serum into this film, and the theme of proliferation as Banner's Blood causes even Stan the Man Lee to Hulk Out! (That theme is also seen in Iron Man. It's interesting how in both cases the hero inadvertently creates their own super villains).

 

Not such a fan of the final fight, but all the action up until then is great, and the first appearance of the Hulk is a dozy.

 

Not having Banner try to cure himself would be like having Spider Man not be insecure. It's essential to that character.

Very well said. I enjoy this movie quite a bit. I like the last fight but think it could have been a fair amount larger. They have these two giant beasts going at it but the fight stays contained to rooftops and alleys for a big chunk of the time. I also agree that the first appearance of the Hulk is really well done. This movie seems to get dumped on by a lot of people when it is a fun little movie in it's own right and doesn't deserve the hate it gets.

I've always found The Incredible Hulk watchable and enjoyable but it feels edited to death, almost like Feige and co were worried that too much drama would remind folks of Ang Lee's Hulk (a movie that I prefer if only for Sam Fucking Elliott's amazing Ross).

I think when the dust settles this film will be the forgotten child in Marvel's canon, there is nothing really tying the film to the Avengers (Big Green Guy aside) and I think it will be a while before a sequel gets greenlit. A shame as somewhere in between the two films is the Hulk film the character deserves. I can't wait to see what Whedon has planned for Banner next year.

I really enjoy this film, there's some great scenes.  But I think the coolest thing for me was seeing it in a semi-packed theatre on release and during that awesome Hulk intro scene in the bottling plant when you faintly hear him say "Leave me alone" . . . the entire cinema just went "what the fuck?!  Did you hear that?!  He talked!".  It was a great moment.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gabe T 

Well, Burrell's Doc Samson does deserve to be left by Betty, as I do believe he informs General Ross of Banner's whereabouts. Kinda disappointing he had to be THE Doc Samson, and not just random-dude-who-hooks-up-with-Betty, since I can't exactly imagine the goober from Modern Family sporting a long green mane of hair.

He does? Doesn't he insult the general and that's it?

Either way I like it because it's true life. Many people have been in that situation where they are with someone and you fall in love with someone else. It's a really shitty situation but it has to be. In their case they never even broke it off, Bruce HAD to run away.

Doc Samson did give them up, yes.  At the start of their conversation on the porch, I think Ross says "You did the right thing..." etc.  Only Doc Samson isn't so sure!

My earlier criticism regarding the Hulk calling himself the Hulk out of nowhere aside, I do enjoy this movie and the Ang Lee Hulk.  As was said earlier, if you could somehow take the best elements of both and smush them together to create one film...  Well, that'd be an awesome Hulk movie.  I like Norton's version of Banner.  He seems more physically similar to the comic character to me, and it was fun seeing the character use his brain in the early scenes.  (And, yes, the deleted scenes make those earlier bits even better.)

The Hulk's first appearance, and the battle on the college lawns are both lots of fun.  I love Roth's Captain-America-esque dance around the Hulk, as brief as it was.  I really hope we get to see similar feats in the new Captain America movie.

Anyway, this is a movie I'm sure I'll revisit from time to time.  I seem to come back to it more than I do the Spider-Man or X-Men films lately. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shunderson 

  I love Roth's Captain-America-esque dance around the Hulk, as brief as it was.  I really hope we get to see similar feats in the new Captain America movie.

 

In fairness, the shot of Blonksy charging across the campus had me excited. That was so good.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike's Pants 

In fairness, the shot of Blonksy charging across the campus had me excited. That was so good.
 

 

It's provocative to view multiple directors' takes on the same subject. Not just Ang Lee vs. Louis Leterrier when it comes to the green goliath, but Leterrier vs. Johnston with regards to super soldiers.

I admit Tim Roth racing through the trees to confront the Hulk was better handled than the initial scene of Steve Rogers running through the streets. As Harley Quinn pointed out over in the post-release thread, the cgi looked rather fake at times. I'm not sure how they pulled off the Blonsky effect (similar to what was done in the first Twilight movie, but MUCH BETTER), but it looked practical.

Love this movie, as I'm a life long Hulk fan, but I admit the psychological depth and experimental nature brings me back to the first outing more often than not. I can never decide, however, if Nick Nolte is the best or worst part of that movie. I'll say this, Liv Tyler and Edward Norton are kind of bland together, and I was rooting for Blonsky at times because his arc is far more compelling.

"How do you feel?"

"Like a monster."

is a perfectly delivered line.

Now let's see how Whedon pulls off the Ruffalo.

Maybe it was covered in some behind the scenes stuff, but wasn't it something like a long strip of material that's being dragged along with Roth running on top of it?  Sorta like running on a people mover.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bartleby_Scriven 

 

I admit Tim Roth racing through the trees to confront the Hulk was better handled than the initial scene of Steve Rogers running through the streets. As Harley Quinn pointed out over in the post-release thread, the cgi looked rather fake at times. I'm not sure how they pulled off the Blonsky effect (similar to what was done in the first Twilight movie, but MUCH BETTER), but it looked practical.

