The Inner Struggle Between Peace Heroism - The Incredible Hulk Movie Review
"The Incredible Hulk" picks up the story of Bruce Banner 5 years after his botched experiment that turned him into the Hulk when his pulse reaches a certain level (e.g. he becomes agitated - angry, scared, excited). Bruce (Edward Norton - "The Illusionist") is in hiding in Brazil, looking for a possible cure for his condition by working with a scientist code-named "Mr. Blue" over an encrypted internet connection. Since there has been no cure to this point, Bruce attempts to live his life as normally as possible. He has a job fixing machinery and trains to keep his breathing calm in the face of dangerous situations.
When Bruce accidentally cuts himself on the job and his blood contaminates one of the plant's products (a bottled beverage), a man becomes ill from Gamma radiation poisoning, causing the U.S. government to become interested in the case, especially General Ross (William Hurt). General Ross's daughter, Elizabeth (Liv Tyler - "Armageddon"), was Bruce's girlfriend and lab partner before the accident, so he knows first hand the power Bruce possesses. General Ross sends a crew to Brazil to attempt to catch Bruce, led by Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth).
When unable to capture Bruce, General Ross explains to Blonsky the importance of the project Bruce was working on, as a way to possibly create a super-soldier, an ultimate war weapon. In the 5 years that has passed, General Ross has continued to experiment, and offers Blonsky the opportunity to become part of the experiment. Meanwhile, Bruce returns to the states to try and find the missing information about the experiment he was involved with to give to Mr. Blue, and meets back up with Elizabeth. He and Elizabeth (Betty) run off to find Mr. Blue.
Mr. Blue lets his role as scientist get the better of him. Although he helps Bruce find a cure (whether it's temporary or permanent we are unsure until later in the movie), he also helps turn Blonsky into "The Abomination" when General Ross and his crew follow Bruce there.
The Abomination begins to attack the city, and Bruce must decide whether or not to live a possibly peacefully, cured life, or give back into his inner anger to save the city from The Abomination.
"The Incredible Hulk" is a great "sequel" (if it truly was meant to be), but also stands alone as a fantastic movie. One of the most interesting parts of the movie takes place at the beginning of the movie, when through a series of photos, newspaper clips, and short videos, we as the viewer are reminded of how the Hulk came to be and who the characters are. In this way, the story can pick up wherever it wants (in this case 5 years in the future) and not have to constantly remind us as viewers how we came to this point.
Tying into this idea of how a movie can simultaneously stand alone yet be tied into other things at the same time, another interesting part of the movie is how Stan Lee's Marvel world is beginning to intertwine itself. There are references to Stark Industries and S.H.I.E.L.D. (both from "Iron Man") and a special cameo appearance at the end of movie from a star of a recent superhero movie.
While the action in the movie is phenomenal, the storyline does not falter, which makes the action scenes that much better. The constant battle between the characters over what's important in their lives creates interesting interactions between each other. For Bruce, it's the inner struggle between finding a cure and thus peace, and keeping those he cares about safe. For Elizabeth, it's helping Bruce out of love, and being loyal to her father out of family. For General Ross, it's finding a medium between doing his job and family.
Overall, "The Incredible Hulk" is a fantastic movie, making up for a lackluster first attempt in "The Hulk". The character of The Hulk looks even more realistic, allowing to see the human inside of the monster. The story is compelling, the action is fast-paced and seemingly never-ending, and the cliffhanger leaves you craving for more.
Grade: A-
Kolin Kasten is a graduate of St. Norbert College with a Bachelor's Degree in English. He is a freelance writer who also works part-time for Monumental Films, a Wisconsin-based video business whose goal is to capture the important events in one's life on film. To learn more, please go
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/
Added: June 17, 2008
'Swingtown' recap: Labor pains - Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly 'Swingtown' recap: Labor pains Entertainment Weekly - Bruce was sitting on the beach, dumbfounded. The whole thing drove him back into the arms of Melinda, where all the trouble started in the first place. ... Finalewatch: 'Swingtown.' The summer of '76