The Incredible Hulk: Review and Doing it Better

A real clash of Titans

He’s big, green, radioactive, and the strongest there is, and yes, this time I am talking about the Hulk. This is the Hulk’s second time on the big screen, but unlike last time, he actually left a lasting impression. I’ve combined the review and doing it better for a similar reason to Ironman, not because you’ve definitely seen it, but because the plot is more or less the same as other Hulk plots.

Like the backstory of Superman and Batman, the story can be summed up in a sentence. Bruce doesn’t want to be the Hulk anymore, he tries to find a cure while at the same time learning that the Hulk can be a force for good. It’s a long sentence, but an accurate one. Locations and actors may change, but the plot always seem to stay the same. The one new thing I’d like to point out is that Bruce has a small glimmer of hope, in the form of an internet friend named Samuel Sterns, who claims he has found a cure. So for once, Bruce sees the light at the end of the tunnel instead of grasping at straws.

Sad Edward Norton.

The main thing worth talking about is the villain subplot. General Ross, in an attempt to counter the Hulk’s immense strength, offers to put Emil Blonsky through the super-soldier program that made Captain America. The idea being that they’d essentially be putting Blonsky’s experience mind into a body equal to or better than the one he’d had in his twenties. On paper, it’s a pretty good idea for soldiers. Blonsky does go through it, but there are a number of bizarre side effects like giving him poor impulse control, emotional instability, and this one time his spine rose out of his skin for a minute. Damn drug side effects.

At the climax, everyone believes that Bruce had cured himself. Blonsky forces Sterns to inject him with Bruce’s radiated blood. The blood combined with the Super Soldier Serum morphs Blonsky into the Abomination. He’s like the Hulk, except he’s got a few more exposed bones. It comes down to Abomination and Hulk throwing down to prove who’s the strongest. It’s a very well done fight.

As to the cast, Edward Norton does a good job as Bruce Banner. Tim Roth and William Hurt do an excellent job as Emil Blonsky and General Ross respectively. The weak link was Liv Tyler as Betty Ross. She’s not a bad actress, it’s just that I just can’t believe she’s a physicist. She would have been find with the old, she’s just the love interest, set up, but we’re just not doing that anymore. Probably for the best.

Blonsky? More like Gross-ky.
Not all these jokes are winners.

Overall the movie is solid B-. I like it, it’s just not amazing.

A few changes I’d suggest to improve the movie overall. First and foremost, swap out Edward Norton for Mark Ruffalo. I have no problem with Norton, I just think that Ruffalo did a better job as Banner. Hide sight is 20/20 and all that. I’d also recast Betty Ross, I’m just not sure with who.

I’d also show more examples of Blonsky’s instability. Just a subtle nod or two, having Blonsky ignore a few smaller orders, or having him break something during a bloodthirsty moment. For me, his shift from good soldier to homicidal monster seemed a little too quick. Also, include one or two more nods that the Serum being injected into Blonsky is the source of the ill effects. Something like muscles rapidly growing and shrinking, or patches of skin turning to the Abomination’s shade of green. That last one wasn’t so subtle, but hey, it’s an idea.

Come on, you kind of want to see a live
action version of this guy.

The biggest change would be to the post-credit scene. In the original Ross, who is drinking away his sorrow at losing the Hulk, meets up with Tony Stark. They chat a bit, and it’s hinted at that Stark is looking to recruit the Hulk for the Avengers. Overall, it doesn’t really go anywhere. Especially when by Ironman 2 we see Tony is trying to distance himself from SHIELD as much as possible. I’ll get more into that another day.

In my version, instead of meeting Stark at a Bar, Ross would meet a suited man as a team clears the Super Solider equipment from the military lab. The man would introduce himself as George Tarleton from the Advance Idea Mechanics Think-Tank. Tarleton would explain AIM had been tasked by SHIELD to looking over the Super Soldier Serum and improving it if possible.

You may ask, why is this an improvement? For three reasons. One, it would introduce AIM, and set them up as a much bigger organization then what was shown in Ironman 3. Two, it would be a very light set up to another super villain, the evil Bio-computer MODOK. MODOK stands for Mechanize Organism Designed Only for Killing, you don’t screw with MODOK. Tarleton is transformed into that gross monster in an attempt for AIM to create its own Tesseract. He does still do it, it’s just with his new big brain he feels that he is the best option for AIM’s leadership, and take over. This cameo wouldn’t do all this, but hint that Marvel is prepping to make the character. The third and final reason would be an example of something wrong with SHIELD, for those who know AIM. If you don’t know what I’m referring to, watch Captain America 2. I’m not going to do EVERYTHING for you.

That’s all I have to say about this one. Like Ironman, this is overall a good movie, I just wanted it to be a little bigger in scope. More connections, more hints of what to come, and just more Marvel. Next time, I’ll be covering one of my favorite Villain/Anti-heroes, Venom!

They kind of...broke Harlem. Which is impressive, and terrifying.

 http://marvel-movies.wikia.com/wiki/File:Abomination_vs_Hulk.jpg

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Incredible_Hulk_%28film%29

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abomination_%28comics%29

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MODOK
 http://marvelcinematicuniverse.wikia.com/wiki/File:Hulk_vs_Abomination.jpeg