Review: The Incredible Hulk (2008) ***
“Hello. My name is Bruce Banner and I’m a rageaholic.”
Ang Lee sure ruined the Hulk. No, I’m not talking about the 2003 movie where he had the temerity to try injecting real adult emotion into a comic book story. I’m talking about the new 2008 incarnation that is so desperate to forget Lee ever happened, it sheds all traces of genuine heart that would’ve given the film a hint of gravity. Instead, it resorts to shameless audience pandering designed to return Marvel Studios to the good graces of the Hulk nerds. In the process, the poor green guy ends up without a soul and The Incredible Hulk ends up an entertaining-in-the-moment, but bloodless endeavor that doesn’t linger.
Sure, it’s fun, but the thrill is gone by the time you sit through the end credits, hoping in vain for an Iron Man-like zinger that never comes.
The history rewrite begins from the very start with a jerky, irritating opening credit montage that obliterates Lee’s original story while simultaneously introducing Edward Norton, William Hurt and Liv Tyler as Bruce Banner, General Ross and his daughter Betty. The film then picks up in South America where Lee’s film left off, though instead of administering medicine to villagers, Dr. Banner lives in a city slum and works anonymously in a bottling factory, all the while learning to control his anger and searching the Amazonian jungles for a cure for his gamma radiation poisoning.
Ordinarily, this is the part of the review where the convolutions of plot would be itemized in agonizing detail. Instead, suffice it to say that Bruce ends up back in the US, getting closer to Betty while searching for the man who can help him cure himself. At the same time, General Ross and a mysterious mercenary named Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) are hot on his trail. Blonsky, looking to get some of the super strength Hulk has, turns himself into the Abomination, a gamma radiation induced creature technically more powerful than the Hulk, except when Hulk is ultra pissed off. Much carnage ensues.
The new Hulk is certainly more action packed than the last one with Bruce hulking out roughly every 20 to 30 minutes. The second of these rampages where Hulk is chased across a college campus by helicopters and Humvees while tearing the joint up is especially terrific. This sequence also features one of the best moments in the movie as Hulk protects Betty from a crashing helicopter. Not surprisingly, this scene and one later in a cave in the rain are among the few that make an honest effort at showing human emotion.
The final confrontation with the Abomination is also a lot of fun, particularly the moment with the demi-cop-car boxing gloves. Unfortunately, the new Hulk lacks the palpable sense of rage possessed by Lee’s Hulk. Though he roars and smashes, it’s not as convincing. Also, whenever the action stops, so does the movie. The drama in between the action is totally airless and much of the humor is dead on arrival, consisting largely of in-jokey references to the comic and TV show (CAUTION, spoiled in-jokes follow): oh look, there’s Bill Bixby on the television; hey, that was a snatch of the Hulk TV theme song; aha, here’s a joke about stretchy purple pants; zing, he accidentally says “You wouldn’t like me when I’m…hungry” in Portugese; gee, that security guard looks awfully familiar; and so on (END spoiled in-jokes).
These were all blatant attempts to re-establish Marvel’s fidelity to the way an uncritical and narrow-minded audience remembers a beloved comic book character. Naturally, the uncritical and narrow-minded audience I saw the movie with ate it up and asked for more. However, those who demand more from their entertainment might be distracted and annoyed.
I’m probably being a little overly critical here. The truth is, The Incredible Hulk is a fairly solidly entertaining comic book movie that benefits enormously from not needing a lengthy origin story. Though Hurt and Tyler are mostly flat (inferior in every way to Sam Elliot and Jennifer Connelly in the Lee film) and there is zero chemistry between Tyler and Norton, Norton and Roth are both very good. Tim Blake Nelson is also fun as scientist and future arch-villain Samuel Sterns.
Finally, the all-important CGI and other special effects are fairly impressive if not flawless. Hulk at times looks like a nearly flesh and blood character rather than the oddly plastic looking version that marred large portions of the 2003 film.
