New Iron Man 2 Trailer

Gotta give props to Heat Vision for posting this one… Click on Whiplash below.

The Incredible Hulk – Movie Review

When Marvel Studios released Iron Man, their first movie, last month I knew us comic book fans had a good thing coming. With Incredible Hulk, Marvel Studios has continued to keep its promise of releasing high quality comic book movies. I don’t see Hulk being as well received by everyone as Iron Man was – there will certainly be people who don’t like it – but it will garner a lot of new fans as well. As with Iron Man, this is a very character driven movie. Incredible Hulk is not about a big green monster who smashes things, it is the tragic story of how a monstrous alter-ego affects the life of Bruce Banner and all those around him. It also serves as a great counter point to Iron Man, which was a fun-filled, light story where the only thing that kept a romance from occurring between the two main characters were the characters themselves. Hulk, on the other hand, is a much darker movie and the two main characters certainly make their feelings for each other known, but they find difficulty in sharing a romance because of the chaos that Hulk causes (in fact, one scene shows this quite literally). Despite being dark, Hulk has plenty of humorous moments.

No good superhero (or antihero in this case) movie can be made without action, and there is plenty of action in this movie. Virtually the only complaint I heard about Iron Man was “not enough action.” Anyone who said that will be thoroughly pleased by this movie because it seems we get frequent trade-offs with action and story scenes throughout. Likewise the inevitable Hulk vs. Abomination fight at the end is just as epic and as “smashing” as you probably imagine it will be.

Perhaps the most pleasing moments for me were the numerous “Easter eggs” littered throughout. If you are a Marvel Comics fan, this movie is practically required viewing because we are likely the only ones who will “get” these inside hints, and trust me, these hints aren’t just all about Hulk. In fact, it is strongly suggested that Hulk’s origin may have stemmed from the origin of another famous Marvel hero. Likewise, these little gems continue to establish the “Marvel Movie Universe” that was launched in Iron Man.

This movie certainly isn’t without its flaws. It’s much more “comic-booky” than Iron Man, but cheesiness is kept to a fairly minimal level. There are a couple of groan worthy moments, but when one examines the movie as a whole, these moments are mostly forgivable. Perhaps the greatest fault is a lack of characterization of Emil Blonsky. Originally, we are given fairly good reasoning why he wants to help combat Hulk, but when he decides to become the Abomination, it is seemingly mostly because he just “wants power.”

Overall, with great characters, story, action, and special effects, I highly recommend The Incredible Hulk. I can’t stress how much comic fans need to see this. As for non-comic fans, give it a try, you may find yourself surprised. (Grade: B+)

-M. Staples

A Second Opinion

If anything, Hulk left me feeling very conflicted. On one hand, the movie did a lot of things necessary to move the cinematic Marvel Universe concept forward – which is a very good thing. It made the inner fanboy part of me ecstatic. On the other hand, the movie felt disjointed, rushed, and somewhat incomplete. I wanted to love it, but the movie just wouldn’t let me. That said, when the movie actually does find just the right groove, it is a lot of fun.

My biggest complaint about the movie is a bit complicated to describe so, please, bear with me. The entire film we hear Bruce talk about how he has no control over the Hulk side once it takes over. He also talks about how he doesn’t want to control it, only get rid of it. The problem is that whenever we see the Hulk, he shows signs of control and restraint. For a movie that puts Hulk smashing above all else, I found it interesting that we never got a glimpse of Hulk smashing uncontrollably. Bruce says he can’t control it, so why does it seem like he can the entire movie? Maybe it won’t bother others as much as it bothered me, but when it’s obvious that the action was placed above all else, an uncontrollable Hulk seems like a glaring omission.

The acting in the movie is passable, though nothing special. Ed Norton isn’t exactly stretching his considerable acting talents, William Hurt is pretty one-dimensional, and Liv Tyler does well with what she’s given. Tim Roth and Tim Blake Nelson are the clear standouts. Roth is menacing and maniacal in all the right ways and Nelson is a great casting choice to be a future Hulk villain.

Let me just state the obvious here, the action is the real star. The action scenes are well choreographed, sufficiently brutal, and incredibly entertaining. A battle on a college campus is particularly incredible and may, with time, become one of my favorite action scenes of all time. Also, I can’t help but mention how the campus fight is a great teaser for a possibly Captain America movie as we get to see the Super Soldier Serum at work.

Overall the Hulk is disappointing, but entertaining. I was never bored, but found it hard to be engaged whenever the Hulk (or some sort of fanservice) was absent. It’s a good superhero movie, but it’s no Iron Man. However, the film expands the potential Marvel Universe more than Iron Man and that alone makes it a must see for fans. (Grade: C+)

-Kyle Posluszny

A Third Opinion

I tried to avoid reading any advance reviews for this picture but a colleague at work told me it only got “two stars”, so that gave me a “bug gnawing at the back of my mind” feeling. Add to that the general vibe I’d been picking up on various chatboards that this movie would be a disappointment and not up to the quality of Iron Man (but come on now, Shellhead is a tough act to follow so that’s unfair) and I found myself walking to the theater with a sense of dread. So while I usually head into a movie armed only with a mega-super-deluxe-monster-jumbo popcorn and coke combo and an open mind, I entered this one prepared for disappointment. Fortunately, tonight was not the night for disappointment. My worst fears were unfounded and I really enjoyed the film.

