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Incredible Hulk (The)
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - America - Universal Pictures Review written by and copyright: Andy James & Noor Razzak (20th December 2008). |
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The Film
 Ah, so now we come to the reboot of the "Hulk" franchise. A franchise that saw it’s beginning (and end) only 5 years ago. As I said in my review of Ang Lee’s "Hulk" (seen here), it’s best to consider these films like Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 of a comic. This is, after all, not the first time a comic-book character has been rebooted from the ground up. So, how does Louis Leterrier’s "Incredible Hulk" stand as a film in it’s own right? Quite well, actually. Edward Norton stars this time as fugitive scientist Bruce Banner (also contributing on the script, although not credited). The origin of Banner’s transformation is revealed succinctly over the opening credits, effectively doing away with Lee’s version. Instead of being someone who selfishly saves a colleague from a gamma mishap, Banner is now a man who, somewhat foolishly, experiments on himself. After 5 years on the run, the film starts in Brazil, with Banner attempting to control the monster within and to find a cure. His only help in this is the mysterious Mr. Blue, whom Banner chats with online. Soon enough William Hurt, as General Ross, learns of his whereabouts and the strike team is sent in. Led by Tim Roth’s Emil Blonsky, an old soldier still trying to keep up with the younger fighters, they get a little more than they bargained for when Banner transforms into his alter ego. This first appearance of the Hulk is brilliantly done – he appears out of the shadows, like a true monster. The crack strike team is quickly torn apart and Banner wakes to find himself in Guetamala and on the way home. The film is essentially a chase film – they chase Banner, he runs, turns into Hulk, smashes. Rinse, wash, repeat. Leterrier is less concerned with the psychology of Banner/Hulk and exploring the origins of Banner’s hidden rage (perhaps feeling, quite rightly, that this ground was covered more adroitly with Lee’s film) and more interested in paying homage to the 70’s TV show and giving us lots of action. In places this referencing of the show becomes distracting. The action, however, is a nice few steps up from Leterrier’s "Transporter" (director of the second (2005) and was also artistic director on the first (2002)) films. The University set-piece with a newly super-soldiered Emil Blonsky against the Hulk provides a good teaser for what we may expect from a Captain America film. The film is not all mindless action and foot chases. There are a few nice touches, that perhaps hint at something deeper. For example, a protective Hulk throwing rocks at the lightening, belying a certain innocence to the rampaging giant. We also have a closer tying together of the Marvel films into one cohesive universe: S.H.I.E.L.D and Stark Industries are referenced throughout and Rober Downey Jr. even pops in for a cameo. Some of the effects shots don’t work quite so well, especially as measured against "Iron Man" (2008) – but then it’s somewhat harder to have a practical effect Hulk I imagine. The final showdown between Hulk and Roth’s Abomination also feels constrained at times – these are two titanic figures and their final showdown and are confined to one rooftop. It’s certainly not as introspective as Lee’s "Hulk", but then that’s not the point of this version. "The Incredible Hulk" is here to do one thing: smash. And he does it well enough.
Video
Presented in the film's original theatrical ratio of 2.35:1 this high-definition transfer is in 1080p 24/fps and has been mastered using AVC MPEG-4 compression. "The Incredible Hulk" comes from a line of impressive transfers delivered by Universal recently, they seem to be keen to capture the record for most consecutive 'reference quality' transfer released. I thought this film looked real good in the theater, and now I think it looks even better on Blu-ray. The image is sharp, nicely balanced, the detail is incredible right down to the veins on the Hulk. Colors are sometimes muted, they don't pop as much as the first film but that's mainly due to the tone of the film, the color palette was more subdued, it was a darker film in that sense and the transfer accurately portrays that. Skin tones are natural, and grain is minimal. Overall the image is fantastic.
