Product Description

Academy Award® nominee Edward Norton stars as scientist Bruce Banner, a man who has been living in shadows, scouring the planet for an antidote to the unbridled force of rage within him: the Hulk. But when the military masterminds who dream of exploiting his powers force him back to civilization, he finds himself coming face to face with his most formidable foe: the Abomination -– a nightmarish beast of pure aggression whose powers match the Hulk’s own!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1002 in DVD
• Brand: UNI DIST CORP. (MCA)
• Released on: 2008-10-21
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed in: French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 112 minutes

Amazon.com
A more accessible and less heavy-handed movie than Ang Lee's 2003 HulkLouis Leterrier's The Incredible Hulk is a purely popcorn love affair with Marvel's raging, green superhero, as well as the old television series starring Bill Bixby as Dr. David Banner and Lou Ferrigno as the beast within him. Edward Norton takes up where Eric Bana left off in Lee's version, playing Bruce (that's the character's original name) Banner, a haunted scientist always on the move. Trying to eliminate the effects of a military experiment that turns him into the Hulk whenever his emotions get the better of him, Banner is hiding out in Brazil at the film's beginning. Working in a bottling plant and communicating via email with an unidentified professor who thinks he can help, Banner goes postal when General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross and a small army turn up to grab him. Intent on developing whatever causes Banner's metamorphoses into a weapon, Ross brings along a quietly deranged soldier named Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth), who wants Ross to turn him into a supersoldier who can take on the Hulk. The adventure spreads to the U.S., where Banner hooks up with his old lover (and Ross' daughter), Betty (Liv Tyler), and where the Hulk takes on several armed assaults, including one in a pretty unusual location: a college campus. The film's action is impressive, though the computer-generated creature is disappointingly cartoonish, and a second monster turning up late in the movie looks even cheesier. Norton is largely wasted in the film--he's essentially a bridge between sequences where he disappears and the Hulk rampages around. As good an actor as he is, Norton doesn't have the charisma here to carry those scenes in which one waits impatiently for the real show to begin. --Tom Keogh

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Customer Reviews

Old JADE-JAWS is Better Than Ever!
"THE MADDER HULK GETS, THE STRONGER HE GETS". Apparently, ol' Jade-Jaws has been rebooted for the screen under the moniker; "Incredible Hulk" with a new director; Louis Letterrier, a new script by Zack Penn and has a new lead actor in Edward Norton. To be honest, I'm one of the few who appreciated Ang Lee's "Hulk", appreciated but didn't love. Sure, it was too moody, nary a smile on anyone's face, full of human angst and fake looking CGI, but I thought it was reminiscent to the comic book when Paul Jenkins was at its helm. 2008's version of the Green Goliath trumps the 2003 version, with a different origin, more action and the CGI is a vast improvement over its predecessor. No, it is not a sequel to the 2003 film but a re-imagining that has close links to the "Hulk" (except for the color) who appears in Marvels' "The Ultimates" comic book.

Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) is hiding out somewhere in South America, looking for a cure for his gamma-induced affliction, trying to keep his temper in check, keeping a low profile and avoiding a certain General Ross (William Hurt) who intends to make an army of super-soldiers from his own D.N.A.. After being pursued by a team led by Emil Blonsky (Eli Roth), Banner returns to America to pursue a cure and asks longtime love Betty Ross (Liv Tyler) for her help in finding a man named "Mr. Blue" who may be able to cure him of his gamma-powered alter-ego. Blonsky is hot on their trail and asks Ross to experiment further with the workings of gamma radiation and cellular manipulation with him as the guinea pig. Blonsky is a man who wants power--at any cost.

The origin of the Hulk has been re-written from its 2003 version. Banner is a scientist who is unknowingly performing experiments on gamma applications to try to replicate a serum based on a World War II super-soldier serum (Captain America anyone?) that apparently got out of hand. Ross wants it as a weapon (no surprise) and Banner is the victim. Readers of Marvel's "the ULTIMATES" may see some similarities and may applaud this move. It was a good move to incorporate a new script to this 2008 film and Louis Letterrier seems to be the right man for its directorial duties. The script by Zack Penn in the hands of this director still has the usual touches of human drama and a moody atmosphere but at a better pace than Lee's rendition of ol'greenskin.

