ViewGuide

Created Jun 24, 2008 11:02AM PST • Edited Jun 24, 2008 11:02AM PST

1. Quality

2. Summary

   Perfect 5.0

   This movie was a perfect film for comic geeks. It banks on the fact that you know something about the Hulk before you get into the flick. Which is something that comic books do regularly. With Ang Lee’s film it felt the need to explain everything to the viewer – why Banner has emotional problems, what specific genetic tinkering causes him to change, etc. While I love Ang’s film, this one is different in that aspect. To fully get the detail of the movie, you almost have to know a little bit about the Hulk’s history both in TV and comics. That knowledge is not necessary to enjoy it, but it makes that enjoyment just a little deeper. Great action, great acting and just an overall damn good time.

4. Acting

   Great 4.0

   The acting in this movie was top notch. You could relate to the characters and they all had a least a little fleshing out of their characters.

5. Male Stars Perfect 5.0

   Ed Norton was fantastic. He successfully pulls off brainy, emotional, meek and dangerous. Eric Bana was great in the last Hulk, but he wasn’t very meek. He’s a big guy and you can’t relate to him as easily as you can Norton. And while Bana was afraid of what was inside him, Norton is more frustrated by the fact that he can’t get rid of it. That it was something outside of his control. Norton comes across as morally strong and responsible, purposely isolating himself while he tries to cure his condition.

6. Female Stars Great 4.0

   While Liv Tyler was good, she wasn’t perfect. She gave a good bit of emotion and you absolutely believe that she can calm the Hulk. The scene in the cave with the lightning is the perfect example of their relationship and acting against nothing (as the Hulk was CGI in that scene) Liv did a good job in making it believable.

7. Female Costars Great 4.0

   None really. But I’ll give this a 4 again because Liv Tyler is pretty enough to be scored twice.

8. Male Costars Great 4.0

   Much as I love William Hurt, he wasn’t perfect in this role. I know I keep throwing comparisons back to Ang Lee, but its hard not to, especially in this case. Sam Elliot did such a tremendous job in the last Hulk that I can’t help but compare Hurt to him. Elliot is more gruff, more angry and just a better counterbalance to Banner. But he did do a fine job, especially in the scenes with Liv. He just played more like a government agent than he did like an army man ( and yes, I know the army technically is a government branch but I think you get my meaning).
   Roth was great. He played a great counterpart to Banner. This is a guy looking for more power who doesn’t want to be meek and wants to lose control to a certain extent. He was a very believable military man and you absolutely buy it the first time he goes up against the Hulk.

10. Film

    Great 4.0

    This was a great action flick. It moved fast and kept your interest beginning to end. It was pretty, too. The locations looked great and thankfully the Hulk and Abomination were the only noticeable CGI.

11. Direction Really Great 4.5

    Direction was good. It was a more straight forward approach. Get the action and make it easy to follow. You’ve got great actors, so capture their performances. Otherwise, move it from point A to point B without problems. There was nothing incredibly unique about the direction, but it was solid.

12. Play Great 4.0

    The dialogue was very natural. I don’t know how much liberty was given to the actors with this script, but it sounded like them. Even Roth’s lines came across with that British snark. And I’ll be honest, when you heard Hulk cry out “Hulk SMASH!”, I peed a little. That’s how excited I was. The best bits of dialogue are between Liv and Norton making their relationship that much more believable.

13. Music Great 4.0

    Music was good. I’m not a big music guy, but it didn’t distract and that’s mainly what I look for.

14. Visuals Really Great 4.5

    This movie was so damn pretty. The action sequences just jump off the screen at you. Whenever someone fights the Hulk I was grinning like an idiot. I can’t give it a perfect, though, because the CGI was not. I know that CGI is not to that perfection point yet, but I can tell you exactly what looked wrong – the Hulk’s muscles. I know they were trying to make them look ripped, but it just makes him look like he’s constantly flexing and that’s not how muscles work. They needed to soften them up just a bit to look perfect. That being said, they got great mannerisms and movements from the CGI characters.

15. Content

16. Edge

    Tame 1.5

    Not much to this category. There is some kissing and a pretty funny start of a sex scene, but nothing too bad. Roth gets the crap kicked out of him both as Blonsky and the Abomination, but its noting too graphic.

17. Sex Titillating 1.6

18. Violence Fierce 2.0

19. Rudeness Polite 1.0

21. Reality

    Supernatural 3.8

    Ed Norton turns into a giant green monster. Things that happen just can’t be done. Comic geeks the world over would love for there to be a Super Soldier Serum that will make us more than we are with just an injection. But it doesn’t exist. So we’ll sit at home, review the Hulk online before work and wish that we were dating pretty girls like Liv Tyler.

22. Circumstantial Glib 1.3

    This is actually the believable part. Norton goes to great lengths to hide himself outside the country and they touch on those details enough for you to buy in. It seemed like it was a little too easy for him to get back in the US, but maybe its not nearly as tough to do as I think it is.

23. Biological Fantasy 5.0

24. Physical Fantasy 5.0