The Hulk returns to the big screen... and there is much rejoicing

Rating: 8/10 (19 January 2010)

This takes a considerably different approach than Lee's poetic, cerebral attempt. It is grittier, dirtier and considerably more intense. Props to Marvel for getting the rights back, and now doing these movies themselves. And on that note, I commend the people involved in making this for clearly not only knowing, but of infinitely greater importance, *understanding*, the material. From what I've read, which is admittedly not the most remarkable amount to boast with, they hit the mark to a large extent with this. The plot is engaging, develops nicely throughout, and remains interesting. Every bit of the plentiful action is awesome, epic, exciting and entertaining. That final fight... wow, that is the best of its kind that I've seen in recent memory. The writing is well-done all the way. Dialog, save for a few lines here and there, is magnificent. The characters are well-written, with some quirkiness here and there, fortunately seldom taking over. The humor in general is rather balanced, and the several solid laughs that are to be had do not detract from the rest. This holds talented actors, and it shows. I have to say, when I heard about Tyler, I couldn't see her in the part, though after I heard Leterrier's thoughts on it in an interview I was hopeful, and now I do get how she works as Betty. Norton beautifully internalizes, and he's not off in his performance for a second. Hurt *becomes* Thunderbolt Ross(if, arguably, the role isn't all that fleshed out in this). There is genuine emotion in this. Notable range is even found in the CGI(which gets a serious upgrade), with facial expressions and real weight to the beings. The FX in general are excellent. This gives fans numerous things that they would want in it. The pacing is fast, at times, perhaps too much so(then again, it's not overwhelming, and the audience always gets to catch their breath when needed). I've heard(well, read) that 70 minutes was cut out... obviously, that shows, at least a little. For my money, this is, nonetheless, amazing. The tone is well-achieved, and this can be dark, without reaching a point where only grown-ups can watch... and it never seems tame, either. Nods to the original medium are found in this, and they're well-integrated. There is a brief suggestive bit, a little moderate language, mild violence and/or disturbing images in this. The trailers give a lot away; however, it's still an awful lot of fun, and it is not terribly predictable. The 2-Disc Special Edition DVD holds well-done featurettes(three of which I will review on their individual pages here on the site), with explaining of the effects and stunts, an alternate ending, 43 minutes of deleted scenes, a 6 minute animated comic, and an amusing and informative commentary track by the director and Tim Roth. All of the aforementioned is well worth watching. I recommend this to fans of those who put the film together and/or the comics. 8/10