The CGI effects is a step forward from its previous incarnation; an improvement but still not perfect. The Hulk looks more ferocious and feral than the 2003 version and the moments where he says "Hulk Smash" still puts a smile on my place. I was waiting on the line "Hulk is the Strongest one there is" but I guess this would ruin the film's mood, and become a bit too comical. The battle with the Abomination is the film's main draw. The fight is fierce, savage and above all, very hard-hitting. You feel the impact of the blows, and the snarls add a lot of animal-like ferocity. There is also quite a decent number of action sequences dispersed throughout the film. Banner's encounters with a Black-ops team in the first 20 minutes and with a small army contingent helps the film's pace. Hulk smashes cars, humvees, and crushes almost everything in sight; Hulk also "claps" with such devastation. There are also moments that put Hulk's relationship with Betty in the spotlight and the savage monster is truly only savage when provoked. Hulk gets to display some emotion and sensitivity in the presence of Betty. Nice touches, truly reminiscent of the comic book.

Edward Norton's Bruce Banner may well be a little underdeveloped but by now, the film is probably relying on the fans to know what he is all about. Banner has that nerdy look but at the same time, strong and determined. Banner trains in the Brazilian style martial arts to try to control his anger by discipline. I almost wanted him to say: "Hulk knows Kung fu" but thankfully that didn't materialize. Norton gives a strong performance as our tortured scientist, I rather thought that he displayed the right emotions when one is afraid of losing himself. William Hurt is an outstanding General "Thunderbolt" Ross, his character is reminiscent of the other ruthless ones, Hurt has played throughout his career. Ross is a man of duty and has that `someone needs to get their hands dirty' attitude that gives his character a lot of depth. Liv Tyler is on par with Jennifer Connelly's Betty Ross. She's the anchor that pulls Bruce through the hardened moments.

While the film has the tendency in becoming a bit overlong and fall to the pitfalls of too much melodrama and excessive display of human angst, the film has some cleverly placed bits of satire that assists the film's pace. You wouldn't believe Banner's attempts in communication in Portuguese; "..you wouldn't like me when I'm hungry." Stan Lee and Lou Ferrigno makes cameo appearances which also add some subtle bits of humor.

Ultimately, "Incredible Hulk" is a success and an effective reboot from Ang Lee`s 2003 version. The film managed to stay focused in its context of a "Dr. Jekyll-Mr. Hyde" formula and the same time delivered a cleverly action-filled popcorn film that delivers the goods. There are hints of an underlying plan with Robert Downey's guest appearance and the hints of a "super-soldier" does give comic book fans something to look forward to. The film is a great comic book adaptation and it comes highly recommended from me who has seen Jade-Jaws' ups and downs since 1979.

HULK SAYS RECOMMENDED! [4- Stars]

The new Hulk film was well made for a number of reasons
This re-imagining of the green Goliath works far better than Ang Lee's 2003 outing that's for sure. Being an avid admirer of the Bixby/Ferrigno series in the late seventies and early eighties I found this film to be closer in spirit to the series and I definitely liked that.

The Hulk's origins are played out at the very beginning and once that's over and done with audiences are in for a fast paced and enjoyable ride. The film attempts to keep people who liked the series happy as well as the crowd who want it firmly rooted in Marvel tradition. The Hulk battles a foe called The Abomination in the final third, and by the way that fight is pretty amazing, and I gather that that's a person to be found in the original comics.

While Eric Bana was one of the few things that was positive about Hulk (2003), Norton betters him here. He's such a natural performer and he can convey so much with mere expressions. He was the perfect choice to play Banner, in some ways he reminded me of Bixby. Tim Roth is one of those actors who's always good and he doesn't falter here. But William Hurt really surprised me. I've always thought he was good but I'd have to say this is his finest performance in many years. General Ross is a much better written character here than in the 2003 version and Hurt simply excels in the part.

As for the CGI, they work really well. The Hulk looks extremely cool and far better here. He doesn't continue to grow as he gets angrier and while that may annoy some I actually found it a plus. And those huge leaps are history as well, he jumps far enough but nothing compared to Ang Lee's version.