Because it gets enough right, The Incredible Hulk is sure to satisfy fans for the most part. Ultimately though, it is a surface treatment that fulfills its purpose without leaving much of a mark. In baseball parlance, while the Lee film swung for the fences only to hit the ball just foul, the new Hulk drags a bunt single toward third. It’s an effective strategy in the short term perhaps, but it doesn’t make for a very memorable game or promise the highest rewards.
The Incredible Hulk. USA 2008. Directed by Louis Leterrier. Written by Zak Penn. Cinematography by Peter Menzies, Jr. Music composed by Craig Armstrong. Starring Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt and Tim Blake Nelson. 1 hour 52 minutes. MPAA Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense action violence, some frightening sci-fi images, and brief suggestive content. 3 stars (out of 5)
Filed under: Reviews
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Eureka! Congratulations, Craig. You’ve devised the ur-text Mad Libs template applicable to every conceivable summer movie:
“Instead, it resorts to shameless audience pandering designed to return ______ to the good graces of the ______ nerds. In the process, the poor ______ guy ends up without a soul and ______ ends up an entertaining-in-the-moment, but bloodless endeavor that doesn’t linger.”
Hah, yeah it doesn’t seem fair to criticize a summer movie for being a summer movie, does it?
Meh…I’m cranky. Ready for summer movies to be done with and for the real movie season to begin.
no no, that wasn’t meant as a jibe, Craig. Not at all. I sincerely think you’ve distilled the problem of many summer movies down the essence of the same constricted formula that fails to help any of them break out and become anything very special. (And it was unfair for me to say “every conceivable summer movie” because, hey, look at me; still trying to conceal my premature boner for The Dark Knight.)
Since I haven’t seen the Ang Lee Hulk (gasp!) I had to try to concoct something else to say to distract from my ignorance.
I really need to get a booster shot for my hype vaccine before next summer though. The movies I’ve been looking most forward to for months have let me down miserably, while those I let myself be grudgingly dragged to see have been such pleasurable surprises. No need to mention titles, (I come not to bury Lucas, nor to praise him; The evil that men do lives after them, The good is oft interred with their bones and crystal skulls.)
I liked The Incredible Hulk more than you did, Craig, but that might easily be attributed to me going in to it expecting such a godawful colossal turd. I have no frame of reference either — never saw the original TV series, and missed the first pass at the movie too. So I have nothin’ to compare it to besides nothin’, and next to nuthin’ it seemed to measure up pretty good.
Other movies this summer promised me more and delivered much less. I like a script that tries to make some sense and gives some speakable lines to actors, gives them a chance to, you know, act. If you’re gonna have A-List stars in B movies, please don’t waste their abundant talent by having them portray caricatures. (Couldn’t 1000 other actresses have done just as well with the role Cate Blanchett was saddled with? For me it was almost painful to see her degraded like that, but oops, wrong movie I’m whining about again.)
I bought the romance in this retread movie more readily than I bought it in another retread movie this month. It didn’t seem so much like Liv Tyler had just stepped out of her trailer for her cameo.
ok ok, I know it’s not fair to compare one franchise to another… but actually, it’s not so fair to compare one episode of a franchise to another episode either. They should be allowed to fail or succeed on their own.
For such an outlandish comic book premise, The Incredible Hulk to me seemed remarkably grounded in real human emotions and genuine solid locations. Maybe it doesn’t stand up next to Ang Lee’s vision (which I’m now excited to see) but for me it stands far above other movies that seemed to make no attempt whatsoever to convince me of their plausibility.
One thing I wish we could’ve seen is the R-rated story of the Hulk. Losing that aspect of the romance is a ton of opportunity blown, so to speak.
(and side note: You write the kindest benign-est refined-est negative reviews of any critic I know, Craig. Unlike me, somehow always writing the snittiest nit-pickiest persnicketiest positive reviews.)
