Who doesn't love Ed Norton? Even as nasty skinhead (
American History X), wannabe cowboy (
Down in the Valley), failed drug dealer (
25th Hour), and schizophrenic everyman (
Fight Club), he's got a sly charm that's impossible to resist.
I was more than curious to see what Norton could do as the central character in a major franchise, taking over the role of Bruce Banner from Eric Bana, who played the scientist-turned-monstrous green freak in Ang Lee's 2003 Hulk. Too bad the new film serves all the worst impulses of the blockbuster mentality, woefully underusing Norton and leaving him with little to do but check his pulse-measuring wristwatch and saying things like, "Betty! I got to try!" Worst of all, the CGI monster doesn't even remotely resemble him.
Ang Lee's
Hulk is considered a disappointment, primarily for its slow buildup, attention to character, and a perceived lack of Hulk action. Lee also experimented with techniques that were meant to approximate the experience of reading a comic book, but seemed to have left audiences confused. With the new film,
Transporter director Louis Leterrier clearly avoided taking any chances:
The Incredible Hulk, written by superhero veteran Zak Penn, is as by-the-numbers as they come.
The story catches up with Banner (Norton) in Brazil, where he's hiding out while trying to find a cure for his anger management issues. Ruthless General Ross (William Hurt) just won't let him be, and soon he's in Hulk form, battling helicopter gunships on a college campus and Tim-Roth-turned-CGI-monster Abomination in Harlem. Old flame Betty Ross is along for the ride, although Liv Tyler can't begin to approximate the luster Jennifer Connelly brought to the role in 2003.
Expectations for comic book adaptations are notoriously low -- as long as it's mildly fun, goes boom, and the theater is air-conditioned, it's usually considered good enough -- but
The Incredible Hulk drives home how disappointing it is that A-list talent is now regularly wasted on C-grade material. Tim Roth gets to sneer, Hurt is mainly there to hold up a mustache and a cigar, and Norton simply doesn't have the time or lines to find any dimensions in Bruce Banner's tragic predicament. Allegedly dramatic instant messenger chats and shamless fan service (Stan Lee and Lou Ferrigno have cameos) are given more time than anything resembling character development.
As an archetypal monster, the Hulk belongs in the company of King Kong, the Beauty's Beast, Frankenstein's monster, and Dr. Jekyll's cocaine-inspired alter ego Mr. Hyde, but the film brings nothing new to this American myth. Bruce and Betty's inability to consummate their love is played for laughs, and his uncontrollable power is mined only for grunting, rote CGI fights that might be vaguely entertaining if you were holding a Wiimote. As it is, The Incredible Hulk is a crushing, noisy bore without a heart, brain, or single fresh idea. It's no accident the movie ends exactly where it started -- plus a tacked-on final scene with Robert Downey Jr that tries to sell us the next superhero movie before this one's even over.
Starring: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt, Christina Cabot
Directed by: Louis Leterrier
Produced by: Ari Arad, Michael Helfant, Stan Lee
Release Date: June 13th, 2008 (wide)
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of intense action violence, some frightening sci-fi images and brief suggestive content.
Distributors:
Universal Pictures
