The Three Potatoes

9th July 2008
The Incredible Hulk (2008)

Movies have a habit of being remade after a few decades on the shelves. When I heard about a Hulk remake, I thought 'what a slap in the face to remake it only 4 years after the most recent attempt.' However it is neither a remake or a sequel. It is a re-imagining. When I heard it was being headlined by Norton I had to look it up straight away to see if it was a joke. Not at all. And Liv Tyler was to play Betty? This is definitely my sort of movie!

While not a sequel, the plot picks up at the same point where the last one left off: Bruce Banner is in South America searching for a cure. The Incredible Hulk doesn't tick all the superhero boxes - the discovery, the superpowers, the costume, the tricks, gadgets, the battle against good and evil, etc. Instead the story and writing is a lot more subtle, and the concept is more sophisticated. His powers do not make him a hero but a potentially destructive weapon for the army and he is desperate to control and cure his condition in order to keep people safe.

Norton, brilliantly nuanced as always, is incredibly sympathetic and noble as the troubled Banner. On the run he's feeling both external and internal threats. The chase through the city buildings with leaps of adrenalin remind me of Hong Kong flick chases through shanty towns. As a great Hulk fan, Norton was very enthusiastic about taking on the franchise. He rewrote part of the script and had a part in editing the final film in order to cut it as more of a personal story than a big action film. Tyler works her immortal loveliness as a very credible Betty Ross. Tim Roth is an interesting choice as Blonsky and the Abomination, probably not my first choice but believable.

There were some really great humorous character moments and I wanted a lot more of those - they would have made the whole package more entertaining. A bit more complexity in the plot would enrich the story but I was happy with having nothing remotely bad in the script. CGI effects are really seamless and integrated very well into the rest of the film. It was elating to see another Norton film. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and hope we can expect another Norton Hulk in the franchise soon.