I didn’t take what you said as a jibe, but it’s true I’m probably holding the movie to too high of a standard.
I think I liked the movie a little more than this review indicates. I enjoyed myself while it was playing and that’s about all I could hope for. However, it’s already fading from my memory.
Also, I’m not so much expecting the New Hulk to be the same as the Old Hulk, it’s just that the comparison neatly illustrated what I liked about one and didn’t like about the other.
I agree that Blanchett was completely wasted in the other movie, and as I said in the review, casting her simply magnified how underwritten that role was. You may note that, although Indy was a more positively written review, I gave it the same number of stars as Hulk.
(Also, thank you for not directly invoking Speed in your disappointments of summer, you know I’m still stinging over that one….heh heh)
oh wow, nope I hadn’t noticed the star-ranking equivalency. I get chest pains when we don’t have the same opinion of a movie so I sort of glaze over and miss details like that.
As for the other film you mention, I should’ve let you know that I’ll probably never be prepared to discuss it. Every time I try to recall the experience, my brain does this:
STOP: 0X00000008E(0XC0000090, 0X004B4BD8, 0XEE25885C, 0X00000000)
Beginning dump of physical memory.
Physical memory dump complete.
Contact system administrator.
And then all I can see for a few minutes is a nice soothing shade of blue doom.
What can it mean?
How can I prevent this error?
Is it a dangerous system breakdown?
nah, seriously, I’m already ready to reevaluate Speed Racer on DVD. I’m looking forward to it. I really like your assessment of the movie as essentially an avant-garde experimental film and the studio was induced to philanthropically donate $200 mil to help nurture that visionary concept to fruition.
You remember I had a similar exalted impression of The Bourne Ultimatum, comparing the cinematography and editing to Duchamp’s Nude Descending a Staircase (ha!), so I really do see where you’re coming from, Craig.
The Dadaist Ultimatum
Exactly!
alors! The Treason of Images!
Ceci n’est pas une MacGuffin.
Kudos to you man for posting this one fast, I saw it ages ago and still have not even written a single word of my review….maybe tomorrow or something.
I’ll read your review then, I’m sure it is awesome.
Don’t sweat it man, sometimes a movie just doesn’t inspire you to write, even if you like it. Happens to me allll the time. For some reason, this one only took me 4 hours from beginning to end. I wish they were always this easy. Not sure if it’s any good, but it’s done.
“Craig Kennedy writes the kindest negative review of anyone”
This observation, made by good friend and fellow Obama backer, Ryan Adams (but he chooses not to talk about it………..LOL!) sums up the nature of LIC’s passionate proprietor. Craig lowers the boom gently, and never resorts to ridicule and insult as most of us do. (I once titled my review of STRANGER THAN FICTION as an “ADAPTATION for third graders”, an assessment that had a number of people rightfully railing into me. In this sense I share some of Ryan’s bluntness, when in the wrong mood) With Craig, there is this underlying love and respect for effort, and while he’s no Roger Ebert softie, he is just as gentlemanly. Mr. Ebert by the way was the recipient of a dedication from Werner Herzog, who stated at the beginning of his new documentary “For Roger Ebert.” Say what you want about Ebert being a “non intellectual” and a critic who gives every movie a good review, but he has made his own imprint as a genuine human being.
Craig expended four hours on his HULK review, but the end result shows it was time well spent. I concur with his position, even if I probably like the film even less.
“HULK is a surface treatment that fullfills its purpose without leaving its mark.”
That is as good a summary of HULK as you will find, sweet and succinct.
Putting me in the same sentence as Ebert is a high compliment indeed.
Don’t worry though, if a movie needs to have the piss taken out of it, I’ll take the piss out of it. Those reviews are the easiest and most fun to write.
On the other hand, the longer I do this, the more aware I am that, for every movie I absolutely hate, there’s someone out there who loves it for some reason. Who am I to judge? Rather than try and make someone feel stupid for the movies they like, I’d prefer to gently encourage them to make more critical choices.
