Special Edition Podcast - 'The Incredible Hulk'

[conorkilpatrick]

It's iFanboy at the Movies! New iFanboy staff writer Paul Montgomery sits in for a vacationing Josh alongside Conor and Ron to talk about The Incredible Hulk. Strap on a backpack, hang your head, and start walking down that long lonely road.

Total Running Time: 00:28:58

Click here (http://www.ifanboy.com/podcasts/audio/_The_Incredible_Hulk_) for download info on the Special Edition: The Incredible Hulk Podcast. The show can also be found on your podcast feed behind this week's Pick of the Week Podcast.

http://www.filmbuffonline.com/uploaded_images/HulkPoster-750351.jpg

This is your place to discuss The Incredible Hulk! From here on out, if you haven't seen the movie and don't want to be spoiled, do not read any further!

[humphrey-lee]

Oh the smashing, THE SMASHING! Probably the best action sequences in a superhero flick yet. So much fun.

[themaestrox]

I am far from a fan of the Hulk in comics. I like the concept, but I've never really liked the comics. Planet Hulk was one of the most repetitive and boring runs I have ever read.

The Incredible Hulk was a Great comic film.

It took itself seriously enough to be respectful to the characters, but not so much to get in the way of the fun...and the Smash!

I loved how it grounded itself in a pseudo-realistic world, even if there were some moments of suspension of disbelief that had me rolling my eyes (clapping to put out the petrol fire???)

For me I put it in the same camp as Ironman. Not breaking any new ground, and probably won't be going down in history for any reason in particular, but there is nothing to hate about it either.

Solid acting, momentarily let down by a mediocre script in parts, and a good enough story to carry the film.

Nice establishiment of the "Hulk World" with a few seeds planted that will be reaped in future installments. And a worth while addition to the "Marvel Universe".

Im not a Marvel fan, and I think they have made some of the worst comic book films in recent history, so I was primed to hate it.....but I didnt. There was nothing to hate.

Solid Film!
B

[ruo21]

After hearing much talk about this moving blowing at my LCBS over the previous couple weeks, I wasn't expecting much. However, this movie was quite good. I wouldn't say it was great, but it was definitely worth my money. It moves quite slow, and the first 2 action scenes are fairly dry. The fight scene at the end however, did not fail to dissapoint. The 2 behemoths crashing together in this environment with unrelentless smashing just put a smile on my face.

I think this is the first movie I have ever seen that is tied into other movies without being a sequel to said movie. I feel that this is begining to create an aura of excitement around these Marvel movies that will only promote further interest in them down the line.

Worst Part of the movie: When Tyler volunteers to pawn off her necklace, only to have this idea rejected by Norton. I saw no sembalance of an acting career in either of these actors during this sequence, it only succeeded in making me cringe.

1 things that would have made the movie better:
At the end when the Hulk is running through the city (swinging under the bridge, jumping onto buildings, etc.) he should have landed on a flag pole Spider Man style to finish the movie.

[paper]

Haha, Hulk can't land on a flagpole. Or...he could, but it would immediately cease being a flagpole. It would really cease being anything.

Wasn't it so cool how he disappeared into light? That was beautiful.

[jasontodd]

I really liked The Incredible Hulk. It was just as good as Iron Man in my opinion.

Things I Liked: Solid acting, solid establishment of the Hulk world, and the special effects were great. The last battle between Hulk and The Abomination put the last Iron Man battle to shame.
The movie respected its audience, and didn't dwell on the Hulk origin story, the past love between Bruce and Betty, etc, the director expected the audience to fill in the blanks.

Things I didn't Like: I would have liked more character development of Thunderbolt Ross and The Abomination. The movie is short and could have used another 20-30 minutes.

Grade B+.... I was impressed. The Incredible Hulk "smashed" (ouch) my expectations.

[cammyknoxville]

Just got back from seeing it. I had an incredibly fun time.

Loved Norton as Banner, Liv was an ok Betty, and Hurt was a badass Ross.

And remember when they said we'd see Captain America in the film? It took me a second to realize they meant Tim Roth's character pumped-up on the Super Soldier Serum. To see him running faster than the normal troops and had grace and quicker reflexes than any of them made me think "That's what Cap would be displaying". Bravo!

