The Incredible Hulk

See, I promised I would post this! Aren't you happy? I even gave you a schedule to follow! I could get used to this...

I tried to keep the spoilers to a minimum, and I don't give away any major plot points, but if you're really paranoid, just don't read this until after you've watched the movie.

So, The Hulk.

What shall I talk about first? The brilliance of Edward Norton? Liv Tyler sporting a REAL woman's body, with curves and everything? Seriously, she wasn't a stick, and she was more than a "damsel in distress" which made me very happy. The fantastic plot, that allowed me to follow the story even though I didn't see the last one? The cameos?

What I loved about it was how they made Bruce Banner a real person. A man struggling with the beast inside, trying to keep it under control long enough to find a cure. He keeps a heart rate monitor on his wrist, and without unnecessary exposition-talk, we, as an audience, understand that when that watch shaped device starts beeping too rapidly, there will be trouble. All of it is conveyed through Edward Norton's eyes and shots of the climbing numbers on the monitor. I love when movies assume their audience is intelligent, it just makes things go faster.

So, when Bruce is being chased by soldiers, you find yourself not only worried about them catching him, but about what will happen to those soldiers if they push him too far. Chase scenes rarely have moments where the chasee stops for a bit of rest and meditation breathing to ease his heart rate.

I've already mentioned Liv's luscious curves, so check her out at the top of act two when she makes her appearance. There are some great action sequences throughout the film. Not so many that you get sick of the violence, but enough to remind you that you're watching an ACTION movie, and not just a character drama (though there's lots of that, too).

There's humor too. Like when Bruce and Betty decide to take a New York cab because they're afraid the congested subway system in an aggressive city could set Bruce off. I could have told them New York taxi drivers are demon spawn, but they didn't ask me.

And then they meet the eccentric scientist at the top of act three. He's a hoot and a half.

Everything has been so carefully laid out-the plot, the characters, and the drama that surrounds it all-that by the time act four rolls around, and it's time for the Major Battle Scene, you're ready for it. You care about the characters, so you have a stake in this fight, and you sit back, ready to just enjoy the carnage. And carnage there is. But you forgive the violence because you really want to watch the bad guy get beat down, and because they can do such amazing things with CGI these days.

And just when you think it's done...there's another little surprise.

Go see it. Really. And if you haven't seen Iron Man, go see that too. Heck, make it a double feature!

Have fun!
Jules

PS-Tomorrow, same time, same place, look for the completion of my thoughts on the previews.