The Incredible Hulk

This seems to be the summer of the superhero blockbuster. Iron Man has already dazzled audiences and critics alike. Coming up are Will Smith's action comedy Hancock, Guillermo del Toro's Hellboy II: The Golden Army, and of course, the highly-anticipated Batman sequel The Dark Knight. And in between those that have already satisfied and those that are bound to satisfy, we have The Incredible Hulk - a quasi-sequel to Ang Lee's 2003 effort Hulk, but more of a retelling of the original story from the ground up than anything.

The film's opening and subsequent re-introduction of the main characters help to completely eliminate the 2003 version from memory. Within the span of a few minutes, we learn how Dr. Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) went from brilliant scientist to not-so-jolly green giant. Shortly thereafter, we learn that Banner is now in Brazil, living in the ghetto and working in a bottling plant. A superimposed text provides us with a count of "Days Without Incident." And all the while, Banner takes breathing lessons and anger management sessions to control his heart rate (presumably to prevent him from transforming into the titular monster).

Then, there is an accident in the bottling factory, which alerts General Ross (William Hurt) to Banner's location. The General recruits Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) to head to South America with a team of military folks in order to find and capture Banner. Which they do not. Following a chase scene, we get our first glimpse of the Hulk, who quickly disposes of the bothersome tactical team and disappears. Heading north, Banner finds Betty Ross (Liv Tyler), the scientist who helped create the body-changing serum that produced his alter ego. From there, the plot speeds up. General Ross (yes, Betty's father) injects Blonsky with a performance-enhancing chemical that will supposedly make him a better match for the Hulk. It does. Blonsky eventually becomes the Abomination. And then...battle time.

I suppose the only big problem I have with The Incredible Hulk (helmed by French director Louis Leterrier...of The Transporter fame) is its somewhat weak CGI. I guess it's good enough, but the final battle in particular looks downright silly at times. Still, though, this film is very action-oriented, and will no doubt please the fans of the comic books. Taking place in the same universe as Iron Man, this will be the second film in Marvel's arsenal to kick off a successful franchise. I have no reservations saying that.

The Incredible Hulk is certainly not as good as some of the other comic book adaptations of recent years, but then again, the first film in this kind of franchise is nearly always the weakest. It's like a TV show - the first season sets up the characters, establishes the personalities, provides a few good plot details, and the viewer eventually becomes comfortable with the situations and feels like it knows the people. Following the first season, the writers no longer worry about the establishing aspect and can move on to the good stuff. The Incredible Hulk 2 or, more likely, The Incredible Hulk Returns or The Incredible Hulk Forever will be better-paced with a better villain and improved special effects. Audience reaction will let the producers know where they went wrong with this film, so by the time the sequel rolls around, those problems will have been erased.

Don't get me wrong, though. This film entertains. It is a popcorn flick of the first order. Like Spider-Man, X-Men, Superman Returns, and Batman Begins before it, The Incredible Hulk mixes the right amount of setup-setup-action scene-setup-action scene-setup-action scene to keep your interest. And the final scene (with a cameo that will bring down the house) is clever enough to leave you begging for more.

VERDICT:
The Incredible Hulk is a fanboy's fantasy. It's a good mix of the action and emotion that audiences have come to expect from this genre. And even though it's not one of the best, it's still fairly enticing. Although the Hulk is not necessarily a "superhero" of the traditional order, he's certainly an intriguing character. A very angry, intriguing character. And when you hear him growl "Hulk Smash!", your heart rate will probably raise to a dangerously high level. Probably not high enough, though, to transform you into a raging, grayish-green, 10-foot tall beast.

So should you spend your money? If you're a diehard fan of the Hulk, yes. If you're looking for an interesting action movie and/or anything other than The Happening, sure. If you're hoping for a movie on the level of Iron Man, no. 8/10

Kung Fu Panda

The trend with recent animated flicks is for them to be cute, with lots of camouflaged adult humor, and to provide an uplifting message for the youngsters to take away. Kung Fu Panda follows that trend. It is adorably uplifting, and so funny in parts that I had to stifle a few snorts. (Yes, I'm dead serious.)

Okay, sure. It's geared at kids. And don't get me wrong - it's a terrific kids movie. And it does teach a great (although a little tired) lesson: We should all believe in ourselves. But the best part of the movie is the journey to that message. It's so much fun. And the animation itself is flawless. Jack Black's terrific voice acting provides much of the humor, but there are also sight gags, situational ironies, and perfectly executed sound effects (especially in the slow motion bits) that add to the comedy.

Set in ancient China, the oddly-titled film concerns Po (Black), a panda bear who is quite obviously adopted by his noodle-making father - a goose. But Po doesn't love noodles...he loves Kung Fu! In the meantime, Oogway (Randall Duk Kim), the wise tortoise of Jade Palace, has had a vision that the powerful and crazy Tia Lung (Ian McShane) will escape from prison and destroy the entire nearby village. He must, therefore, choose the next great Dragon Warrior to defeat Tia Lung. Among the potential title-holders are five students of Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman): Master Monkey (Jackie Chan), Master Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Master Viper (Lucy Liu), Master Mantis (Seth Rogen), and Master Crane (David Cross). In a funny mixup involving fireworks, Po himself is chosen by Oogway.

This leads to Shifu's outrage and the Kung Fu Masters' befuddlement, as Po is too fat to even climb the stairs to the Kung Fu temple. But, as these kinds of movies go, Shifu discovers Po's hidden talents. And so forth goes the film.

It's truly entertaining to watch all the martial arts action in Kung Fu Panda. A friend of mine noticed certain allusions to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, particularly with the fast and loose liberties the film takes with the laws of physics. I wouldn't go so far as to say that the film is one of the better kid-flicks I've seen in a long time, but I would say that it's probably the funniest and most engaging animated movie I've seen in the last year or two.

VERDICT:
I really liked this movie. Sure, it's a kids movie. And yes, it's animated. But it's creatively fun and funny. And it's cool to watch all the awesome martial arts effects. So in a way, it's hard to review this movie. I don't want to just say, "It was cute." But I also don't want to be too tough on it. In the end, I'll just say that I was fairly entertained, and it was a pretty good way to pass a (sober) Friday night.

So, should you spend your money? If you're into animated, kid's, or non-offensive movies that provide enough adult humor to keep you from pulling out your hair, YES. If you're not, SKIP IT. 8.5/10.