The fights were brutal and awesome, and the special effects didn't take me out of the movie. Also, nice job of integrating S.H.E.I.L.D. and Stark Industries and Nick Fury's name on a few CLASSIFIED documents.

Oh, and giving us the whole rundown of the events that happened in the first few minutes? VERY nice quick summary.

Of all the movies I've seen this year, so far The Incredible Hulk comes in second, with Iron Man in first.

And for some lol's:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ne3YC339myg

[conorkilpatrick]

And remember when they said we'd see Captain America in the film? It took me a second to realize they meant Tim Roth's character pumped-up on the Super Soldier Serum. To see him running faster than the normal troops and had grace and quicker reflexes than any of them made me think "That's what Cap would be displaying". Bravo!

The Captain America scene was cut from the film (http://www.newsarama.com//film/080612-CapNotHulk.html).

[paper]

So..they have this filmed and everything. And he's THE Captain America? They picked an actor that would presumably go on to play him in First Avenger? Crazy.

[conorkilpatrick]

So..they have this filmed and everything. And he's THE Captain America? They picked an actor that would presumably go on to play him in First Avenger? Crazy.

I have a feeling that since the scene was in the Antarctic, we would have seen a body frozen in ice, perhaps with a visible uniform, but face most definitely indeterminant.

[paper]

There is talk that 70+ minutes of deleted scenes will appear on the Blu-ray release of the film.

This Cap thing is driving me nuts. Where did that Bruce of the North scene fit into the original film? Is it the very beginning? Otherwise it's all pretty linear. The ending, just before the cabin? But he didn't seem like he was in a place where he wanted to kill himself. I was satisfied that between his Abomination fight and the cabin scene, he had evaded capture, set down stakes in Canada, and learned to control his transformation. There's no beat missing there.

Where was the snow scene supposed to go? I really hope they do release this thing online, because otherwise i'm gonna go crazy.

[esophagus]

We'll just have to wait for the DVD to find out (unless theyre lying about that too), but I am guessing Conor is right. They already said it was when he was "up north."

[paper]

I have a feel that since the scene was in the Antarctic, we would have seen a body frozen in ice, perhaps with a visible uniform, but face most definitely indeterminant.

That makes sense. But was that how he was frozen in the comics (I have no idea). I just assumed Cap was in a lab somewhere. You don't need to be in the arctic circle for that, yeah?

[esophagus]

That makes sense. But was that how he was frozen in the comics (I have no idea). I just assumed Cap was in a lab somewhere. You don't need to be in the arctic circle for that, yeah?No, everyone thought he was dead, even people in labs. He was found frozen in the water. At least, this is the way I remember it.

[paper]

Ok, reading up on this on Wiki. I never read the old Avengers, so this is all new to me.

He was literally in a block of ice? How did he get there?

EDIT: Ohhhhhhhhhh, okay.

[esophagus]

Ok, reading up on this on Wiki. I never read the old Avengers, so this is all new to me.

He was literally in a block of ice? How did he get there?
You beat me to it. He got in a battle, fell to the ocean and everyone thought the impact killed him. It didn't, he just got frozen in the Atlantic and floated around for a while.

[paper]

That's so weird. I always assumed they Walt Disneyed him. Captain America is so lost in my blind spots, it's ridiculous.

Carry on.

The Hulk put out a fire by clapping! That's badass. I'm doing that with my birthday cake this year.

[esophagus]

I can open beer with my belly button. It sounds like me and Hulk would make for a fun birthday. Aside from the yelling and murder and ripped clothing, and whatever Hulk is doing while I flip out.

[cammyknoxville]

The Captain America scene was cut from the film (http://www.newsarama.com//film/080612-CapNotHulk.html).

Eh, well that's just how I interpreted it.

Way to crush my hopes and dreams ;(

[puddlefish]

I'd imagine the arctic scene would be at the beginning of the movie. There's a montage during the credits showing Ross looking at maps and Newspaper headlines etc. (Green Sasquatch Sighted). Maybe this was originally a longer scene with more locations.

[sn4tch]

It was great! The only Hulk run I ever took the time out to read was the Bruce Jones run. So I REALLY liked this, and saw a lot similarities between those issues and this film. At the end of the film a lot of people were clapping, which also made me pretty happy.