So far of all of the Marvel Studios films this is the one I revisit the most. I don't think I would consider it the best but it's definitely my favorite to watch. The pacing, the set pieces, the story... it's all as it should be. Nothing feels too forced... it's not winning any awards but it's all one could really ask for. 

Bonus for not making us sit through another origin story. Double Bonus for being under 2 hours long. I say death to the 2+ hour summer blockbuster.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Timothy Q 
 I say death to the 2+ hour summer blockbuster.

Second the motion! Especially since so many of these blockbusters suffer from bloat and poor editing.

For whatever reason, this is my favorite Marvel movie next to Spiderman 2. It's got it's flaws but the screenplay is really well-constructed & (relatively) pretty smart. Details like Banner's need to wear over-sized pants at all times is great. As is the reality that he knows he may wake up in an entirely new country if he's not careful. Norton is the aces & he's the first Banner I ever gave a sh*t about as a character.

I think the movie's strength is that it doesn't force itself through familiar super-hero movie tropes. It's not an origin story or a film with a mugging super-villain. It's a story about a good guy who's struggling to overcome a shitty situation. The super-hero stuff is almost extraneous. That simple relatability is at the core of Stan's original group of Marvel stories & this film really captures that.

It's also gotta be said that The Incredible Hulk has a solid gold heart. Lou Ferrigno's scene (not just a walk-on!) is really kind of beautifully executed & the Courtship Of Eddie's Father clip is really sweet & delicately placed.

Goddamn, I love this movie.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gabe T 

 

Speaking of why-are-they-here, does anyone know the full story behind the wordless appearances of Martin Starr and Michael K. Williams in this movie?

 

Apparently in the novelisation of the film the Martin Starr charcter is supposed to be Amadeus Cho from the comics who is supposed to be some kind of super genius. In a interview after the film came out, Edward Norton said that he was a fan of Michael K. Williams from watching the Wire and wanted him in the film..

So I just watched this today and I forgot that they don't kill the abomination. So does that mean we are going to see him in The Avengers? I mean Live Tyler stops him.........for some reason and then he just pushes him over. Whats to stop him from getting up and killing everyone? How in the hell are they going to hold him? I would give anything to see someone put giant handcuffs on hima nd load him intoa  giant police car.

I found this movie totally forgettable the moment I left the theater.  I didn't even know a Norton Cut existed.  I should check that out.

I've heard of the Norton Cut as well...but how do you get to see it?!  I need to revisit this film, it's been awhile since I've seen it.

There is no Norton cut. There's an hour of deleted scenes on the bluray and they all deserved to be deleted.

FX has aired the "Norton cut" on a few occasions. I am certain I have not hallucinated this.

ugh I'd never watch that. Hopefully they didn't include a full hour of extra crap.

But I think FX has done that before. They'll just throw deleted scenes into certain movies when they run them. Pretty sure they did that with IRON MAN.

Out of curiousity, what were the deleted scenes?

A lot of them were seem in the trailers for the movie. There's the alternate opening in the Arctic. A brief therapy session with Doc Samson. All sorts of small dialogue exchanges sprinkled throughout.

I'd say about 50% of Hurt's screentime is in the deleted scenes. Nothing game-changing, but some nice character moments with Betty, Samson, Banner, Blonsky and Ross.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Waaaaaaaalt 

So I just watched this today and I forgot that they don't kill the abomination. So does that mean we are going to see him in The Avengers? I mean Live Tyler stops him.........for some reason and then he just pushes him over. Whats to stop him from getting up and killing everyone? How in the hell are they going to hold him? I would give anything to see someone put giant handcuffs on hima nd load him intoa  giant police car.

I've heard that in the script Ross had had Stark Industries construct a special cell designed to hold the Hulk that they brought along when they arrested Banner. When Blonksy was knocked out, in he went. It's a shame that didn't make it in, especially considering the dialogue between Loki and Fury in the D23 footage.  

I'll never get the hate pointed at this film or how it has been ignored for the most part in all conversations about Marvel's Movieverse.  It's definitely one of their better efforts.  Hell, I love it just as much as Captain America and the first Iron Man.

Never heard anyone say they hate the film so that is news to me. The film just feels so small and lite to me.

I think some of it works wonderfully. Norton, Roth some of the effects the score even the final battle.

However a lot of it seems half baked especially the opening credits, the factory sequence (dark and murky do not make great atmosphere for an action sequence) most of William Hurts work, Liv Tyler and Nelson.

Much like Captain America I feel like it needed another action set piece and a better ending.

I think they botched that final frame. Especially when we get to The Avengers and see where they take the character (Banner won't have Zen abilities to control his rage count on it).

Its enjoyable and has moments but i'm one of those crackpots that fell in love with Ang Lee's take so discount my opinion.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike's Pants 

I've heard that in the script Ross had had Stark Industries construct a special cell designed to hold the Hulk that they brought along when they arrested Banner. When Blonksy was knocked out, in he went. It's a shame that didn't make it in, especially considering the dialogue between Loki and Fury in the D23 footage.  

So we will see him you think?
 

Blonsky?  I have no doubt the he could pop up in another Hulk solo film or maybe in a Masters of Evil-esque Avengers sequel, but I'm not expecting him to make an appearance next May.