The Incredible Hulk (DVD)

When a geneticist's experiment goes horribly wrong, Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) must go on the run from the US government. After subjecting himself to some untested radiation, Banner must now watch his temperment, as if his heart rate gets too fast he will turn into an angry 10ft tall green monster with a want to tear things apart. Having hidden in Brazil for five years, he is still hunted by the fierce General Ross (William Hurt), and once located, the dangerous Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) is drafted in to lead a squad and bring Banner in. However, not all goes to plan, and Banner is forced to flee back to the US, team up with old flame ...  Read the complete review

When Marvel movie adaptations became flavour of the month back at the turn of the century with the likes of X-Men and Spiderman, it was inevitable that some of the other major characters from the Marvel stable would get a big screen workout. One of the most recognisable characters was The Incredible Hulk, in 2003 respected director Ang Lee took on the big green giant and the result was like marmite. His interpretation was not your ordinary blockbuster, instead juggling a bit of action with some Shakespearian elements of characterization. But I guess the bottom line was that whatever way you looked at it, it didn't deliver bang for the buck. That's why it didn't achieve ...  Read the complete review

Five years ago, in 2003, Marvel released 'Hulk' in the wake of a number of films based on the company's comic books, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, such as X-Men, Daredevil, Elektra, Spiderman, etc. Hulk was a near disaster, with director Ang Lee getting it uncharacteristically wrong. Casting was fair enough, with Eric Bana seemingly a good choice for Bruce Banner, the scientist exposed to gamma radiation who turns into a huge green man with anger issues. Other cast members included Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliot and the up and coming Josh Lucas, with the experience of Nick Nolte added for good effect. Something went wrong! The film was stuttery, the plot ...  Read the complete review

You'd have thought that the Hulk was tailor-made for the big screen. After all, his sole raison d'etre is to cause precisely the sort of mayhem and destruction which Hollywood loves so much. Yet, after Ang Lee's more thoughtful 2003 effort left cinema-goers cold, the franchise appeared dead. Can new Director (and all round action guru) Louis Leterrier reboot one of Marvel's premium characters? The answer is partially. Leterrier certainly ups the action stakes, turning in more fights and set pieces, yet it's still a slightly restrained offering, which fails to make the most of the character. You'd have thought that Leterrier was the ideal man to direct - a ...  Read the complete review

A comic, a TV show, and a new film version a few years back - where does the new Incredible Hulk fit in? It's not entirely straightforward, but this is neither entirely a remake of, nor a sequel to, the 2003 Ang Lee version (simply called 'Hulk'). Instead, it seems to try to combine aspects of all the Hulk incarnations the audience might be aware of, and go forward in its own way. The first plus, in my opinion, is that the movie doesn't assume the audience needs yet another genesis-of-superhero/mutant/whatever story. The opening credits whisk us through a bit of background, showing the experiment gone wrong and various newspaper clippings of Hulk stories. But ...  Read the complete review