The new film is a reboot of the franchise and intended as a separate entity from the earlier Hulk movie, but that doesn’t mean we need to go through the origin of the Hulk. The origin is successfully summarized in a montage of photos, newspaper clippings and documents (including a reference to Nick Fury) during the opening credits. This allows us to pick up with Dr. Banner in the middle of the action, on the run, in Brazil. It’s a simple plot: Banner is on the run, keeping a low profile and hiding out. He studies martial arts and meditation as a means to control his anger and contain the beast within while trying to work out a cure with the help of a mysterious online penpal named Mr. Blue (I had hopes that this would turn out to be Reed Richards). Of course, General Ross locates him (with Stan Lee in his accustomed cameo playing an important part) and we are treated to an early appearance of the Green behemoth. From that point on Bruce attempts to stay one step ahead of Ross and his men while reuniting with Betty Ross. It’s executed well. The plot moves smoothly from episode to episode with a good amount of action (two solid Hulk appearances before the climactic showdown) mixed in.

Ed Norton does a convincing job as Banner and Liv Tyler is good as Betty Ross. There is a nice contrast between the two as Banner wants only to be rid of the Hulk curse while Betty suggests that maybe he can learn to control it – a suggestion that opens possibilities for the sequel. William Hurt as General Ross seemed a bit flat, which surprised me. There seemed to be a touch of sinister intent to him, but as I’ve always understood him, he is a man consumed by his job. Emil Blonsky, portrayed by Tim Roth, is rightly brimming with sinister intent. Blonsky is a man spoiling for action (for actions sake) and when he gets a taste of power he becomes gradually seduced and lusts after it until his final transformation into The Abomination. A solid job all around and I look forward to seeing these actors in these roles again.

The thing I worry about most of all with CGI action stuff is that the scenes will come off looking too much like a video game instead of approximating something “real.” I was especially worried about this with the climactic fight with The Abomination. Much to my delight the final battle is actually one of the strong points of the film and one of the better fight sequences in a super hero film. The Abomination is clearly stronger and more vicious and really takes it to our hero. The Hulk simply takes it, perseveres and wins out in the end. There are some nice recognizable classic Hulk moves thrown in such as the thunder clap with the hands and the two-fisted pound the ground shock wave with a “Hulk Smash!” thrown in for good measure. The Hulk looks especially good in close-ups, sporting the square-jawed Marie Severin-drawn look that I like.

There are a ton of little references for the longtime Hulk fans thrown in. A Bill Bixby cameo, Banner comically trying to render the classic “you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry” line in Portuguese, Lou Ferigno as a security guard, the reprise of the TV show’s theme song, and even Samuel Sterns whose name, curse me a fool, I didn’t recognize at first, but who looks to be the likely villain in the sequel. Of course we also have the much anticipated Tony Stark cameo at the end. Apparently he’s putting a team together or something.

Was there anything not to like? Sure. There is a great chase scene through city streets in Brazil, but it looked like it started at night, then seemed to be taking place in late afternoon / early evening, only to conclude in the dark of night. Maybe it’s just me, but that seemed off. I wasn’t sure why Blonsky, on loan from the British, would be wearing an American soldier’s uniform. Now maybe that’s proper, I don’t know, but at least if he’s wearing a dress uniform he could shave. That would be proper.

What I like most about the movie is that it is clearly placed in a universe concurrent with Iron Man and there seems to be clear thoughts in place about the possibilities for what will come next. I can see where a non fan may not be grabbed by it, and I think it is a cut below Iron Man, but damn it, I had fun and isn’t that what comic books and movies are all about? (Grade: B+)

-Arthur Cooke

A Fourth Opinion

Something’s not right here. My wife loved this movie more than I.

This movie was alright for me. I think my expectations were just too high or maybe my head’s still swimming with all the ownage Hulk did in World War Hulk, because the behemoth we have here isn’t really a wrecking machine – he’s a Frankenstein with a conscience. I think it’s awesome that Hulk finally does some talking and he is able to show more compassion, but I would have loved it more if he was intelligent and used some of the fighting knowledge he learned as his Bruce Banner alter ego.

What surprised me more than anything is this movie has some semblance of story and structure. I was expecting (and hoping for) lots of action, but instead got a decent story. Yet, that almost bored me believe it or not! I just wanted Hulk to smash stuff up and when he eventually does, boy, are we in for a treat. The action portrayed in this film is outstanding and hard-hitting as it oughta be. The middle fight with Blonsky amped with the “Super Soldier Serum” serves as the perfect precursor to what we’ll be seeing with Captain America, and that made me giddy.

Other things I enjoyed include the homages to the old Hulk TV show, the nod to The Leader (which I can’t wait to see next), references to the Marvel Universe, the outstanding performances by the cast (for the most part), Betty Ross going off on the cab driver, Bruce taking the “David Banner” alias at the end of the movie, the excellent amount of character put into the Hulk’s eyes, and of course, the appearance of Tony Stark which had people in my theater mumbling with excitement.

Things I didn’t like include some times where the action is incoherent (pull the damn camera back), the lack of development on Blonsky’s character (not to mention wooden dialogue), The Abomination doing too much ownage on the Hulk (come on, who are we kidding here?), the lack of tactical intelligence on Hulk’s part, and well, and the removal of the Captain America cameo (poor excuse, Marvel, poor excuse).

I’m not going to compare this to Iron Man like the other guys have – it just wouldn’t be fair. It’s faithful to many things that make the Hulk special and that’s what really counts. I enjoyed Ang Lee’s film (except the ending), and if they somehow managed to use his directorial style with this movie (the panel work was so awesome in that first movie), this might have been the perfect Hulk movie. Anyone who says this newest film doesn’t spend just as much time brooding as Ang Lee’s version is fooling themselves. There’s plenty of brooding here, but the elevated action sequences and a proper villain have bolstered this film above its predecessor. That, and no “Hulk Dogs”! (Grade: B-)

– J. Montes