I’m also liking the glass is half full approach where more time is spent chatting about the good than wasting breath on the bad.
Craig, you realize that if Lee hit the foul pole, that means that he still hit a home run, right?
Unless I end up writing a 5-star review of Lee’s Hulk, I guess it’s too late to pretend that I did in fact know that.
I blame the monkeys.
“Rather than try and make someone feel stupid for the movies they like, I’d prefer to gently encourage them to make more critical choices.”
Class!
I agree with your points, Craig. In fact, I think I made most of the same ones. The problem with reviewing films like this (and Iron Man) is that they are what they set out to be, they entertain well enough, and they don’t over-tax your brain. They’re not great cinema, and we probably won’t be watching them 4-5 years down the pipe, but they’re not necessarily bad. Once you’ve seen a bunch of them, though, they begin to get quite tedious to write about. I was pretty miserable with my review of the film, mainly because there’s nothing much to say other than “The Hulk smashes up stuff and it looks cool.”
But I do strongly agree with the non-chemistry between Tyler and Norton. I know they were up to the task, but you could tell Marvel and Letterier were all terrified of Ang Lee’s film and worked extra hard to ditch all that “angst” stuff. The scene in the hotel room particularly pissed me off - they can’t consummate their relationship, which is terribly tragic, but the scene becomes a joke rather than an emotionally resonant moment (which it could have easily been).
Now that they’ve banked their #1 B.O. victory, as well as a generally positive critical consensus, hopefully they’ll dig deeper into the Hulk’s pathos for the second installment. The Hulk has the potential to be not only a great comic book movie, but an epic Shakespearean tragedy if it’s handled right. They need a director who can combine Lee’s grasp of emotion with Letterier’s grasp of action…I choose Paul Greengrass. Give him the reigns of the next Hulk installment and you’ll have cinematic gold in your hands.
I ended up liking the film much more than I expected to. Not a great film, but solidly entertaining.
Don’t worry Ryan, I haven’t seen Ang Lee’s original either, so I have nothing to compare this to. But I found it enjoyable.
I did think it was kind of funny that when I walked in the screening with my “date” that most of the patrons were single, white, overweight males who hadn’t shaved in several days. I’m sure this one was much more geek-friendly than the original.
I’m no Hulk aficionado or Hulk nerd by any extremes. The only time I ever read the comic book was when my favorite writer/artist of the time John Byrne was at the helm and even though I liked the TV show, I admit it was a fairly one-trick pony. All the same, I’m a little lost as to what to one would expect from the Hulk movie beyond Hulk SMASH!
And honestly, it delivered that in spades. Beyond the Banner-on-the-run element, which was the crux of the TV show, I thought the movie was fairly faithful to the concept of the comic book and served it pretty well. I have a lot of hate for Ang Lee’s take, mostly because I think he tried to inject elements into the Hulk that had no business being there and it failed miserably in every respect.
I went into the theater expecting some decent acting and some good action and I got both. Liv Tyler was awful but honestly, has she ever been all that good in anything? William Hurt wasn’t bad nor was Tim Roth in fairly one-note characters, but the Hulk has always been a fairly one-note comic book character.
The script was weak and the non-action scenes were somewhat inert…but I guess I wasn’t expecting much more from this movie.
You’re right Joel and I really didn’t expect much more than Hulk smash, but it turns out I wanted more than that. Contradictory, I know, but there it is. As I said, I think I’m just bored of comic book movies that try so hard to be faithful rather than fresh.
Ang Lee may have been misguided for trying to make The Hulk something it wasn’t, but the parts that worked for me worked better than anything in the new one.
Fair enough, and but I’m afraid if you want depth in your comic book characters you’ll need to seek out the better-written print versions because these movies cost so much to make and hinge so much on audience acceptance that they’re going to keep shooting for the broad side of the barn. It certainly doesn’t make me happy, but it also doesn’t surprise me.