[senoj1]

The Incredible Hulk was great! Overall I thought everything was solid. A few bad acting moments but it was great. Awesome action only complaint about Iron Man i had was the last fight sequence this was much better. I really want to see the DVD extras.


Not sure who cares but the scene where Captain America would have cameo'd would have been and the beginning in the Artic and it was a suicide scene and it was cut. A scene with Doc Samson was also cut.
http://www.slashfilm.com/2008/06/14/the-truth-about-edward-norton-vs-marvel/

[valoharth]

Watched the Hulk, it didn't suck. I like Ang Lee's Hulk better.

[jon_samuelson]

It definitely didn't suck. And while I enjoyed Ang Lee's movie, I think this one surpassed it in almost every way. The effects were better (and not only because they're 5 years more advanced), it was faithful to the source material without being slavish, much as I'm pained to admit it Hurt was better than Elliot as Thunderbolt Ross, and there were no Hulk Dogs.

The one area I'll say that Lee's film was vastly superior was in its visual style. I absolutely loved the way he used scene wipes, and framed the screen just like it was a comic book panel.

As far as the cast in general goes I think this one was far superior, or at least in the cases where the previous film was better the new one's script gave the actors more to work with. I think that Eric Bana may have been a little bit better at emoting how terrified he was of the monster inside of him, but it was close and Norton just fits the bill better. I particularly liked how Norton, and the script, treated the Hulk like some horrible infectious disease. Thunderbolt Ross was a far meatier role in this movie than in Ang Lee's and William Hurt took it and ran, he was great. A truly loathsome character. The one area where I think they got it right in the first one was Jennifer Connelly. She was perfect for that part, a great actress, and a great beauty. It's just a bit too bad that, for my money, the character was written so much better in the new film. That said, I like Liv Tyler a lot, and I thought she did a fine job.

So, while I enjoyed Ang Lee's version, I liked this one much better. Ang Lee's version swung for the fences, with the bases loaded, and I can (and do) admire that, but I think it actually wound up hitting a long sacrifice fly to plate the tying run. I think this new movie came up in the bottom of the 9th, and hit a 2-run walk-off double. It wasn't perfect, but it was cool, and fun, and pretty damn exciting.

[valoharth]

I thought Elliot was spot on and Hurt didn't even measure up to him. I like Liv Tyler, I will admit that she was better then Jenifer and their felt like a history between her and Norton.

The reason I liked Lee's better then this one is because there was more going on underneath what you saw on the screen. There was better character development and Lee's focused more on Banner then the Hulk which IMO is a far more interesting aspect to the story then the Hulk. They Incredible Hulk had a minor aspect of the struggle between Banner and the Hulk but lets face it this movie was all about the Hulk.

I think that's where most of the hate for the Lee version stems from, he didn't make it about the Hulk, he made it about Banner and his relationship with his family's past.

As for the killer poodle it makes sense, I mean if you wanted to experiment with an animal are you going to go out and buy a bad ass Iguana or German Shepard for 500-1000 bucks a pop? No, if your experiment fails you would loose that cash, you're going to use what ever dog you have laying around. The guy had a poodle so we got an attack poodle.

Truth be told I think Lee was trying to incorporate a bit of campyness into The Hulk and thats why he went with the poodle. I can see why that backfired a bit on him.

[paper]

Reading up on the whole Norton/Marvel dispute. Norton's not contracted for a sequel.

Are we going to see a third Bruce Banner in the Avengers film?

[jimski]

Are we going to see a third Bruce Banner in the Avengers film?

Jeremy Davies for the win!!

[paper]

Jeremy Davies for the win!!

Nice pick!

[jon_samuelson]

Yeah, if they had to find a new Banner, he'd be about as good a choice as you could make.

[mikegraham6]

Haven't seen the flick yet so i haven't read the thread. This may have been post already but here's a breakdown of what happened between Marvel Studios and Edward Norton (http://weblogs.variety.com/thompsononhollywood/2008/06/incredible-hu-1.html)

[dave-accampo]

Jeremy Davies for the win!!

That would be so awesome...

[dave-accampo]

I've got a lot of thoughts on this film, but I might save them for a podcast or something...

In a nutshell, I thought it was an enjoyable flick. Didn't surpass Iron Man, and it definitely had a few flaws that bugged me. But it also surpassed my expectations (which, admittedly, were low).

