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!

The Village Movie Review

In most cases, directors go from bad or mediocre films to good films as they progress in their career. M. Night Shyamalan seems to have managed to do the opposite. He gained renown with The Sixth Sense (1999), but his movies started to fizzle out with Signs (2002). He really began to lose credibility with audiences after The Happening (2008). When The Village (2004) was released, we still had high expectations, but it was with The Village that he really started to disappoint.

There is a small village of about 60 puritans in rural Pennsylvania. For the most part these puritan settlers live a quiet and peaceful life, but fear the terrible creatures that lurk just outside the borders of the village. The villagers have reached an agreement with these beasts in which each side allowed to go about their business as long as neither one crosses the village’s boundaries.  This delicate balance is upset when a young man, Lucius Hunt (Joaquin Pheonix), ventures into the forest to see what lies beyond the borders. Animal carcasses, stripped of their fur, being to appear around the village, causing the council of elders to fear for the safety of the village, the agreement with the creatures, and more. After Lucius gets injured, the village patriarch, Edward Walker (William Hurt), sends his daughter Ivy (Bryce Dallas Howard) through the woods to retrieve medicine from the outside towns. Ivy is blind and cannot tell where she is going or where the prowling creatures might be.

All the characters in this movie are pretty flat and uninteresting. They don’t develop, they aren’t deep, and they are remarkably reserved. It’s almost as if the puritan qualities of simplicity and humility are over insinuated upon the characters to the point that they are scarcely even one-dimensional. Everyone gets along with such ease that they end up feeling unrealistic. The characters (and the tone of the movie itself) are so somber that they almost seem afraid to make the audience aware of their presence.

The best part of The Village is when we are focused on Ivy. About halfway through the movie, Ivy becomes the central figure; she gets to learn about some of the village secrets and she stumbles around in the woods, completely blind. To put the viewer on the same level as Ivy, we see her hand stretched forth to the edge of the screen as she tries to feel her way around. When she comes across something, she feels it with her hand and then it comes into full view on the screen only after Ivy figures out what it is. We are shown shots of the front of Ivy’s feet as she walks through the unfamiliar forest; we (like Ivy) cannot see where she is going or what obstacles may be in her way. Not only is this a brilliant way to visually depict the world through Ivy’s perspective, it also intensifies the sense of being completely lost in the woods and amps up the suspense.

M. Night Shyamalan is known for his twist endings. Generally, a good twist ending blows your mind as you realize all the subtle little things previously in the movie all add up to a big surprise at the end. The twist in The Village was completely out of the blue. There was no logical build up to it, no hints leading up to it, and no subtle clues to take into account. It’s established that there are secrets in the village, but when we see the big secret it’s just too out of place with the story, and even the setting, such that that it’s impossible to swallow.

The Village was the movie that caused M. Night Shyamalan’s credibility as a director and writer to take a significant downswing. The story is pretty forgettable. In fact the only thing that seems to stick out in people’s minds even years after seeing it is how unjustified the ending was and how disconcerted it made them feel. The only redeeming value is the creative camera work while the blind girl stumbles around in the woods. If you haven’t seen The Village, you’re only really missing out on a disappointing product of a formerly good writer and director. If you did see The Village years ago, you probably only remember how non-sequitur the conclusion was. This movie is “okay” at best, but isn’t really worth going out of your way to see.

What did you think of The Village? Did it have some endearing qualities? Did you think the twist ending was acceptable? Comment below and tell me why!