MAGGI PICAYUNE

This is more like it! Years ago we saw the boring, underwhelming previous Hulk movie directed by Ang Lee. For 2008, Marvel agreed to with the Batman Begins approach: just ignore the last film, cast new actors, etc. and hope the audience accepts it. I was convinced enough by the trailer to at least go at the matinee price.

The origin story is tackled during the opening credits which was impressive. It’s similar to the last two Spider-Man sequels; those are synopses of what happened earlier, no boring exposition eating up time. Anyway, the Hulk borrowing this technique was effective since it resembled the story line used in the old TV show. Then the movie opens with Dr. Banner hiding in the slums of Rio trying to find a cure for his problem through an exotic plant while learning capoeira. Back at the Pentagon, General Ross and his staff are sifting through intelligence reports for possible Hulk sightings. The general is obsessed with capturing Banner for several reasons: he blames Banner for injuring his daughter Dr. Betsy Ross; the Hulk creature is a modification of the Super Soldier Serum (what gives Captain America his abilities) so Banner’s body is government property; and Banner might report the general’s ethical lapses to the media or foreign governments. Eventually, Ross figures out Banner’s whereabouts through Stan Lee’s funny cameo and sends a team of commandos to Rio. The mission fails miserably and the Hulk/Banner escape. One participant in the raid is Captain Emil Blonsky who later volunteers to be experimented on with the serum after witnessing the Hulk in action.

Realizing how close General Ross got, Banner gambles on returning to America to enlist the aid of his former love Dr. Ross and a scientist named Dr. Sterns (fanboys will recognize the name) who he was secretly corresponding with. Thus providing Blonsky and the general another shot to see if they can take the Hulk down.

This Hulk is so much better! Using the cooler aspects of the old Bixby show was brilliant. I loved it as a kid despite it being a knock-off of The Fugitive. This director captured the earlier program’s spirit and mood without coming off campy. The filmmakers also found a clever way to sneak in a cameo of the deceased Bixby. Lou Ferrigno’s appearance was a definite crowd pleaser based upon the reaction I heard from the audience. Hulk isn’t quite as perfect as the recently released Iron Man but it’s pretty close. There’s a solid mix of action, humor and drama without it feeling corny or forced; what many superhero movies fail to avoid. Giving the Hulk a foe to finally go mano y mano with was a relief after years of him destroying tanks, cars and scaring thugs. Imagine how dull Spider-Man and Superman would be if they only fought bank robbers. Lastly, unlike Iron Man, the surprise is implied before the credits roll so you can rush home and post on my site to say I was right or wrong.

Worth Seeing?: Yes. Hard to believe the Summer Hollywood is having. The Hulk is a character I’ve always felt was hard to see as a superhero due to the Horror-Monster element in his story line thus TV got it right more often than a two-hour movie. This current take nailed the right balance.

Lucas, Spielberg and Ford dust off their Eighties franchise for one last hurrah. Despite the skepticism I had for the three major participants, they pulled it off and made me sad because this looks like the final adventure for everyone’s favorite archaeologist.

Nineteen years have passed since Indy, his father, Sallah and Dr. Brody defeated the Nazis from their acquisition of the Holy Grail in 1938. WWII took care of Indy’s primary antagonists from the first and third movie but in 1957 the Soviet Union has filled the void. Seems Stalin shared Hitler’s obsession over mystical artifacts. Uncle Joe may have died four years earlier yet his main paranormal scientist Spalko continues the quest to find a crystal skull tied to Roswell and a legendary city in the Amazon. Much like the Ark, whoever controls the object(s) in question will rule the world, be invincible, and so on.

Indy’s reintroduction to the audience is a roller coaster of frenetic action but tempered with his advanced age (60) when he can’t pull off the same stunt with his trademark whip. I did like the quick explanation and tribute to Brody, his old boss from the first and third movies; the actor died in 1992. Same goes for Dr. Jones Sr. yet Sean Connery is quite alive; Scotland will shut down for a week when he passes. Joining him on this adventure is a Brandoesque biker named Mutt (LaBeof, a fave of Spielberg’s lately) to provide comic relief, hipness (for the Fifties), blade skills and contrast; to emphasize how many years have gone by. Marion from Raiders returns too. She’s Mutt’s mother and seems to be the only woman Indy couldn’t forget.

I think this film worked for me because Spielberg’s directing countered Lucas’s over-dependence on special effects and lame suggestions. Spielberg’s past flicks tend to be cliche or heavy-handed yet he can coax better performances from the actors than Lucas. You need to pay attention to the cameos of other items and creatures too, the last one might be obscure.

Worth Seeing?: Yes. The Summer releases need large screens, dark rooms and huge sound systems to project their immensity, especially when they’re great. Crummy ones use it to cover up their shortcomings. My only complaint is that there were no more adventures between Crusade and Skull because Skull‘s ending gives the franchise a feeling of closure; Indiana Jones has finally hung up his famous fedora, settled down and will stick to teaching until his passing.