Throwback Thursday Review: 'The Incredible Hulk'

Sorry for the delay on this week's review, but I've had a busy week and am looking at a busy weekend ahead of me. This week I'm reviewing The Incredible Hulk, since that's one of the few Marvel Cinematic Universe movies I've yet to review, and because Hulk will factor into next week's Thor: Ragnarok. The next few Throwback Thursday reviews will be over Thor: The Dark World, Murder on the Orient Express (1974), and Batman (1989) to tie into the releases of Thor: Ragnarok, Murder on the Orient Express (2017), and Justice League. In the meantime, I'll do what I can to make some progress on the delayed Throwback Thursday Reviews of Inception, Stand By Me, The World's End, The Shining, the It miniseries (1990), Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Risky Business (1983), and the Triple-R for Interstellar. 

'The Incredible Hulk' Review

The Incredible Hulk follows scientist Bruce Banner as he searches for a means to cure the gamma radiation that mutated his cells in a laboratory accident. After the incident, Banner possessed the ability to turn into the Hulk, a raging green monster, anytime he got angry. Meanwhile, Banner has General 'Thunderbolt' Ross and the U.S. Government on his tail, who intend to reverse-engineer his condition to create an entire army of gamma radiated super soldiers. 

I'm just going to come straight out of the gate and let you know The Incredible Hulk is my least favorite entry in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. I doubt this surprises those who have read any of my Marvel Cinematic Universe Films Ranked lists, because The Incredible Hulk finished dead last each of the three times I ranked the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. So, why is it that I don't really like the movie?

Well, for starters, it's woefully generic and incredibly boring. Louis Leterrier directed the film, but failed to really give it a pulse or any semblance of energy. The cinematography, editing, and score are all by the numbers, and the entire film feels dreary and dour, with virtually no charisma or levity to keep it afloat. It's really no wonder Marvel decided to team the green giant up with Thor to set off some sparks in the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok. The entire time we're essentially shadowing Banner as he's on the run. There's the occasional acceptable action sequence, but nothing of interest.

There are certainly good MOMENTS, but they are fleeting, few, and far between this slogging beast of a movie. The action sequences are kind-of cool to watch because you're watching two monsters beating the tar out of one another, but there's nothing notable about the fight that enables it to stand apart from any other super-powered smackdown.  

Even the visual effects seems off, as Hulk and Abomination looked more like video game characters than tangible, hulking monstrosities. I know the effects are from 2008... but if the effects in 2008's Iron Man can hold up to today's standards, then it shouldn't be a stretch to say The Incredible Hulk's should as well. I'm simply not a fan of the character designs for Hulk or Abomination at all for that matter. I realize the two are supposed to look ridiculously ripped, but I think their veins are excessively accentuated (if that makes any sense). Also, it bothers me that Hulk has his trademark shaggy hair, yet his hair is shorter and styled completely differently every time he reverts back to Bruce Banner... That criticism probably leans more towards Edward Norton, but I don't see why the vfx team couldn't have factored Norton's appearance into the Hulk's aesthetic either.

The reason I think a solo Hulk film has yet to work is simply that it's about a man who desperately doesn't want to change into the Hulk. When you consider the framing that screenwriter Zak Penn had to work around, then the script's not too bad. However, the story loses focus in its mad scramble to get Banner from Point A to Point B. There's scarce explanation as to how Banner possibly managed to cross international borders without alerting authorities, and there are plenty of logical inconsistencies in how everything fits together.

None of this alleviated by the film's bland central romance either, because the actors have absolutely no chemistry with one another. Edward Norton is an okay Bruce Banner because he succeeds in translating the darker sides of the character with his take on PTSD and the inherent need to repress his abilities, but he fails to imbue the character with any charm whatsoever. Therefore, you're not really invested in him as a person much at all. Liv Tyler on the other hand, could not have possibly put forth a more insipid performance. Her character is just so... vanilla. There's absolutely no substance to the character in the screenplay, and it really shows when Tyler fails to make anything out of it.

