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The Incredible Hulk: 3 Disc Special Edition

Before jumping into this review, I must give a sigh of relief and thanks that Marvel Studios is now financed and functional. As we've all seen our share of butchered "superhero" movies (i.e. Daredevil, and I got a list of other eff ups and needless to say, after watching these movies I had to go back and check my facts just to confirm that they changed things to make "their story", and not the one I grew up reading/watching), done by studios and directors who know little and care less of our childhood champions (prolly just to make a quick buck)"¦ we now have the originators of these tales, myths, and legends to commandeer the controls and bring these stories to life, in a modern light, the "right way", as was foretold in the original script of the comic book, or graphic novel (please, hold the applause till after the review).

First up, The Incredible Hulk. Let's start with the casting of this movie, EXCELLENT! From comic book to screen, I felt as though each character was brought to life. Edward Norton (Fight Club) as Dr. Bruce Banner, Liv Tyler (Lord of the Rings) as Dr. Betty Ross, General Ross played by William Hurt (Vantage Point / Mr. Brooks), and Tim Roth (Reservoir Dogs) as Emil Blonsky were all top choices both physically and for their performance. I initially saw this flick in the theatre and was a little suspect about the casting of Mr. Roth, but upon second look (on DVD, of course) I opt to change my vote.

The storyline you could follow by memory, as it so familiar to us all. Dr. Bruce Banner after a secret government experiment goes wrong, overexposing him to gamma rays which gives him the ability to transform into the HULK, becomes a drifter, a fugitive, searching for a cure to this affliction; while General Ross is tracking him for capture in order to harness the "creature" inside of him for military use. So he's on the run and his former girlfriend and partner Dr. Betty Ross (the daughter of General Ross) is helping him to avoid persecution and find that cure.

Bruce loves Betty and so does his alter ego, the HULK. And as holds true with the story, aside from getting angry and wanting to be left alone, the HULK's only drive is to protect Betty from harm at all cost. On the flipside, The General is so hell-bent on getting the HULK that he would put his daughter in harm's way to achieve his goal. Thus knowing he can't complete this task alone, he recruits a top team of proficient soldiers headed by Emil Blonsky, an expert soldier, the ultimate

bad ass"¦ think SEALs meet Green Berets. However, this guy is no match"¦ not even a light snack. After an unforetold "introduction" to his new foe Blonsky questions what he was fighting, and wants more.

The General, trying to even the playing field injects Blonsky's with a "super-soldier" type serum"¦ this does enhance his performance, but only to a degree of a "light snack", as the HULK shatters every bone in his body (which was actually very funny). Blonsky's competitive attitude and thirst for revenge pushes him toward another injection. Meanwhile (Just like in the comic book), Banner & Betty find a doctor who may have a cure. Dr. Stern has been working on a cure for Banner with some success. Banner & Betty meet with Stern, they conduct the experimental treatment and it appears to work, but immediately after the procedure Banner gets ambushed by Ross and taken away. Not getting to meet his foe for round three, Blonsky, all juiced up, persuades the Dr. Stern to make him like Banner's alter ego, the Dr. forewarns him about the side effects, and proceeds with the process. Well, needless to say, the experiment goes wild and produces a transformed Blonsky known as the ABOMINATION (rightfully so, as his bones actually shift to the outside of his body). Now he's bigger, meaner, and more athletic than the HULK and ready to kick some HULK-Butt. I'll stop there, as not to ruin the rest, but it's a great fight scene"¦ the HULK even rips a car in half and uses the halves as boxing gloves"¦ Nice!

During certain parts the movie, if you're paying attention and know your stuff, you'll see original cast members from past performances as well as hear the TV Series theme song, you'll notice preludes to sequels, developing back-stories for upcoming characters, match-ups waiting to happen, the purple pants, and a Stan Lee cameo (of course). For example, they had a slick way of introducing THE LEADER (one of many HULK enemies), as well as a speculation to the formation of The AVENGERS, using a cameo by none-other-than-the-ever-charming (I'm sorry, honey, what's your name?) Tony Stark. I'm thinking, The AVENGERS vs. The HULK sequel"¦ maybe, c'mon"¦ you're with me right?

Strong points about the movie"¦ the use of the original TV Series HULK, Lou Ferrigno, playing a minor as a security guard and the use of the original TV theme music (though I thought they could've used it in more than one spot). And, I also liked the way they gave props to Bill Bixby, the original Dr. Bruce Banner from the TV Series, in a screen shot of a classic TV show The Courtship of Eddie's Father in which he was the star (I just dated myself, didn't I(?)"¦ hey man, I'm not old, I just know things).

Another strong point was the action,

it was really appreciated. The last Hulk was a bit "wordy" (not a Marvel Studio production), this one had waaaay more action, and much less on that "love" stuff they always try to throw in there. Who are the love parts for anyway? We want a story about "Superheroes", not "Superfly". Furthermore, The HULK and The ABOMINATION looked OUTSTANDNG!!! The definition, the detail, the muscle movements, and the facial expressions"¦ great post-production work! Lastly, they threw in a question mark at the end concerning"¦ has he gained control of his transformation?

A quick mention, if you are that uber-HULK fan, you might notice a discrepancy between this HULK and the Eric Bana HULK. It seems The HULK's look and dimensions were seriously considered for accuracy in this movie, so he may appear smaller. The Bana HULK was about 15 feet tall and the Norton HULK only 10 feet.

I highly recommend this movie to watch AND to have in your collection, with the grade of an "A".

Now to the DVD Special Features. They were just enough to keep you interested, but not enough to bore you. For example, seeing how they made the transformations was cool, and the use of new technology to bring the HULK and the ABOMINATION to life. Plus, I always enjoy the deleted scenes, and am left wondering"¦ why they cut that scene, as it makes the story more complete and easier to follow. But some of the scenes are self-explanatory.

Best Line: "HULK SMASH!!!"

Most Memorable Scene (straight from the comic book): HULK rescues Betty and brings her to a cave on the side of a mountain during a thunderstorm.

The worst thing about the special features, and you see it on all of them, is how each player (i.e. producer, writer, actor, director, prop guys, etc.) "Rides the Nuts" (to put it nicely) of every other player on the production, as if their next job depended on it. I am soooo sick of hearing, "we could have NEVER have done this movie if it wasn't for ______" (fill in the blank)"¦ and, so-and-so 'is so creative""¦ and, another favorite, "the talent of this "player" is unmatched, they're perfect in every way, there couldn't have been a better choice" (uuuhhh, Spielberg perhaps). C'mon that's a bunch of bull ish. Now I agree, that some players are better than others in certain productions, but to say that someone is that great, or irreplaceable is ridiculous and unbelievable, we are talking about Hollywood. Oh, forgot one"¦ "we had so-and-so in mind to do this thing from day one""¦ yeah, right. I believe some third choices may have made the team, on more than one occasion (don't get me started on X-Men casting).

The Special Features are overall worth a watch and

make this three disc set definitely worth buying.

Movie Grade: A

DVD Features Grade: B+

Overall Grade: A-