Bring Back Lou Ferrigno

Rating: 6/10 (14 July 2008)

Having read some reviews before I saw it, I thought this film was going to be absolutely terrible, but it was not nearly so bad as people were making out. I think a lot of people were expecting far too much in terms of depth of character, and for every detail and relationship between characters to exactly reflect the thinking of the original comic writers. Well that might have pleased the comic fanatics, but it isn't going to fill the cinemas with the easily-entertained masses.
I have never read a Hulk comic, but I am a massive fan of the 70's/early 80's TV series with Bill Bixby. Hence I disliked the first Hulk film of 2003 very much.
I was expecting more of the same with this film, but was surprised to see that it did resemble the sort of dumb-ass Hulk entertainment that I know and love much more than the first film.
Ed Norton made a quite good David Banner - same sort of down-trodden far too nice born victim, and not too far off Bill Bixby's character. He looked quite hard in American History X, but now looks like Mr Puniverse.
Tim Roth - I can never take him seriously no matter what he does, since seeing him in 'Made In Britain' screaming "Oi, I want my lunch!" at Borstal canteen staff. His character, and indeed the stupid-looking second monster - which resembled Skeletor after taking a huge overdose of steroids - were rather unnecessary and added little to the film.
The plot was OK without looking too deeply at some of the ridiculous exploits of the hulk - such as running virtually all the way from Brazil to Mexico in one night, and the usual unlikely way in which Banner's trousers can be expanded to the size of a house, yet still remain in one piece.
I do wish that they would use a human actor to play the Hulk instead of this computer-generated rubbish. The hulk in this film just looked totally unbelievable and little like anything that a human could have possibly changed into. The Lou Ferrigno hulk was (relatively) believable and far more convincing and frightening than some 15 foot tall looney-toon.
The other thing that was missing and I wish it would be reinstated is the "DING!" sound when Banner's metamorphosis commences. It just isn't the same without that.
I have given it 6/10. I'd probably watch it again if it was on TV.