I think it’s safe to say that a lot of people thought the latest Hulk movie was inferior to the Iron Man blockbuster which also came out this year; personally I don’t think that is true at all.  Whilst I agree that the makers totally nailed Iron Man; I can’t help but feel that the Hulk movie is superior to it in many ways. 

It’s certainly true that I had more affection for the Hulk growing up than I did Iron Man (I only really started to appreciate Iron Man in my teens, whereas I religiously watched the Hulk t.v. as a kid), overall I felt that the Hulk movie reminded me so much of the comics I used to read than the Iron Man film did, perhaps given the latter’s focus on realism and ‘believability’?   That isn’t to say that both films didn’t have a good stab at challenging some of the worldly issues going on at the moment though (quite effectively I thought?).

I think it’s safe to say that Iron Man’s CGI and effects were in a different league to the Hulk, however, there is something decidedly reassuring about seeing a 15 foot tall green mutant not being completely CGI perfect isn’t there?  He’s not meant to blend in with the crowd.  He’s a big green mofo!  The scenes where Hulk is bouncing around on rooftops and from building to building looked awesome.  Job done. 

So why do I think Hulk is a better film?  Ultimately, what sets the Hulk apart for the other Marvel films is Edward Norton.  What a bloody inspired casting choice he was for the role of Dr. Bruce Banner; a much tormented and brooding soul living in exile, utterly petrified of what lies within himself.  Brilliant.  I sat watching the film last night and could feel myself smiling at how well he portrayed Banner, it’s such a shame that his performance will not be given the recognition it so rightly deserves, all because people thought the Hulk looked too cartoon-like. 

That said, the franchise as a whole is definately building up.  Soon they’ll do Captain America (which I expect to laugh at considering they are getting Brad Pitt for the role) and Thor (how they will make this I genuinely don’t know….?), and then we will get an Avengers movie at last, hopefully with Hulk being a founding member (yep, it’s true).   With the recent success of the ‘Civil War’ and ‘World War Hulk’ comic runs, I can only hope they decide to borrow a few ideas from those stories too rather than just the classic issues.

I enjoyed this film so much that I will definately buy it, the only slightly sour point for me was putting Stan Lee in this movie.  Why?  I LOVE Stan Lee, but does he have to be in every single Marvel comic movie?  Yes I know without him we’d not have Spider-man yadda yadda yadda, but still?  Lou Ferringo I can understand, because he voiced the Hulk in this film (and played the original), but I really hate putting people into films just for people to go “oooooh, look, it’s *insert name here*, ha ha ha, coooooool!”.

“Hulk smash tiresome cameo appearances!!!!!!”