If there's one redeeming factor though, it would be William Hurt's General 'Thunderbolt' Ross. Hurt's really the only one among the cast that makes the most of the material given to him, imbuing Ross with a uncompromising gruffness and determination. His motivation's are wonky, but the character as a whole leapt straight off the comic pages.

Meanwhile, Tim Roth also does what he can with Emil Blonsky's resolute hunger for power. However, there's really not much opportunity for Roth to dig beneath the surface level of his thinly-sketched character, and it all falls to the wayside when he becomes Abomination and the film becomes a conventional CG-smackfest.

The Incredible Hulk should have been a smashing success, but instead wound up being one of Marvel's most forgettable franchise installments because it failed to break convention.

Film Assessment: D+

'Hardcore Henry' Review

Hardcore Henry is an interesting action film in regards to the entire film being shot from a first person perspective. Yes, the ENTIRE film is shot in this first person point of view perspective. Now, many will take a glance at this and say that it looks like a first person shooter video game and honestly that's a very accurate summation of Hardcore Henry  There are many elements in the film that make it feel even more like a video game that I'll discuss while avoiding spoilers because if you're going to see this film I recommend going in knowing the bare minimum of the film's plot and a consensus of what the film will feel like. There are many times while watching the film where I felt like I was watching a skilled gamer playing a first person shooter and this was due to many reasons. First and foremost, obviously the combination of the first person perspective and intense action provides a video game-like atmosphere. The first person point of view definitely enhances the experience as it immerses the viewer in this environment. I will admit that it takes about 30 minutes into the film to get used to this type of camerawork, but once you adjust you will be sucked into the film and feel as though you actually are Henry. I deem that it's only appropriate to commend many of the creative talents responsible for the first person immersion including director, Ilya Naishuller, the cinematographers and the stunt crew. The combination of these creative forces resulted in an awesome filmgoing experience and allowed for some incredible action sequences. One action sequence that stood out to me was the climactic fight towards the end on a rooftop, that was literally pumped with adrenaline (You'll understand once you see the film). Aside from this sequence, a lot of the action did blend together and none of it was particularly noteworthy because it all seemed similar. Don't be startled though, as all of these action sequences are definitely awe-inspiring, but the fact that it's so jumbled together makes it easy to take the experience for granted. The fact that the film is essentially one action sequence after another with little room for exposition doesn't help. However, all of the action features extremely well choreographed stuntwork and for the most part, some great visuals. Although towards the end, you could tell the creative team was running out of money in the visual effects budget as some of the explosions looked very fake. Secondly, the film goes out of it's way to ensure that the lead character, Henry, is given a waypoint directing him to the next action scene. Any of my readers that are gamers as well are very familiar with the concept of a waypoint, which is a form of exposition that directs the character to the next mission or next objective, and Hardcore Henry has LOTS of waypoints sprinkled throughout the film used as convenient plot devices. As for some of my other nitpicks with the film, I found that the film is very fast paced, rolling from one action scene to another, and while I'd much prefer a fast pace to a slow burn, this does make some portions of the film seem a little confusing and incoherent. This left little room for exposition and when exposition is given, it seems very rushed and doesn't quite explain what is going on. Now I understand that this could have been an intentional concept from the filmmakers to further put the audience in Henry's shoes and I'm all for that but it only goes to make the film feel that much more like a video game. Another tiny thing that bothered me was that the camera was extremely shaky for the first portion of the film. Shaky cam can be extremely bothersome and annoy me to no end in some cases when it's used poorly, but when used correctly enhances the thrill of the action. Hardcore Henry lands in the middle of that spectrum as there are times that it definitely made the experience more authentic, but almost every time Henry ran the camera would shake around quite a bit. I'm sure this had more to do with the camera rather than the stunt team that portrayed Henry but I know that when I run my head doesn't bobble around nearly as much as what I witnessed. I'd highly recommend staying away from Hardcore Henry for anyone that is prone to motion sickness as I'm not a victim and even I found myself feeling a little nauseated at times. My final nitpick is that the film lacks any development whatsoever for almost every character with the exception of a select few. After the entire one hour thirty minute runtime, I still feel as though I learned absolutely nothing about Henry's character, aside from the fact he's some kind of cyborg and can kick a lot of butt. Other than those two things, there's a lot of flashbacks that cut in throughout the film as Henry regains his memory, but none of them are really explained too well or go into much depth at all, leaving behind a mysterious past for Henry to explore in potential future installments. I wouldn't have an issue with this if there are indeed sequels planned because future installments would be welcomed and a great opportunity to flesh out Henry's backstory. In regards to performances, there are a few key characters but outside of these four roles everyone else is something for Henry to brutally murder. Henry is not portrayed by an actor though, but actually by multiple stuntmen running around pakouring with a Go-Pro attached to them. Henry also has no lines of dialogue, as the character is mute and doesn't utter any dialogue for the entire running time. Seems convenient for the stunt team, right? Well, I was ok with this as it reminded me of most first person shooters, where the lead character typically is a silent roguish hero. The glue that holds every piece of this film together is surprisingly the supporting wide variety of caricatures played by Sharlto Copley. Yes, I said it, caricatures. Multiple roles. But seeing his characters pop up make the film all the more fun and certainly enhanced the experience. The double edged sword to this was that as soon as Copley was absent from the screen, the film lost a little of it's charm. It manages to make up for this with the brilliant soundtrack that amasses a number of thrilling hits. Haley Bennett makes for a generic damsel in distress as Henry's wife, Estelle, who is constantly in danger and Danila Kozlovsky certainly does chew the scenery as the most cartoonish villain I've seen since ...well Lex Luthor in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice so I guess it wasn't too long ago. Kozlovsky's super powered diabolical threat certainly looms over Henry for the entirety of the film but Akan is played to be quite the cookie-cutter generic villain with unclear motivation (Although eventually this is filled in). In summation, I can say that Hardcore Henry certainly is no performance piece but practically an hour and a half of nonstop graphic violence. Speaking of which, this film is a very hard "R" with lots of graphic violence, language, and some brief nudity so I can't advise that any parent bring a child to see Hardcore Henry, as I'd consider it to being a harder "R" rating than even Deadpool. I can however recommend it to action movie fans, those interested in the first person perspective aspect of the film, and gamers. This film is certainly tailored to that specific demographic and I think they will get the most enjoyment out of Hardcore Henry.  If the very idea of the film at least intrigues you, I'd advise you at least give the film a chance as I can attest for the film being one hour and thirty minutes of an entertaining first person thrill ride. 