I think I like the Ang Lee Hulk better because it tried to be so different. But i tend to champion the underdog. I like when you go balls out and try to mix artsy with zany pop. That was an experimental Hulk. This is a comic book Hulk. This is more of a straight genre film, and it's what I expect future Marvel films will look like.

[esophagus]

I liked the CONCEPT of Ang Lee's Hulk. I really didn't like the execution. I mean the comic book transitioning? Oh. My. God.

[paper]

That's where Ang Lee's Hulk falls down. It's not confident enough to be a different kind of movie, a dramatic interpretation of the comic. So it awkwardly latches on to the comic medium with those transitions and the fucking poodle.

It's sort of like the film wants to start cross-dressing, but even as it steps out the door in a summer dress and stilettos, it insists on bringing a pair of jeans and sneakers in a gym bag. Just in case.

[conorkilpatrick]

I liked the CONCEPT of Ang Lee's Hulk. I really didn't like the execution. I mean the comic book transitioning? Oh. My. God.

So, so good. Rewatching Hulk the day after seeing Incredible Hulk it just blew me away how Ang Lee shot the movie and I absolutely adore his transitions, not just the comic book paneling but the blur zooms as well. Brilliance.

[esophagus]

That's where Ang Lee's Hulk falls down. It's not confident enough to be a different kind of movie, a dramatic interpretation of the comic. So it awkwardly latches on to the comic medium with those transitions and the fucking poodle.

It's sort of like the film wants to start cross-dressing, but even as it steps out the door in a summer dress and stilettos, it insists on bringing a pair of jeans and sneakers in a gym bag. Just in case.Nailed it. Nailed exactly what I hated.

[conorkilpatrick]

I'm mystified as to my people latch onto the poodle all the time. It's a little innocuous dog, which is why it's more terrifying as a monster dog.

[paper]

I like the panels, but not in that film. It's like a clusterfuck of things.

Blur zooms, yes. Hell yes. Panels, not so much. But in another, lighter movie? Like a Spider-Man or The Avengers? That could be very cool.

[valoharth]

So, so good. Rewatching Hulk the day after seeing Incredible Hulk it just blew me away how Ang Lee shot the movie and I absolutely adore his transitions, not just the comic book paneling but the blur zooms as well. Brilliance.

I'm mystified as to my people latch onto the poodle all the time. It's a little innocuous dog, which is why it's more terrifying as a monster dog.

This is why I like you Conor! You have taste. ;)

[paper]

For me, it's not any one thing that bothers me about that film. Poodles, outright bleakness, comic panel transitions. I think all of those things could work, but when put together it's schizophrenic. It's not seamless. The movie so well known for being an attempt at real human drama is also the movie that plays with the toys in a really big way. In it's move to think outside the box, it's tipped the box over, spilling everything out on the floor. If this were a book, would you shelf it in Literature or Science Fiction? It's an identity crisis.

And that's what I meant when I was trying to explain my dislike for Mr. Blue in this film. Should there be funny in a hulk movie? Yes. I was perfectly content with the subway and taxi jokes. Banner's not Tony Stark. He's likable and compelling, but he isn't charismatic. There's a big expanse between hilarious and dour. It's not a black and white distinction. This new film mostly worked, but for whatever reason, the Mr. Blue scenes were so frustrating for me. Especially his interaction with Blonsky which was just silly. I felt the same about the Brazilian thugs. Are mindless street toughs a comic trope of the past? Yeah. But you don't need them to pay homage. There are plenty of other elements to pull from the comics medium that would make for thrilling, thoughful entertainment.

[jimski]

So, so good. Rewatching Hulk the day after seeing Incredible Hulk it just blew me away how Ang Lee shot the movie and I absolutely adore his transitions, not just the comic book paneling but the blur zooms as well. Brilliance. I've said before, but when I saw the panel transitions I walked out declaring, "In a year, those will be in every movie you see! Revolutionary!" So clearly, I know nothing.

[dave-accampo]

So, so good. Rewatching Hulk the day after seeing Incredible Hulk it just blew me away how Ang Lee shot the movie and I absolutely adore his transitions, not just the comic book paneling but the blur zooms as well. Brilliance.

Agreed 100%. I love the comic book paneling in the film. I need to re-watch HULK now...

