Collegiate Times

As I went in to see the movie yesterday, I wondered whether I was going into the theater with too high of expectations, and for good reason.

The intro to the film is an interesting and different way of telling the story of Dr. Bruce Banner, with flashing scenarios making it visually stimulating. I had thought that Edward Norton was going to be a great Hulk. In a sense, I was right. His character is believable in that he is indeed a scientist trying to rid himself of his condition. His overbearing protectiveness of his body when he is in hiding makes his condition intriguing. Norton's ability to actually become the Hulk, however, is less than impressive.

Norton and Liv Tyler's characters make a good match, as they are both quirky and odd for most of their time together on screen. Tyler performed decently in helping Bruce get rid his condition while simultaneously dealing with inner conflict about their relationship (as she had met someone else after Banner disappeared as a fugitive).

Tim Roth is a new actor to the scene for me, but he turned out to be one of my favorite characters. He plays Emil Blonsky, the military soldier who tries to hunt down Banner and becomes the monster known as "Abomination" in the process. You can definitely sense the tense feelings grow as Blonsky was fighting the Hulk. General Ross, played by William Hurt, was also a good casting choice. His coldness toward his daughter makes you want to hate him at parts of the movie, yet there is a sense of kindness that shows through later in the film upon realizing what he had done.

The chase scenes in the movie were not my favorites. They actually reminded me intensely of the film Cloverfield, in which the camera was all over the place and never really focused. It's enough to make someone nauseated in parts.

The way of bringing the name "Abomination" to Blonsky's character is indeed clever, but when he transforms into the monster, the character becomes less believable, particularly when he speaks. His actions are not comparable to the Hulk because, when transformed, the Hulk speaks about three words during the film. It is awkward having a typical talkative villain and a hero who says nothing.

In the end, I thought the story was captivating, and the script was certainly better than that of the first version of the film. But there were many parts that reminded me of Godzilla movies, with a monster terrorizing the town with fire everywhere. The appearance of Tony Stark, however, was a treat that made up for some of the less-than-spectacular scenes.

Bottom line, see this film if you are looking for an intense, action-packed cat and mouse chase. Otherwise, wait for the DVD.

Grade: C+