Movie Review - The Incredible Hulk (2008 film)

I've been an Incredible Hulk fan for as long as I can remember. I've enjoyed most of his incarnations from comic book to cartoon to film. There were a few misfires such as that Ang Lee disaster. Fortunately, Marvel decided to redo the film, and do it right.

The Incredible Hulk is a 2008 action drama horror superhero film based on characters appearing in Marvel Comics. It is rated PG-13 for language and violence and is appropriate for tweens and up.

The Good

Acting. This movie was so well cast and so well acted. Everyone gave such a believable and emotional performance.

Silent Film aspects. Unlike most Marvel movies which are constant dialogue, jokes, and confessions, this movie relies heavily on visuals. It feels like a quarter of this movie is a silent film where nothing is said, and yet the audience knows exactly what is happening and what the characters are feeling. It was masterfully shot.

Story. The story was solid and naturally progressed from one scene to the next never feeling forced or contrived or too convenient.

Nods to Classic TV Show. The film contained a lot of nods to the original Bill Bixby/Lou Ferrigno tv show from the music to the opening scene to the first transformation of the hulk, to the post transformation scene.

Visuals. The film is beautifully shot. Each frame looks like a painting. The big shots feel so big, and the smaller shots feel so intimate. The fight sequences are so clear and well choreographed, not claustrophobic confusing shaking like so many current films.

Horror Vibe. This film had a very distinct classic horror vibe like the Alan Moore run on Swamp Thing. It's not a horror movie per se, but so many troupes and techniques from classic horror were used to create suspense and a real sense of urgency and struggle.

The Bad

CGI. I'm not sure why Hollywood is afraid to cast an actual human and paint him green to play the Hulk. Lou Ferrigno's performance in the TV series still holds up solidly and is the best live action portrayal of the character ever. When it came out the cgi looked like a bad video game, and has only gotten worse with time.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish they had used a real person for Hulk. Otherwise the movie was pure perfection.

Overall

The Incredible Hulk (2008 Film) may well be the best Marvel film to date. It has a solid story, great casting and acting, beautiful visuals, makes incredible use of visuals where the audience knows exactly what is going on and what the characters are feeling without the crutch of constant dialogue every other Marvel film relies on, and incorporates the best elements of the classic TV show. The only weakness with the cgi which looked like a video game (like almost all cgi does in film). This film is a classic and perfect example of how to adapt a comic book for the silver screen. I give this film 5 out of 5 boxes of popcorn.

     

Movie Review - Avengers: Infinity War

I loved Phase One of the Marvel Universe movies, but have been less impressed with the follow up films. They seem to be getting darker and moving away from the classic Marvel stories that made the first half dozen movies so amazing and so fun. I was hoping Avengers: Infinity War would break that streak.

Avengers: Infinity War is a 2018 superhero, science fiction, action film based on the characters appearing in Marvel Comics. It is rated PG-13 for violence and deaths and is appropriate for tweens and up.

The Good

Thor vs. Star Lord. I think the best part of the film was the fight between Thor and Star Lord. It was classic Marvel movie, and I wanted more. It was funny, clever, original, and so unexpected.

Juggling Heroes. This film has a huge cast of characters, and everyone deserves his moment in the spotlight. And this film succeeds marvelously (see what I did there?) in giving everyone a few moments to shine. I was impressed.

Story. With so much action and so many characters, I was concerned this movie would be nothing more than a slug fest, but there is a story, there is a plot, and there is character development.

Surprise Cameo. I'm amazed the producers were able to keep the appearance of a certain character from a previous movie a secret, but they did and I was genuinely surprised by his appearance, as was most of the theater.

Thanos. So often the big bad guy of major movies is little more than a two-dimensional bad guy who is completely evil and just wants to kill and destroy (see Steppenwolf in Justice League for an example). But Thanos was an actual, developed character that showed a lot of development and motive. While he never became likable, he is a credible threat. His motivation is misguided and obviously ridiculous (overpopulation), but there are a lot of people in this world who have proposed the same measures for the same misguided reasons.

The Bad

Dark and Gritty. One of the things that made the Phase One movies of the Marvel Studios so much fun is their bright colors and humor that made them look like and feel like the classic comics. This movie lacked both. It felt more like the grim and gritty Justice League movie than a Marvel comic. The only humor came from Thor, and there wasn't nearly enough of it.