[paper]

Reposting, because I added a lot to the original:

For me, it's not any one thing that bothers me about the Ang Lee film. Poodles, outright bleakness, comic panel transitions. I think all of those things could work, but when put together it's schizophrenic. It's not seamless. The movie so well known for being an attempt at real human drama is also the movie that plays with the toys in a really big way. In its move to think outside the box, it's tipped the box over, spilling everything out on the floor. If this were a book, would you shelf it in Literature or Science Fiction? It's an identity crisis.

And that's what I meant when I was trying to explain my dislike for Mr. Blue in this film. Should there be funny in a hulk movie? Yes. I was perfectly content with the subway and taxi jokes. Banner's not Tony Stark. He's likable and compelling, but he isn't charismatic. There's a big expanse between hilarious and dour. It's not a black and white distinction. This new film mostly worked, but for whatever reason, the Mr. Blue scenes were so frustrating for me. Especially his interaction with Blonsky which was just silly. I felt the same about the Brazilian thugs. Are mindless street toughs a comic trope of the past? Yeah. But you don't need them to pay homage. There are plenty of other elements to pull from the comics medium that would make for thrilling, thoughful entertainment.

[valoharth]

I've said before, but when I saw the panel transitions I walked out declaring, "In a year, those will be in every movie you see! Revolutionary!" So clearly, I know nothing.

I said the same thing. I was amazed when no one did them.

[conorkilpatrick]

If this were a book, would you shelf it in Literature or Science Fiction? It's an identity crisis.

Those aren't mutually exclusive - it could be both.

[paper]

Stylistically interesting, but then we talk about wanting a film adaptation to distance itself somewhat from the source material to make the effort relevant, for the story to beneifit from the cinematic treatment with all associated bells and whistles. I guess I'm saying, would we want that in every single super hero movie?

[paper]

Those aren't mutually exclusive - it could be both.

That's fair, but I still think the balance isn't quite there.

I guess I'm just frustrated with the idea that Ang Lee is looking at this as his treatise on comic books and not just on the Hulk story. He brings that extra set of baggage that it's a movie about comic books and not just an adaptation of a story that happens to be from a comic book. So it's an extra layer which, for me, detracts from the narrative at hand.

Imagine you're a grave robber. You love robbing graves. The greatest high ever, in your warped mind. And tonight you're going out to rob some graves at a cemetery you've never been to before. Awesome, right? But this time you're taking a newbie, a colleague from your day job who wants to learn the ropes. So while you'll be enjoying a favorite pastime, the experience is colored by the fact that you have to instruct someone else as you do it. When I sit down to watch Ang Lee's Hulk, I'm not just watching a hulk story. I'm watching a commentary on comic book mentality. Which, sometimes, is a level of complication that I don't want.

I don't want to sound like I hate that movie. It just taunts me. The new one isn't perfect either. I'm glad that we have both. There's a lot to like with the combined experience.

[valoharth]

Stylistically interesting, but then we talk about wanting a film adaptation to distance itself somewhat from the source material to make the effort relevant, for the story to beneifit from the cinematic treatment with all associated bells and whistles. I guess I'm saying, would we want that in every single super hero movie?

No probably not, I agree with you that it might have worked better with a lighter story, maybe Spiderman.

It did work, for me, with the Hulk. Ang Lee presented it in a way it wasn't campy. I've seen the panel technique not work well, if you have a chance pick up the 1970's version of Andromeda Strand. They used it a lot in that movie but it seemed like they used it in inappropriate spots.

[tad]

I saw both The Incredible Hulk and Kung Fu Panda today and it strikes me that their the exact same film. I mean when the Dragon Scroll glows with "kappa radiation" and the Chinese general sends his warriors to hound him, and the whole Ben Stiller panda morphs into the Jack Black panda when he's hungry? C'mon!

Okay, none of that was in KFP. Still, both pretty good movies.

I wish I cared about Banner as much as I did about Stark, Conor's "party guy" theory counts for a lot but we don't get to see the pre-gamma Banner to identify with him. Not that I wanted to, but that's sort of what it would take to feel more for him, to see him before he is haunted with the Hulk.

I agree "Hulk smash" was played wrong and the music didn't play it. Could've been a build up then cut out music for the line. I like the look of the Abomination's back, wish the face had a similar scaled feeling. Hate the face.

