First thing we need to get out of the way, and please, take this in the constructive spirit it is intended: If you're one of those people who bitch about the Incredible Hulk looking "fake," I submit that you're expectations are unrealistic. The day science actually invents a way to make a regular person 11 feet tall and bulging with more muscles than the Maine coastline, you will look at the monstrosity of science in front of you and go "phhht. FAKE!"
My point - there is no way to make a creature like The Hulk photo realistic. It simply goes against what our brain tells us. There were shots in Ang Lee's "Hulk" that looked amazing, and while the plot left something to be desired, the special effects were not as bad as many made them out to be.
Which brings us to Louis Latierr's "The Incredible Hulk" or should we call a spade a spade and say Edward Norton's "The Incredible Hulk." Norton apparently came on board and was given some latitude in the writing process, which he fully exercised. Now he's at odds, somewhat, with the studio if you believe the New York Times, over the final cut of the film.
I don't much care, honestly, because Edward Norton as Bruce Banner and Tim Freaking Roth as the Abomination is enough to get me in the door. Throw in a 20 minute mid-city smackdown of the pumped up super beasts, a plot line that doesn't involve an ending I can't explain and cameo by Iron Man and Nick Fury and dammit, I'm not just there, I'm excited.
Drop the hype for a second, and look at the preview. What do we have? It looks like the origin story has been scrapped (that's fine) in favor of a fade in on a desperate and brooding Bruce Banner. He doesn't want The Hulk, he's together with Betty (thank God we're off that subplot) and the government is trying to exploit him. The Abomination starts breaking stuff, and the Hulk, in a great scene from the Ultimates line in the comics, hulks out via dropping off a helicopter. Cue superhero destruction. w00t!
Norton is a great performer and a genuine talent, that much is relatively undisputed. My anticipation of this film comes from the fact that a) Norton isn't just involved but ingratiated, b) the director seems to know his action, c) the rest of the cast looks solid to great and d) they look to be going a little more mainstream with a creature that's themes are very mainstream. Not to dump on Ang Lee, but the Hulk isn't necessarily about daddy issues (although I see why you went the way you went), it's more about duality. This trailer is all about duality.
Call me sentimental, but it will also be nice to see The Hulk as a hero instead of fighting for his own inner peace. I like it when buildings and women holding babies are on the line.
Norton + action +big green guy = anticipation. Pretty simple.
No comments:
Post a Comment