“these movies cost so much to make and hinge so much on audience acceptance that they’re going to keep shooting for the broad side of the barn” Yeah and Marvel is aiming low. I was excited with the idea of a Marvel movie Universe after Iron Man, but I’m already over it. They’re not going to do anything interesting. If I want to get my Marvel fix, I’ll just go back and read the old comics.
For the record, the only Hulk I ever read was the early part of the Peter David run with the grey Hulk and all that. Very Freudian which is maybe why I warmed up to the Lee version.
I have yet to read a better interpretation of THE INCREDIBLE HULK than the one written by British film critic Peter Bradshaw. The reviewer despises the film, but using a Hulkish point of view, he succeeded in writing one of the best film reviews of the year by any critic on any film. In this week’s Watercooler. I printed the first and last paragraphs of the review on submission #40. But some will want to check out the entire review in the Friday, June 13th edition of The Guardian. It is absolutely hysterical!
The first Hulk kinda proved that Marvel should avoid the auteur POV and just go for the superhero blowedy up real good audience. I can’t say I’m happy about it either and these things are getting tiresome, but I honestly expected this newest superhero movie fad to burn itself out by now. I can’t believe they expect to keep this thing going well into 2011.
Think of it this way Craig: now that Marvel has taken over ownership of all their properties, there’s far more incentive for the studios to do something different. It will likely be more of the same crap we’ve seen before, but with less underwear perverts.
On the nitpicky side, I would like to point out that the cameos at the end of IRON MAN and HULK are a sign of Marvel’s uninspired, franchisey way of looking at things. The cameos are exactly the same, artlessly added at the end, nothing more than a jokey ad for the next picture. Why not a little more creativity? Why not something a little more seamless that weaves into the picture with a bit more grace?
I’m never going to get my anti-superhero movie rant off the ground, but suffice it to say I’m in line with Chuck and I have no further interest in what Marvel plans on dishing up. They’ve resorted to taking the easy way out and they’re completely just pandering to the audience.
Ultimately, that’s what irritated me the most about Hulk. All the pandering. The in-jokes for fans. They’ve made it clear they have little interest in being inventive, they’re just going to cash in on their huge reserve of familiar properties. It makes fantastic business sense and I wouldn’t mind being a Marvel shareholder, but I won’t be a ticketholder again any time soon.
Well, almost entirely based on your review, Craig, I checked it out against my previous impulse of skipping it and…
I thought it was all right. Indeed, as Joel says, it’s far more successful on its own terms, doing what it’s trying to do, than Ang Lee’s movie was (in my honest opinion).
That said, as crazy as it may sound, I’m actually sort of interested in this 170-minute cut. Would I want to see it one day? I’m not sure, but I will say that I was continually slightly bemused and kind of depressed at how the movie regularly just dropped characters (SPOILERS: Mr. Blue, who appeared to be partly infected with some blood…?; that old nice guy with his pizza establishment; and Liv Tyler’s head-shrinking beau all just abruptly vanish). It seemed like there was a possibly burgeoning epic take on this somewhere buried in this shorter, choppier cut; whether it would be better, though, I’m not convinced. Indeed, I liked that it was as brisk as it was in many ways.
Anyway, Edward Norton, Tyler, Tim Roth and William Hurt all managed to acquit themselves decently.
I’d never want to see this cut of the movie again, but maybe one day take a look at Norton’s. I have a feeling that, like Ryan, perhaps, I liked it more than I figured I would because I was expecting something of a disaster and this wasn’t that, at least.
I’d be comfortable granting Norton a shadow of a doubt and seeing the longer cut, Alexander, although I agree I probably won’t bother revisiting this one either.
