Thursday, June 26, 2008

THE INCREDIBLE HULK

How come all these really terrific actors are doing comic book movies?

And don't they all begin to blend? The special effects and troubled hero who can't help being blah blah blah?

Not that they're made for me.

I saw it with my ten-year-old and his nine-year-old nephew, my grandson.

What's incredible is spending the day with them, at the community pool, the movies, the playground (with the two of them and a lone deer the last ones there before sunset, yeah tick check time).

Edward Norton makes an interesting case for the Hulk's humanity, in his characterization of the human who becomes him (Bruce banner?). But the simplistic story line, the odd changes in the lovely but confusingly varied facial contours of Liv Taylor's camera presence, as well as William Hurt's and everyone else's for that matter. It was as if some of the shots were done in different years, or after different visits from the botox guy or something else I don't understand but made me think about way too much.

The best sequences were beatifully done, as in the early Brazilian "slum" shots (the opening tweny minutes of the film was actually pretty terrific and seemed to promise a wonderful movie experience), but the combat parts were like repeats or outtakes from way too many recent flicks, and not so recent ones.

I guess they translate easy, so can make enough money around the world to pay off all the African nations debts or something. But what's it all about Alfie? Or I guess I mean Edward Norton, Liv Tyler (although the women don't have as many choices perhaps when it comes to roles), William Hurt, Tim Roth, Robert Downey Jr.?

I'll take Tim Roth as the bad guy in ROB ROY any day over this one. In fact, I'll take the romance and combat of ROB ROY over all the recent comic book movies put together. But, like I said, this flick wasn't made for me. The boys dug it.

3 comments:

Harryn Studios said...

stopped by starbuck's yesterday to infuse my daily head - a couple of pretty hip looking teenagers behind the counter were remarking to each other that they'd seen the movie the night before but didn't like it cause it was too 'heavy' - when i asked 'what could possibly have been too heavy' - they harmonized [with mild aggression]: 'the plot man' ...
so i humbly retreated to the magazine area with my art forum and new yorker ...
didn't see the movie, but i'm still trying to figure out what i don't get ...

Lally said...

Actually the plot is "heavy" in terms of duplicity, family betrayals, a government funtionary's evil schemes etc., and the hero's human aspect suffering from the consequences of all this as well as from the consequences of his super powers etc., but Spiderman, Batman, Ironman, etc. have similar backstories and ongoing struggles and etc. that keep them from their loves etc. etc. and like I said the combat scenes are similarly computer generated extreme obviousness with much carnage and explosions and explosive sounds etc. But perhaps the realistic acting of some of the stars in HULK made those teenagers feel it more?

Harryn Studios said...

thanks - figured there had to be something going on ...