But I can't believe you skipped what I think is a huge deal for the next Hulk movie. The last part of the movie was about finding the Bruce inside the Hulk. Betty communicates with him then the Hulk is used as a weapon. He's intelligent enough to protect Betty in the helicopter sequence and to use metal as shields and cars as boxing gloves. But the big deal is the last shot of him - Banner is meditating, his eyes turn green and Norton smiles. This suggests the Hulk will be at least slightly more under control, as in Avengers #1-3. So when Stark says they're building a team, it means Hulk will quite possibly be in the original line up of heroes, not as a menace.

Finally, since everybody points out that the Marvel movies have a shared universe, I can't believe no one is talking about the Skrulls that have been featured in every movie, same actor playing entirely different roles in all their movies. The most surprising thing is that they didn't go with a bigger name for the Skrull agent.

But then, Stan Lee is a pretty big name.

[conorkilpatrick]

But I can't believe you skipped what I think is a huge deal for the next Hulk movie. The last part of the movie was about finding the Bruce inside the Hulk. Betty communicates with him then the Hulk is used as a weapon. He's intelligent enough to protect Betty in the helicopter sequence and to use metal as shields and cars as boxing gloves. But the big deal is the last shot of him - Banner is meditating, his eyes turn green and Norton smiles. This suggests the Hulk will be at least slightly more under control, as in Avengers #1-3.

Definitely. Bruce is in control now. Which is nice as it will allow a slightly different plot for the sequel (should there be one).

So when Stark says they're building a team, it means Hulk will quite possibly be in the original line up of heroes, not as a menace.

This I don't know about. Stark is clearly there to pitch the Avengers as a solution to the Hulk problem, which is straight out of The Ultimates, which is where these movies are mostly taking their cues. If they wanted The Hulk to join the Avengers, why go to the one man that wants him dead?

[paper]

I got the sense that they were looking at Ross as Hulk's handler in a weird way. I don't think he s dead. I think he still wants to use him as a weapon.

It would be interesting to see how the media of that movie universe portrays the Hulk after the Abomination fight. I'd be curious to see what the public knows. Thats aspect is what makes the very end of iron Man so cool. It's like the camera pulled out to show that the whole world now knows about Iron Man.

[paper]

Also, Conor:

I thought about it after the show. You're totally right about the fights. While I did like the third fight more than you guys, I do agree that the second is the best.

And I am SO glad that they don't use the horrible shot we see in the trailer of Blonsky being hurled backwards in that campus fight. You know the one.

[conorkilpatrick]

I got the sense that they were looking at Ross as Hulk's handler in a weird way. I don't think he want Hulk dead. I think he still wants to use him as a weapon.

It's possible that after helping with the Abomination, Ross looks at the Hulk differently, but I doubt it. That's not Ross' way.

I shouldn't have said "wants him dead" what I really meant was "hates him the most".

[tad]

I agree the logic is iffy but I got the same "handler" idea that Paper did. Why else would Stark be talking to Ross at all?

Plus I don't think they're following the Ultimate Universe, I think filmmakers are picking and choosing the character bits they like. The Ultimate stuff has a leg up because it's already a more contemporary take on the heroes.

Plus, when you're building a team it's great to have a built in source of friction. Hulk would be great in the mix.

But then, I'm old school:
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o278/drunkfuryxl/1-1.jpg

[ronxo]

I agree the logic is iffy but I got the same "handler" idea that Paper did. Why else would Stark be talking to Ross at all?

Plus I don't think they're following the Ultimate Universe, I think filmmakers are picking and choosing the character bits they like. The Ultimate stuff has a leg up because it's already a more contemporary take on the heroes.

Plus, when you're building a team it's great to have a built in source of friction. Hulk would be great in the mix.

But then, I'm old school:


I agree with you Tad..if you look at what they have lined up:
- Iron Man = success
- Hulk = success
- Captain America movie to take place in WWII, hmm I wonder how that one ends
- Thor movie (the one I'm worried about the most now)
- Ant Man movie
- Avengers movie

Seems like its leading up to a classic Avengers find Cap tale with the original Avengers line up. I agree that the directors are picking and choosing, but it's weighing heavily on the ultimate side of things if you ask me, not that that is a bad thing - just observing..