Curious how many critics are defending the Lee version in favor of trouncing this newest one. There are now two separate posts on THND this week attempting to accomplish that task. The odd thing is though, I don’t think anyone would be singing the praises of Lee’s film had Marvel not re-booted it in the first place. A year ago you’d have to work pretty hard to find many positive reviews of Ang Lee’s Hulk, let alone some of the eloquent shot-by-shot dissections posted online this week.
Weird how that happens…but kind of cool I suppose. I just wish those critiques didn’t require a remake to get written.
I agree 100% that Hulk succeeded on its own terms Alexander, but it turns out they’re terms I’m not interested in.
As for Mr. Blue and Betty’s boyfriend, you can expect to see them again. Mr. Blue’s character is future super villain The Leader and Betty’s boyfriend will become Doc Samson. To the extent you give a shit, you can Wiki both characters for more info.
Lee’s Hulk was definitely a far cry from what he probably wanted it to be, but that’s what happens when you aim high. Though the new Hulk aimed lower and hit its target, I still got more out of Lee.
I just saw your comment Joel. It’s fair to say I probably wouldn’t have bothered with the Lee version had the new one not been made. I wonder if my reaction to it would’ve been different if I’d seen it when it was new along with everyone else.
As it is…well you know where I stand.
Also, Alexander….how on earth did my review make you decide not to skip Hulk? That was not my intention, despite the 3 stars.
“…how on earth did my review make you decide not to skip Hulk?”
Because we’re in tune to your nuances, Craig. The fact that you allowed Hulk to survive without undo skewering is a sort of forfeit allowance that leaves the door open.
I look forward to the day when we see TV spots for movies with your blurbs splashed across the screen:
“Succeeds on its own terms!” - Craig Kennedy, LiC
;-)
Also, wow, I just read those two articles at House Next Door and they both pretty much nailed everything I’ve been feeling about both Hulks but have yet to successfully articulate. Jerks! The review of the new Hulk wasn’t so hot, but that guy’s defense of Lee was right on all the way down.
Ryan how could I ever compete with Pete Hammond? ”
“I loved Alvin and the Chipmunks so much I’m touching myself right now!” - Pete Hammond
I like this blurb better ‘Sure, it’s fun, but the thrill is gone by the time you sit through the end credits’. O wait, they don’t use that kind of quote. Seems your career as a TV spot blurb quotee for summer blockheaders will be short-lived Craig.
With my summer movie track record this year Sartre, I think you’re right. I swear I haven’t been intentionally contrarian.
I’m not reliable judge of any of these movies this summer. I’m bored by the ones everybody else is excited about and end up liking the ones I’m supposed to hate. I even kinda enjoyed The Happening. The ending crashed badly, but the first half was tight and it fell apart in graceful slow-motion. (Simply seemed to run out of happenings.)
People complain about all the sequels and retreads and formulas, and then a guy comes along trying to do something unique and if he doesn’t hit it out of the park then he’s ridiculed.
Mainstream media critics suck, and mainstream audiences suck harder. Conventional wisdom is some fickle shit.
I don’t even trust my own tone to come across right when we discuss these films. I was being absolutely sincere when I suggest your reviews have a subtlety that allows for interpretations beyond a basic thumbs up or thumbs down.
None of us is saying The Incredible Hulk is much more than summer fun. But at least I didn’t feel brain-damaged afterward (or feel like the flimmakers assumed I was from the start,)
What you do with your reviews is pretty unique, Craig, because you generally don’t dismiss a movie outright, and refuse take easy jabs at a film simply to show off your sharp wit.
So when you say a movie didn’t suck as badly as it had every right to suck, then we know it’s probably not a waste of 2 hours.
Your reviews can manage to praise with faint damns.
we might disagree on this or that movie, but we’re in line on mainstream critics, audiences and the general state of summer fare.
I guess I tried to be fair to Hulk, though it felt like one of my more negative reviews. I can’t deny that it probably delivered what most people wanted from it though so I tried to reflect that.
