In an effort to make me post more (and clear out my netflix queue which is growing quite rapidly), I’ve decided to start a somewhat regular feature. Basically, I’m going to pound out brief reviews of the next fifty movies I watch. I know a ton of other people have done similar things, but whatever, it’ll get me writing. This isn’t going to be a 50 movies in 50 days/weeks/whenever. My schedule is in a bit of flux, so posting will be irregular, from multiple posts in a day to much longer gaps (I will after all be going to class and trying to get into a PhD. program). Also, I cannot guarentee that I won’t utterly abandon this project once classes start in two weeks. Without further ado:
Movie #1:
The Incredible Hulk (2008):
I hate Ang Lee. That’s kind of a weird thing for a film nerd such as myself to say, but I seriously haven’t enjoyed a single film he’s made. I think he, much like Terrance Malik, is more concerened with the landscapes and looking poetic than he is with actually telling a story or keeping the interest of the audience. The first Hulk was no exception, and boy did those special effects suck. The rebooted Hulk has been got some “wow, this is surprisingly decent” buzz this summer (see also: Kung Fu Panda. No, seriously, go see Kung Fu Panda, it’s fucking good). So I checked it out and wow, it’s a hell of a lot better then the Ang Lee version. I’ve never read a Hulk comic, or found the character particularly compelling (which I guess is something that could have been intuited given that I’m watching this movie three months after it came out) so I’ve got no fanboy ranting (wait till I review an adaption of a Philip K. Dick story or some Cormac McCarthy).
Anyway, I think the greatest advantage of this version of the Hulk is the fact that they skipped the whole origin story. I feel like superhero movies often get bogged down in the origins of the hero, when really who doesn’t already know? I mean does anyone who’s going to see spiderman not know how Peter Parker gets superpowers? Does anyone not know the Punisher’s family is dead and he’s angry (side recomendation: Punisher Warzone red band trailer = awesome…movie itself = we’ll see)? This Hulk also ditches all the brooding that Ang Lee’s version focused on, which is great because (surprise surprise) no one wants to see a hero who’s a whiny bitch (see also: Superman Returns, only don’t see it because Superman sucks). As a result, the whole movie is a hell of a lot tighter than the Ang Lee movie. Plus the end battle (while still kinda fake looking) is much better then the comparable fight in Ironman, which honestly sucked. All in all, a good entertaining movie, check it out when it’s released on DVD…it’s more than worth a rental.