Video Game Action and Effects. The special effects and movies in the Iron Man movies, Captain America: Winter Solider, Avengers, and others were amazing, well choreographed, and things I hadn't seen before. This movie looks like a video game. The action felt like a video game instead of the beautiful choreographed action of earlier films.

Deaths. There have been rumors and speculation about who would die. I was a little surprised by the deaths, but the way it happened and the ones chosen make me think none of them are going to stick, so I didn't really feel anything for them. I can see most, if not all, being undone easily. This is a comic book movie after all.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish this had adapted a classic Marvel story instead of just using the name of one and creating a completely original story. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't amazing either. I also wish the fight scenes had been unique and well choreographed instead of the same ole slug fests we've seen in so many movies.

Overall

Avengers: Infinity War feels more like Justice League than the first Avengers film with its dark, grim & gritty feel. The juggling of multiple heroes is very well done, and there is a solid story with real development of Thanos' character. The action is little more than one slug fest followed by another and the special effects look like a video game. There is little humor and few character movements that make Marvel movies so unique and fun (although the Thor vs. Star Lord fight is amazing!). This movie did not have the classic feel of the Phase One films choosing to go a much more traditional route. It was entertaining, but not as good as the first Avengers film. I give this film 4 out of 5 boxes of popcorn.

   

Movie Review - Thor: Ragnarok

I really enjoyed the first two Thor movies and felt they were two of the strongest entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (I know there are many of you out there with opinions to the contrary, but I think a couple of decades of time will change your opinions), and I loved The Incredible Hulk movie. So I really excited for the latest Thor film prominently featuring the Hulk. But would it live up to my expectations? Was I setting myself up for disappointment?

Thor: Ragnarok is a 2017 superhero, action, adventure film from Marvel Studios featuring characters by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Jack Kirby. It is rated PG-13 for language, some sexual jokes, and violence. It is appropriate for tweens and up.

The Good

Chris Hemsworth. Chris does a great job portraying the God of Thunder. He's very likable, serious when he needs to be serious, and is very powerful in this role demanding attention like a Norse god should.

Planet Hulk scenes. I enjoyed the Planet Hulk animated movie from a few years back, and thought the producers did a great job integrating that with Thor and making it feel like both stories belonged in the same movie. And the scenes were fun, entertaining, visually delightful, and funny. This was without question the best part of the film.

The Bad

Plot and Pacing. This movie was thin on story and dragged until they reached the Planet Hulk scenes.

Hela. The villainess Hela was supposed to be this all powerful goddess of death that couldn't be stopped. Instead she was this shallow, prancing, two-dimensional character that was all talk and very little action. She just wasn't strong enough to provide real menace, nor interesting enough to be memorable.

Special Effects. I'm not sure if it is the director, the producers, or the special effects houses dropping the ball, but this movie felt very cgi and very cheap video game like. The leaps, flying, and fighting all looked badly rendered and cheaply put together. It took away from the film.

Humor. This movie had the usual Marvel movie jokes, except they weren't that funny. Every one you saw coming, and none were impeccably delivered.

Music. This film had some good music, but there were several different styles that didn't mesh well together, and several of them didn't fit the mood or feel of the film. I found myself conciously noticing the music, which you should never do. It should seamlessly blend with the visuals and other audio for a complete experience that you don't notice.

End Credit Scene. I don't expect a lot from the end credit scenes these days. The early ones always revealed something cool, but lately they've been desperate. The end credit scene for Thor: Ragnarok scraped an all new low that makes bottom of the barrel look elevated. Don't waste your time sticking around for it.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I would like to have seen more originality instead of following the Marvel Movie Formula so closely. Thor is a unique character with a unique backstory different than most superheroes that gives you options to break out of the Marvel Movie Mold and do something new. I also wish the villain had been stronger and that they had shown more Planet Hulk scenes.

Overall

Thor: Ragnarok is an entertaining film that continues the story began in earlier films and advances the characters and the story to the next chapter. The Planet Hulk scenes were so much fun and so entertaining and by far the best part of the film. The villainess Hela was weak and not a serious challenge. I give this movie 3.5 boxes of popcorn out of 5.