The Incredible Hulk

Went to see The Incredible Hulk last night (in a surprisingly cold cinema). And, frankly, it rocked.

Probably best I confess a bias here - I like the Hulk. I like the old TV series, I like some of the comic books. Hell, I even enjoyed the original big screen adaptation, although many others feel differently. So there was every chance I would like this version. And it did not disappoint.

Edward Norton is a great piece of casting; looking just as one would imagine the weedy, geeky scientist Doctor Bruce Banner looking. Liv Tyler makes the best of the role of Betty Ross - which is no mean feat as it consists mainly on saying "Bruce" a lot in a longing way. William Hurt brings the right level of pomposity and danger to the crassly named General "Thunderbolt" Ross, whilst Tim Roth manages to bring a certain physicality and a generally unpleasant facade to the role of Emil Blonsky, who becomes the Hulk's nemesis. A great cast, performing well - and all for a comic book adaptation about a guy who gets pissed off a lot.

The special effects are superb, with the Hulk coming across as a real character. A particular high point for me was the (first) helicopter crash, particularly with the helicopter blades detaching as the machine hit the ground. The Abomination also looked impressive (although clearly part of Emil's transformation was the loss of his genitals; for obvious reasons the film didn't explore that but his sudden emasculation could be the reasons why he was so uber pissed off in the final scenes) and in general it illustrated just how much special effects have come on since the original TV series - no longer is the Hulk a big guy, painted green, in a fright wig.

But above all, it was the script that worked. Don't get me wrong, it was a piece of hack script writing, with more cheese in it than a Dairylea factory. The story - such as it was - hung together on a serious of deeply unlikely con-incidences. But it almost seems stupid to mock a movie like this for having an unlikely, cliched script - because the story is built on an absurdity anyway. Anyone pointing out the plot holes needs to acknowledge the fact that the central premise is absolutely absurd as well.

What the script did understand is that the film needed to be fast paced, action packed and with an overall acknowledgment that this is a bums on seat, popcorn selling Blockbuster movie. It was produced, like the recent Iron Man flick, by Marvel Studios, who seems to understand that for all the pretentious implications that can be wrought from comic books, ultimately the comic books work because they are fantastic, and they are escapist fun. The producers seem to understand that both The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man were never going to be The Godfather - and, in my not at all humble opinion, are all the better for it.