DVD Movie Review: The Incredible Hulk

I'm home sick today (not homesick, ill at home!), with a fever that's bounced between 99.4 and 100.1 degrees, back and forth. So, I decided I'd entertain myself by diving into our Christmas DVD stack again. Today, I pulled out The Incredible Hulk from 2008. And it wasn't a bad pick!



I never saw what was wrong with the original Hulk movie (2003). It wasn't at the top of my list of superhero films, but it was far from the worst. And the newer film--while better--doesn't quite rate as a "re-boot" in my mind. Sure, it has different actors, but this is still the basic Bruce Banner/Hulk story. Nice touches included the obligatory Stan Lee cameo (though his fate wasn't clear), and a quick clip of The Courtship of Eddie's Father, which starred TV's David Banner, Bill Bixby. Also making a cameo was Lou Ferrigno, TV's Hulk, and a character named after Hulk's TV nemesis, reporter Jack McGee. Also--and this may be a spoiler, but not really--there is a cameo by Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark (Iron Man). If you remember the TV show, the theme music makes a subltle appearance as well. There may have been other "in-jokes," but I'm a DC Comics fan, and this is a Marvel character.

I'd still put this version of The Incredible Hulk somewhere in the middle of the pack of my list of superhero flicks. Somewhere between The Fantastic Four and its sequel, I guess. Some might think that's faint praise, but I'm easy to please with these things.

That said, it should be pointed out that in the implausible world of comics, The Hulk is literally head and shoulders above the rest for not being credible. Maybe that's where "incredible" comes from? First, how does gamma radiation make him instantly much heavier? What exactly supplies the mass? How do Hulk's teeth get bigger, and then shrink down to fit in Banner's mouth? How does Hulk's hair change color and length and then back to whatever style Bruce is wearing? And most of all, people, the pants!

The Abomination, this movie's villain, was wisely conceived without pants. But Hulk wears whatever Bruce Banner had on. There were a few (cute) references to "stretchy" pants, but mostly he wore jeans. Jeans! I don't care how big and baggy they are, this is a beast whose leg is the size of Ed Norton's whole body! Yes, I know that they have to cover Hulk's ass and naughty bits, but they really should have come up with an explanation for this in the comics by now. Have they?

I kept thinking of Terri Garr's line from Young Frankenstein: "He must have an enormous schwanstuker! Woof!" Yeah, I'm immature that way.

My review: Recommended for fans, ok for a sick day if you're not a fan.