The Incredible Hulk Review

We are greatly anticipating The Avengers 2 coming up in a couple of months and I think I should go back and review some of the movies that have lead up to it. The Incredible Hulk (2008) was the second installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It was meant to act as both a reboot and a sequel to Ang Lee's Hulk movie from a few years prior which itself wasn't involved with the whole Avengers cross over storyline movies. The Incredible Hulk not only helped get us psyched up for the eventual Avengers movie, it was also cram packed with references to the old TV series and comic books.

Picking up after the events of the Gamma Bomb experiment gone wrong, Dr. Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) travels the globe looking for a cure. The Gamma radiation he was exposed to transforms him into a powerful, uncontrollable raging "Hulk" when angered. Banner strives to keep this primal alter ego under control, but as the target of an international man hunt lead by General "Thunderbolt" Ross (William Hurt) it is difficult to contain. When Banner meets Dr. Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson) who believes he can cure Banner of his transformations, Banner travels to Culver University in Virginia to meet Sterns. This risks encountering Betty Ross (Liv Tyler) a past love interest of Banner's, whom he has avoided to keep her from the dangerous Hulk. In desperation, Ross calls in power-hungry soldier Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) to help capture Banner. Blonsky undertakes some transformations himself trying to keep up with the Hulk and slowly begins to change into a more bestial creature himself.

While Ang Lee's Hulk movie was alright, it ended up being too stylistically cerebral and artistic, vying for dramatic depth for a movie about a gigantic green rage monster; too much talking and not enough smashing. The Incredible Hulk doesn't really ignore that origins storyline, and starts off with Bruce already able to transform if he loses control of his emotions. The opening credits recap the back story with a prologue using the cast from this movie before it gets going. You don't really need to see the previous Hulk movie to get into this one.

The Incredible Hulk caters to fans of the 1970's and 80's TV series and comic books. Most notably, Lou Ferrigno has a cameo as a security guard. He's way more muscular than he ever was actually playing The Hulk in the TV show that made him famous. Ferrigno actually voiced the Hulk for the movie. One of the students who witnesses the fight at Culver University is named Jack McGee, which is the name of the tabloid reporter who attempts to track down the Hulk in the same TV series. Some of the theme music from the series was used in this movie. In one scene Betty buys Bruce some purple pants, a nod to the comics where the Hulk is almost always seen wearing purple pants. Paul Soles briefly appears as "Stanley," the pizza shop owner; he provided the voice of Bruce Banner in the 1960's Hulk animated series. The name of the character may also be a tribute to the Hulk's co-creator Stan Lee. You should also watch for Iron Man, Captain America, and S.H.I.E.L.D references.

Edward Norton made a fantastic Bruce Banner. Not only did he play the character amazingly well, he also offered rewrites of the script which were included in the final production. Norton is a Hulk fan and really wanted to do it justice for the fans and help tell a solid story. He and director Louis Leterrier both felt that just because they were making a superhero movie it doesn't mean it should exclusively appeal to thirteen-year-old boys. They see superheroes as the new Greek Gods and wanted give the story dramatic suitable dramatic action. Much to the chagrin of fans of The Incredible Hulk, Norton did not reprise the role for Banner in The Avengers. Leterrier's first choice for Banner had originally been Mark Ruffalo, and Ruffalo did take on the role for The Avengers and was signed on for future appearances. They are different takes on the same character, but both do a simply amazing job.

I just love what The Incredible Hulk does with color. Bruce wears a lot of blue and the Hulk is represented by green. Bruce's eyes turn green as he begins to transform into the Hulk, signifying which of the two personalities are dominant at the moment. In one scene Bruce and Betty are lying in different beds, troubled by their thoughts. Betty's head is surrounded by the color blue in this shot, suggesting that her thoughts are on Bruce. The shot switches to Bruce, who is surrounded by the color green, suggesting he is troubled by and thinking about the Hulk. The camera rarely holds still; there's no shaky cam (thank goodness) but the camera is in constant movement panning through sets alongside the action. This gives it a sense of urgency and motion which complements the manhunt chases which is, at the most basic level, what the movie is about.

I really liked The Incredible Hulk. It was well written, well acted, paid homage to many of its source materials and predecessors, and was just plain fun. I don't think it was the best of the first wave of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's movies, but it was very much enjoyable. There are a few particularly violent moments during fights between Hulk and Abomination that made me cringe; that might be a red flag for parents who intend to watch this with young kids. It still remains safely in the PG-13 realm. If you haven't seen this movie yet, I recommend it. I've already got a copy sitting safely on my shelf among other favorites.

