Movie Review: The Incredible Hulk

Don't worry, there are no real spoilers below. Anything I mention about the movie you probably already know from the trailers.

Went to see The Incredible Hulk last night. I went in with lowered expectations. Not only because of Ang Lee's snoozefest, but because I was of the mindset that maybe this particular comic book character didn't necessarily translate to the big screen very well. And I'm glad to say I was wrong. I was pretty impressed. In my opinion, it wasn't as good as Iron Man, but a damn good movie nonetheless.

Obviously, there were many things wrong with the first Hulk attempt. And here is where I think Marvel and director Louis Leterrier made the greatest improvements.

First, it gave all the little pop-culture and Marvel universe nods that us comic-geeks love. From the subtle (a small TV clip of "Courtship of Eddie's Father" starring Bill Bixby), to the tired (the requisite Stan Lee cameo), and to the cross-over (the cameo of Tony Stark, minor mentions of Nick Fury, SHIELD, etc...) You can't help but get hyped knowing (or hoping) that Marvel Studios is correctly building a solid foundation for future movies and sequels.

Secondly, one of the issues from the first movie that most people overlook when critiquing it, is the timing of the release. Lee's Hulk came out in 2003, only two years removed from the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Seeing as the major villain in the Hulk storyline is the U.S. military, I don't feel America was ready to root against itself just yet. Not only that, but with no real super-villain for the Hulk to battle against, most moviegoers sighed a collective "eh". Leterrier's version gives us a worthy foe in Tim Roth's portrayal of Abomination, so at some point, we actually get to root for the Hulk, and not just wish he would chill the eff out.

Yeah, so I give it a thumbs up... Definitely worth a DVD purchase... And a possibility of paying to see it in the theater again.