Hulk Incredible?

Iron Man was fan-fucking-tastic. No doubt.

With that in mind, I entered the theatre to watch Hulk with mixed feelings, having never been a fan of anything green (broccoli, SAF, Shrek) but hopeful in the wake of Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal of Tony Stark. And any serious Marvel or movie buffs knew before hand that he'd be in Hulk anyway.

Now, like I mentioned, I've never liked the Hulk. Or Superman, or Juggernaught, or Colossus, or any superhero who is super-strong. Not sure why, just never did. That, and the fact that, well, let's just go out and say it, Hulk is about as cool as Swamp Thing at it's peak of dripping ichor and rotting vines. So he get's angry, and get's strong. And is nigh-unstoppable. Kinda unidimensional, if you ask me, eh?

But then, I thought Iron Man was lame too.

Thought.

Hulk opens nicely, I felt. I've noticed that Marvel tends to do a recap-type of thing in the opening credits of almost all their movies (or am I just mad?) and what they did in Hulk brought even the least-informed mmbers of the audience up to speed with what had happened. Of course, this film isn't a sequel to Ang Lee's horrific attempt at a movie (which could have only been made worse by someone like Uwe Boll or Mediacorp-Raintree), but what the producers did did seem to speed things up while not sacrificing anything from the actual story-telling, I thought.

For those expecting instant "HULK SMASH" and flying cars and debris, you're in for a wait. You are, however, treated to an introduction to Bruce Banner in his self-imposed exile, and what he's been doing to deal with his... condition.

Debates and arguments of whether or not he learnt Capoeira or Ju-Jitsu are irrelevant, as are the gasps of shock and awe at the diaphragmic prowess of his trainer, but one has to say that while some might think it uneventful, it does contribute to the plot as a whole, and no movie was ever made worse by development.

A few kicks and one Gringo later, you finally see the big guy, and he then proceeds to lay waste to those before him for a while. Viewers are encouraged to wince at appropriate moments. In between tantrums, Liv Tyler's character is also introduced, and here I found, was one of the funnier moments of the movie, where she (predictably but hilariously) seems to forget that she is seeing someone. I won't say more. Cue Stan Lee cameo.

The only disappointment I had with the film, really, was that "Mr. Blue" isn't who I had hoped he would be, and that Liv Tyler looks haggard in more than a few shots. Still, the fact that it seemed at least two future Marvel endeavours (Captain America and Avengers) have been set up seems very, very promising.

Final rating?

I'd say it was a smash, but stops short of being marvelous. Don't expect an awesome, Iron Man-esque ride, but it ranks among the better of the Marvel productions, and is a giant leap from the last time you saw Bruce Banner.

If for nothing else, you could go in to see if what a frind of mine said is really true,

"That Liv Tyler is such a slut. Watch the movie, she's moaning all the way. From the time in the rain to every other time she is on screen. Moaning 24/7. Normally you would be irritated, but it's Liv Tyler. Shiok."