[luthor]

Saw it, loved it. Gonna try and put my thoughts together later but a few Hulk/Marvel nerdgasm moments(haven't read this thread so I apologize if I'm repeating):

The subtle nods to the comics were fantastic. The sequence of Banner trying to control his anger with the aid of a metronome is lifted directly from the Bruce Jones run. A lot of the beginning of the film had undertones similar to that run.

In the scene where Thunderbolt gets the Super Soldier serum, the machine holding the serum clearly has a label that says Dr. Reinstein, who is the doctor that gave Cap the serum in the comics. Subtle but awesome.

As Conor pointed out Jack McGee is a character from the Tv series but what he missed is that the other kid, Jim Wilson, was one of Hulk's side kicks during the 70s. He's also Sam Wilson(aka Falcon)'s nephew.

I'm sure almost everyone knows that the psychiatrist that Betty was dating is Dr Leonard Samson or Doc Samson, Marvel's resident shrink.

[horatio616]

That's where Ang Lee's Hulk falls down. It's not confident enough to be a different kind of movie, a dramatic interpretation of the comic. So it awkwardly latches on to the comic medium with those transitions and the fucking poodle.

It's sort of like the film wants to start cross-dressing, but even as it steps out the door in a summer dress and stilettos, it insists on bringing a pair of jeans and sneakers in a gym bag. Just in case.

The main failure of the movie for me is that Eric Bana had no chemistry with anybody. Connelly was good, particularly in the hospital scene, and Nolte was appropriately comic-book-villain-scene-chewy, but Bana was lifeless. Actually, Bana is lifeless in a lot of movies. I watched The Other Boleyn Girl not long ago and he was dead in that too.

Also, I never could figure out why they let Bruce meet with his father at the end. Made NO sense at all.

[dave-accampo]

The main failure of the movie for me is that Eric Bana had no chemistry with anybody. Just touching off of this and someone else's point about how we never saw "before Banner" in the new film. One of the things i really liked about the first Hulk was that we could see that Banner was messed up LONG before the Hulk. He was always out of touch with his emotions. Actually, I wish they had played that up even more. But The Bana Banner, while maybe not sympathetic to audiences, was a rather empathetic character in that sort of "damaged, barely likeable protagonist" role that we often see in more artsy dramas (like, say, Lee's Brokeback Mountain).

IN this film, as far as we know, Banner was a normal guy before the experiment. There's no rich back story of abuse or trauma or the sins of the father or anything. He's just a guy, but now he has a monster living inside him. This is very much in the vein of the Bill Bixby TV show.

[juggling-man]

Just saw it. Mixed feelings. I hadn't watched a trailer for the past 6 weeks so I had lots of pleasant surpises (I'm doing the same with Dark Knight, no trailers since May)
I felt the movie needed a few more minutes dedicated to fleshing out characters and their relationships. 10-15 extra minutes would do. That to me was a huge flaw in the film. Disappointing in fact. It was compensated though by pure, unapologetic over-the-top action fun! When Hulk said Hulk Smash I just about had an aneurysm (I wasn't sure he would say because of my anti-trailer regime so it was an extra surprise!). Not just that, the delivery of the line, the expression on Hulk's face, like he was trying to come up with something clever to say after yelling Hulk! but then his expression turned into "screw it! Keep it simple!" "Hulk... Smash!" It was brilliant acting. Kudos to the cgi crew because there were several moments where I realized I was impressed with Hulk's acting but realized he's not even there! Visually, I thought it was quite striking. Not the the set design but the action sequences looked sweet! Especially the sonic canons scene. That scene was eye sex for me. Gorgeous! The story beats were well layed out to create a round 1, round 2, round three set up. But I really do wish they had taken a few extra minutes to develop the love triangle and the father daughter Ross relationship. Liv Tyler had to overcome my prejudice ( I love Conelly's acting) and she did good on that front. Particularly when she leaps on top of the Hulk to calm him down in the College. Wow! Intense! Norton, well, he kicks ass for his own reasons. Great actors but unfortunately they chopped off much of their performances.

I loved large portions of Lee's Hulk (hated other parts) but I feel this latest Hulk film did a great job of being an "Intro to Hulk". Like KBow said, it will likely make new fans, which is great. And at least it has seeds of a dense story that can be harvested in subsequent films.

I loved it but I feel that I got cheated of some story. I'm looking forward to those 70 extra minutes of footage on the DVD.