Audio
Four audio options are available, they are in English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround presented in 48kHz/24-bit as well as DTS 5.1 tracks in both French and Spanish and finally a Dolby Digital 2.0 surround track in English. For the purposes of this review I chose to view the film with its DTS-HD audio track and much like the image I was blown away by the audio. The soundtrack is aggressive and power packed, it will literally leave your home theater shaking in its boots, the room will rumble from the intensity of the sub woofer going berserk and the neighbors will probably complain if you have it at max volume... but honestly, you'll have to crank this one way up, so you probably won't be able to hear the neighbors banging on your door. The dialogue is clean and distortion free, the active mix come from the intense action scenes which are incredibly detailed in their mix. Ambiance is subtle and well placed, as are directional effects. The sound mix feels natural and is certainly impressive. Optional subtitles are included in English for the hearing impaired, French and Spanish.
Extras
Universal has packed this disc with extras that include an audio commentary, an alternate opening, a collection of deleted scenes, seven featurettes, some U-Control features and a digital copy of the film. Below is a closer look at these supplements. DISC ONE: First up is a feature-length audio commentary by the film's director Louis Leterrier and actor Tim Roth. I wish that this track would have highlighted or at least laid to rest the reports that were circulating about the film's cut, the over-involvement of Norton and the 'supposed' control he had over the film's final form. Some comments about the omitted footage is made, while the director primarily focuses on comments based around the production, working with the cast, the effects including the newer looking Hulk form the previous incarnation, among other topics. Roth chimes in here and there but really doesn't engage the listener. I was a little disappointed that Norton or other members of the cast or crew joined in this track, while it's a good track... I can't help feel that it could have been better. There's an alternate opening to the film that runs for 2 minutes 34 seconds, in this scene Bruce Banner travels to the arctic, he's dropped off my a truck river to a remote wooded area then treks to an even more remote frozen tundra to commit suicide. But before he can he turns into the Hulk. It's a strange scene as it doesn't hold any context. A collection of 23 deleted scenes follows, these can be viewed individually or with a 'Play All' option. Some of these are new scenes while others are extensions to existing scenes, the scenes included are: - "Bruce in Brazil" runs for 3 minutes 18 seconds, additional footage of Bruce in Brazil, running, collecting his mail, etc. It basically sets up the fact that Bruce has been living here for a while. - "Bruce Meditates" runs for 46 seconds, to help control his rage Bruce meditates in his small Brazilian apartment. - "Searching for the Flower" runs for 40 seconds, Bruce asks a co-worker at the factory about where to find the flower he's after to help find a cure for him. - "Building the Lab" runs for 51 seconds, Bruce uses odds and ends of found materials to create a make-shift lab in his apartment. - "After the Bottling Factory / General Greller" runs for 2 minutes 49 seconds, the military cannot seem to track Banner's emails and General Ross gets frustrated. Later Ross reports to General Greller about what happened in Brazil as Blonsky tells his side of things to the General. - "Ross and Blonsky Conspire" (Extended) runs for 4 minutes 31 seconds, Ross explains the 'super soldier' program to Blonsky in this extended version of the scene which already appears in the film. - "Bruce Delivers Pizza" runs for 1 minute 45 seconds, Bruce dresses as a pizza delivery man to get around the university in this montage sequence. - "The Computer Lab" runs for 51 seconds, Bruce is recognised in the computer lab by a student. - "Bruce and Stanley" runs for 50 seconds, Bruce tells Stanley about how stupid it was coming back. - "Bruce Meets Leonard" runs for 53 seconds, Betty introduces Bruce to her current boyfriend Leonard as he brings him over to the house. - "Bruce and Betty Talk" runs for 3 minutes 19 seconds, Bruce and Betty talk about dealing with his condition and on the scientific process of finding a cure. - "Dinner with Bruce" runs for 1 minute 30 seconds, Betty, Leonard and Bruce have dinner. - "The Orchid" runs for 1 minute 25 seconds, Bruce is surprised that Betty grew a specimen of orchid for Bruce to use in his research to find a cure. - "Betty and Leonard" runs for 32 seconds, Betty cries in Leonard's arms. - "Bruce and Leonard / Leonard's House The Next Morning" runs for 4 minutes 17 seconds, Bruce explains to