The Incredible Hulk review (part 2 of 3)

The Acting

Now, the acting is where the movie really has its strengths. It was a wise choice to have Edward Norton in the lead role. He doesn’t become an Emo scientist like the last guy in the 2003 version. While there is certainly some missing character development, I still found this Bruce Banner likeable. Norton is great, so check him out. (However, Norton feels the need to money with editing for some reason.)

Liv Tyler simple plays a non-elf version of Arwen, but I didn’t find her that distracting like Jennifer Connelly. As you are already aware, Tim Roth plays the main bad guy in the movie, again he’s part feels a bit limited and not fleshed out. But, at least they didn’t throw in the main villain within the last 10 minutes like Hulk (2003). You get a sense that age is catching up to him, but he still wants to be a fighter.

William Hurt kicks ass playing Gen. Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross. I think Hurt is the only one that can follow Sam Elliott in the role. This time around Ross is definitely a more sinister guy. I truly like that this guy uses extreme measures to get his hands on Bruce Banner, and it is these measures end up costing a lot of lives in the process.

The Special Effects

While there are character plot holes in the movie due to 70-80 minutes cut from the movie, this time they didn’t skip out on the special effects. A few shots look fake and cheap, but overall the Hulk CGI model has more realism that the 2003 version didn’t have.

It’s when the major fight between the Abomination and the Hulk when you get to see some amazing shots. The interaction with the environment is good between the two is also a nice touch. Actually, all three major fights are remarkable and brutal. You feel every crunch and crash in this one. As I said before, people are being thrown and killed by the Hulk and the Abomination in the various battles.

Betty Ross still remembers that her real father died blowing an big asteroid, thus saving the world.

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Ross: “Blonsky, I’ve been having these dreams that all this happened before way back in 2003, except I looked a little different. Is that strange?”

Emil Blonsky: “Are you kidding me? I had a dream that I was an Ape on a planet full of apes and something to do with Abraham Lincoln."