There is currently not a plan for another solo Hulk movie, though he will be appearing in other Marvel movies. If Hulk were to get another solo movie, what storyline would you like to see made? There's some good potential for the Planet Hulk story line now that we've got space epics thanks to Thor and The Guardians of the Galaxy. I'd also like to see Hulk's nemesis, The Leader, make an appearance. Comment below and tell me what you think!

Selma

You know it's Oscar season when biopics flood the theaters. This will make my fourth biopic review for this season, and I'll probably be doing at least one more after this. Of the lot, Selma (2015) is easily the most moving and arguably the most important to see. It's won several Golden Globe awards and is up for Best Picture at the Academy Awards this year. Selma reminds us of where we've been as a country in terms of racial segregation and should remind us that we've still got a ways to go.

Although the Civil Rights Act of 1964 legally desegregated the south, discrimination was still rampant in certain areas, making it very difficult for blacks to register to vote. Alabama Governor George Wallace (Tim Roth) was making no movement to stop the discrimination or allow the blacks in his state to vote. In 1965, an Alabama city became the battleground in the fight for suffrage. Despite violent opposition, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (David Oyelowo) and his followers pressed forward on an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, and their efforts culminated in President Lyndon B. Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most significant victories for the civil rights movement.

I think an indication of continued racial segregation is the fact that we have a month devoted to Black History. While in grade school, I remember hearing about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the great things he did and stood for. I also remember hearing about the Vietnam war. While I had a general idea of the timeline in which these events took place, it not once occurred to me that these events were contemporaneous, nor that one might affect the other. They were completely separate events in my mind. How President Johnson could send troops to Vietnam when there was a violent war for human rights being fought on American soil was something repeatedly brought up in Selma. Black history is American history and should not be separated from other historical events and only taught during a specific month of the year.

It's interesting that Selma starts off with Dr. King accepting his Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway in 1964, nearly a year before the march in Selma takes place. Normally, our hero is given recognition and awards at the end of the story. I think this was done to show that even though awards were given for Dr. King's work, there was still lots left to do and to accomplish in the name of equality. Awards and recognition for standing up for the rights of the oppressed are basically meaningless when people are still being oppressed. That truly set the tone for the story told in Selma; the blacks in the south did technically have the rights they were demanding, but were being kept from accessing those rights. If that is so, was the Civil Rights Act really a victory deserving of recognition?

Selma brought the events of the Voting Rights Act to life in a very real way. It was unabashed and earnest in its depiction of the historic march from Selma to Montgomery. We see and hear horribly racist acts and remarks with shocking honesty. It's disturbing to think that people could be beaten within an inch of their lives (and some to death) by law enforcement for no reason other than demanding access to rights that have already been granted to them. It's one thing to think it, it's another thing to see it. While there are acts of violence portrayed in Selma, it remains safely within its PG-13 rating. Yet these acts of violence are despicably unjust since the victims are neither doing anything wrong nor fighting back. Some absolutely want to fight back but the aggressors have more firepower and authority; if the black citizens were to fight, and they did, even more black citizens would be killed. The injustice is expressed remarkably well in this movie and will likely cause your blood to boil.

Martin Luther King, Jr. and David Oyelowo

I had not heard of David Oyelowo, but upon looking him up, he's been in several major motion pictures including Interstellar and Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which I have seen. Here, he gets the starring role and he's simply amazing. He embodies Dr. King so perfectly that you'd assume he actually was the civil rights leader. He's very kind, speaks boldly, and is passionate about what he is doing. A couple of Dr. King's speeches were reenacted for the movie and they were powerful! I can't think of many times that I was truly moved or felt invigorated by a speech, especially not one pertaining to politics. Oyelowo captured Dr. King's mannerisms, vocal inflections, and passion perfectly. There were a few times I was ready to stand up with the crowd he was speaking to and applaud, but thankfully I remembered I was in a crowded movie theater and constrained myself. Oyelowo's acting is possibly the best I've seen of this year's Oscar Nominees; he deserves something even if he's not up for Best Actor.

Selma was a powerful movie. If you paid attention in your modern history class you'll already be familiar with the story. Even if you think you know what's coming, the movie positively hums with suspense and surprise. It's packed with incident and overflowing with fascinating characters. This is a powerful and empathic piece of cinematic storytelling. This shouldn't change how you feel about these events, but seeing history come alive like this is positively riveting! The movie is beautifully written, remarkably well cast, amazingly well acted, and the camera work was nothing shy of gorgeous. This is worth seeing in theaters if you can manage it, but even if you can't, don't miss this excellent movie. It's so well done that even those who don't enjoy dramas or biopics will be enthralled with Selma.