Film Assessment: B

'The Hateful Eight' Review

Nominated For: Best Supporting Actress; Jennfer Jason Leigh, Best Original Score, and Best Cinematography.

Won: Best Original Score.

The Hateful Eight is the eighth film to be both written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. This film very unique in the fact that it was filmed in 70 mm and is actually being projected in the 70 mm format in some theaters. I didn't see The Hateful Eight in this format but I do intend on seeing the 70 mm version for my second viewing of the film. Another unique aspect of the 70 mm version of The Hateful Eight's that it has both an intermission and an overture. The digital version I viewed also featured the overture and I can say that the overture allows for some incredible awe-inspiring cinematography showcasing the beauty of a winter wasteland. Tarantino brings this Western Mystery to life through the witty dialogue and interesting vile characters that he crafts so well. Tarantino manages to do the impossible and make the audience care about these foul characters. All of the performances on display make every character quite engaging and help propel the mystery of the story. Samuel L. Jackson gives one of his best performances in film to date since Pulp Fiction. Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tim Roth, Michael Madon, and Bruce Dern along with the rest of the supporting cast all help bolster the film breathing life into each of their disgusting characters and proving great performances. Be forewarned that there is quite a bit of gore and some appalling vulgarities, which are a staple of Tarantino's, so just keep that in mind if you are planning on seeing the film or considering it. I quite enjoyed The Hateful Eight and certainly plan on viewing the 70 mm version of the film in the near future. The Hateful Eight is one of Tarantino's best and fans of Tarantino's work will love it.

Film Assessment: A-