The Incredible Hulk does well what it intends to do which is entertain. Overall it's full of action, very well acted and fairly well written. Must See!

Probably the Hulk that most people want to see
A few observations about the mostly successful, mostly entertaining 2008 film "The Incredible Hulk"...

The movie is billed as a reboot or totally new version of the Hulk, not a sequel to the 2003 Ang Lee film that was simply titled, "Hulk". I'd call the movie more of a semi-reboot. Why? Well, the earlier movie ends with Bruce Banner in hiding in South America, with General Ross and his cronies madly searching for him. And the new film, well... opens with Bruce Banner in hiding in South America, with General Ross and his cronies madly searching for him. I think Marvel smartly structured the film to appease both camps: if you liked the earlier movie you can- contrary to all the "forget the earlier movie!" hype- view this one as the next chapter in the story. And if you didn't like the earlier film, you can point to the recasting of the actors and the less introspective, more "big summer movie" tone and say, "Whew, it's NOT the same storyline!" Your money, your choice.

The new film offers a more kinetic, visceral, action-oriented story, peppered with just enough quietly dramatic moments (in other words, talking scenes) so the movie doesn't turn into a relentless, flashing, pinball machine. If you ever read the comic book, it really feels like a three-issue run from the mid-70's "Hulk Smash! era.

The deleted scenes in the 3-disc special edition are interesting. Apparently a more pronounced love triangle between Betty, Bruce, and Betty's new boyfriend Leonard (who we learn, via one deleted scene, is actually comics character Leonard Samson, pre-irradiation experiment) was a bigger part of the original conception of the film. Though the five or six deleted scenes involving this triangle are intriguing to see, I think I like the final film's decision to simply allude to the tension between the three characters instead of turning the middle part of the movie into an episode of "As the Hulk Turns".

There are one or two deleted scenes involving General Ross that I wished were kept in the film. Though never depicting him as warm and fuzzy, a couple of those scenes showed that his motivation to capture the Hulk and harness his power, though misguided, didn't come from an evil place. If they were included in the film, those scenes would have made it easier to swallow the General's semi-change of heart at the end when he decides to extend an olive branch to Bruce and join forces with him to take down the Abomination. That's a quibble, though. The film and its developments in the current cut still work; there's just less explicit evidence on display that the General is capable of making that emotional leap.

Other treats abound. There's a fun little cameo involving Iron Man's alter-ego Tony Stark which was clearly moved from its original "Easter egg" post-closing credits position to the final scene in the main body of the movie after the huge success of "Iron Man". As said, it's an enjoyable cameo, but a little confusing: Is Tony asking General Ross to help him recruit the Hulk into the new super-team he's forming or offering the use of that team to help Ross take down the Hulk? I guess we'll have to wait for the next round of Marvel movies to find out. Also fun but somewhat under-written was the obligatory Stan Lee cameo, where we see him as an innocent bystander who drinks some gamma-infected soda pop (the scenario is not as inane as it sounds) and then freezes up and drops the soda bottle. It's amazing to me that they missed the opportunity to have him writhe on the ground and turn at least a little green, if only for a moment. Oh, well.

More about the three-disc DVD I bought: Though generous, the set is not as lavish as the term "three-disc DVD" might suggest. The first disc is the movie (looks and sounds great) along with a commentary track; the second disc contains a thirty-minute or so "making of" piece, a few short (about ten minutes each) companion pieces that provide additional details about different aspects of the production, the deleted scenes I mentioned, and a cute piece (a few minutes long) showing how a scene from the movie was inspired by a scene in the comics. The third disc is simply a digital copy of the film that you can upload and watch on your PC.

I hope that the DVD release of "The Incredible Hulk" puts the movie over the top financially, offsetting its somewhat lackluster box office (so much for blowing the Ang Lee film out of the water). It would be be nice to see another chapter in this saga, after all, and without having to suffer through another re-boot, or semi-reboot, or whatever confusing technique they'd end up employing in a hand-wringing gesture to overthink the concept of what people want from this character that's simultaneously highly commercial and "what's he really about?" offbeat.