Leonard why he's come back, later the next morning Bruce and Betty leave. - "Bruce's Guilt" runs for 1 minute 46 seconds, Bruce confesses to Betty that he feels guilty about the research they did and what they created. - "Nature's Mystery" runs for 3 minutes 1 second, Ross' colleague talks about the military agenda, then Ross waxes lyrical about the importance of what they're doing. - "Motel Room Conversation" runs for 1 minute 20 seconds, an extended version of the scene with Betty and Bruce on the run hiding in the motel room. - "Ross and Greller" runs for 1 minute 25 seconds, General Greller calls Ross as he asks questions about what's going on. - "Pawn Shop" runs for 24 seconds, Bruce feels about pawning off their stuff. - "On the Hulk Hunt" runs for 1 minute 24 seconds, the Major briefs the soldiers in the helicopter about how to hunt the Hulk. - "Ross and Sparr" runs for 2 minutes 37 seconds, Ross threatens Bruce before he's carted away and then the Major questions why Banner isn't being put under. - "Leonard Calls Betty" runs for 1 minute 48 seconds, a disheartened Leonard calls Betty to see if she's OK. Next up is "The Making of Incredible" featurette which runs for 29 minutes 54 seconds, the feature covers a decent amount of topics, primarily looking at rebooting the series with a whole new cast and a fresh perspective. getting the director involved in the production of making a more action-packed film as we get a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film. The clip also covers the casting, the shooting, the special effects and the difference between the previous Hulk film and this newer film among other things. The feature is basically an extended promotional EPK but goes into far more detail than just the basic topics. At first I was a little hesitant that this would be anything other than a promo clip, as the clip is sponsored (by Volkswagen) and that doesn't evoke any confidence, but as I watched the featurette, it became quickly apparent that it was actually worthwhile. "Becoming the Hulk" featurette runs for 9 minutes 22 seconds, the film includes not only a new actor playing the role of Banner and the Hulk, but also new effects that updates the creature. This clip takes a closer look at the groundbreaking special effects that helps bring the character to life. The new version of the Hulk is much more detailed, the skin is more coarse and the effects are certainly bumped up from the previous film as we look at the challenges the effects team faced. "Becoming the Abomination" featurette runs for 10 minutes 16 seconds, takes a look at the new villain that the Hulk confronts in this film, on the actor that has been cast to play the role as well as the overall look and design of the creature that must feel like he can take on the Hulk as well as the effects used to bring him to life. Following that is "Anatomy of a Hulk-Out" which features three short featurettes that take a look at key scenes and how they were created. We get a closer look at how the director tackled these scenes and on how they came together, the clips can be viewed individually or with a 'Play All' option. These featurettes include: - "Hulking Out in the Bottling Plant" which runs for 9 minutes 44 seconds. - "Hulking Out on Campus" which runs for 10 minutes 9 seconds. - "Hulking Out in Harlem" which runs for 7 minutes 57 seconds. "From Comic Book to Screen" featurette runs for 6 minutes 33 seconds, takes a look at a comic book sequence that was inspired from a sequence seen in the comic Hulk: Grey #5. This is basically an animatic, or animated comic sequence. Finally the disc has some U-control features that are exclusive to this disc, and they include: - "Thunderbolt Files" requires profile 1.1 players and is basically a trivia track but features information that would be accessible by General Ross. Basically provides background on characters, military programs etc. - "Scene Explorer" requires profile 1.1 players, this feature takes you through the film in a progressive manner as you can see the various stages of production until the completed scene. - "Comic Book Gallery" requires profile 1.1 players, this features allows you to view the comics while watching the film. - "Animated Comic" - Picture-in-Picture commentary requires profile 1.1 players to access this feature of more behind-the-scenes interviews that play while you watch the film. - BD-Live connectivity, this requires a profile 2.0 player and allows fans to connect online for further content. The disc also features the "My Scenes" bookmarks which allows you to select your favorite scenes for quick access. DISC TWO: This disc includes only a digital copy of the Film.
Packaging
This Blu-ray disc is packaged in a green Blu-ray case housed in a cardboard slip-case which features a 3-D lenticular cover image.
Overall
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