I admire artists seeking to do what you describe of Shyamalan, Ryan. And if I saw The Happening I might yet adjust my opinion. But I gave up on him after The Village because each new work seemed a repetition in its essentials of earlier efforts. That can sometimes work, but to me Shymalan isn’t interesting or innovative enough in his uniqueness. Sixth Sense was pristine and fresh, but with each photocopy of earlier photocopies the quality seems to fade. Hey, we disagree for once - cool.
Shyamalan should definitely keep making odd personal films…he just needs to do them less badly. And the ‘personal statements’ that he’s trying to make are pretty trite.
Maybe Shyamalan would be better off if somebody would set him up with a weekly Outer Limits/Twilight Zoney series on the Sci-fi channel. His ideas don’t really seem big enough for the movies — not even The Sixth Sense — and it doesn’t help that he had to launch his career with a $600 mil stunner. I sympathize with him for being expected to live up to that in every subsequent film.
I also wish he’s stop trying to explain everything for the slow kids in class. That was a great strength of The Sixth Sense. He only spent about 2 minutes on the revelation. The Happening’s revelation is not nearly as clever, and he keeps revealing it over and over for 45 minutes.
But honestly, as far as trying to be a movie that gives an audience something to think about and talk about later. The Happening does deliver one good solid message. Which is more than Indy IV did, no matter how cool the ants were.
Yes, yes, and I disagree. The underlying concept of The Happening is a good one, but he spoils it and makes it ridiculous. By the end, I was thinking “this is what people who believe global warming is a hoax think we’re all like: totally insane”. And I think Indy had more than meets the eye going on.
The other message Indy delivered, even to fans like myself: Lucas Should Go Away
INDY SPOILER As maligned as the alien ending was, I thought it was a nifty contrast to the pre-war, pre-atomic age mythologies that were generally more biblical. It fit the 1950s time period perfectly.
jeffmcm, I concur with your disagreement, somehow. (And feel the urge to kill myself. Hope you’re happy.)
The Happening fails one test Indy IV passes: Will I Ever Sit Through It Again Test.
That’s the only test that counts, isn’t it?
“That’s the only test that counts, isn’t it?”
That, and Will I Forgo Other Pleasures and/or Necessities to Buy the DVD?
Ahhh…we’ll that’s a harder one to pin down. My rules for DVD buying have gotten very very strict.
Although, Tower had the 5-disc blu-ray SE of Blade Runner for 12 bucks! How could I not buy that?
I don’t know, Craig, I swear when I read your review of The Incredible Hulk I kept seeing the words being formed backwards saying, “Alexander, see this movie… see this movie… see this movie…” Then I started hearing the voices, and after a little while I quit ignoring them and took a look. :)
In the abstract, I completely agree with Ryan that we need more guys like Shyamalan who want to express their own personal visions. In the concrete reality, ironically the question becomes, do we need Shyamalan? Until he can reaffirm what appeared to be solid storytelling abilities with The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, I’d say… nah. Okay, I’m in a somewhat nasty mood. Must be the sunburn.
My subliminal messages have been discovered at last!
Aha!
Craig, thanks for telling me what happens with Mr. Blue and the shrink. I don’t think I could have slept tonight not knowing. :)
I’ll check out Wiki for a few seconds just to see.
this new Incredible Hulk is a lot more fun than the first one with Eric Bana; as usual Ed Norton has gravitated to a “split personality” role…
Thanks for stopping by, Patrick. Even though technically I think I liked the Lee Hulk better, I can’t argue that the new one wasn’t more fun. At least it delivered more of the things we expect from a comic book movie.
Also, I said it before and I’ll say it again, I loved it when he beat the crap out of The Abomination with two halves of a cop car.
Ryan, most people forget (or are unaware) that M Knight had two movies out before Sixth Sense. Given that these first two films are a comedy and a drama, it’s curious that he has chosen such a single-minded direction after Sixth Sense.
I think he would have been better off as editor or cinematographer. I just don’t think he’s all that as a writer or director.