STUDIO: Universal
RELEASE DATE: October 21, 2008
STARRING: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, William Hurt, Tim Blake Nelson, and Tim Roth
WRITTEN BY: Zak Penn
DIRECTED BY: Louis Leterrier
FEATURES: Animated Comic
Picture in Picture
Alternate Opening
The Making of Incredible
Becoming The Abomination
Anatomy of a Hulk Out
Scene Explorer
Deleted Scenes
Feature Commentary with Director Louis Leterrier and Tim Roth
Includes Digital Copy Of The Incredible Hulk

There's one definite lesson to be learned from Louis Leterrier's The Incredible Hulk - If you're going to try and reboot a beloved franchise just a few years after what was considered a commercial and critical failure, go ALL the way. Don't remake the original. Yes, the 2008 version is not a precise remake of the 2004 version (thank GOD the Hulk-dogs are gone) but it's close enough in structure, cast, and style that audiences felt like they had seen it before. And they didn't like it that much the first time. What Marvel and Universal seemed to miss completely was that, to a lot of movie goers, Liv Tyler and Jennifer Connelly are interchangeable. Ditto William Hurt and Nick Nolte. Even Edward Norton and Eric Bana don't mean a lot to 50% of people paying for tickets. They want to see Hulk smash something with his big green hands. Why on Earth writer Zak Penn chose to tell such a similar story with a similar cast will remain a mystery to me. The first Hulk was about Bruce Banner dealing with love and anger. So's the reboot. Of course, that was always the main theme of the comic but there's a creepy sense of deja vu to every element of The Incredible Hulk. Even the criticisms of the original - faulty CGI, not enough action - are actually, in my opinion, more apt reasons to dismiss the new one. Did they think Ang Lee was the problem and that Louis Leterrier would handle nearly the same material better? He doesn't and The Incredible Hulk is a disappointment, a failed attempt to inject life into what should be a billion-dollar franchise.

Don't get me wrong. The Incredible Hulk is far from as bad as some recent comic book movies. This is no Ghost Rider or Elektra. But it also doesn't deserve mention in the same breath as Iron Man or The Dark Knight. To start, the filmmakers skip over the origin story, telling it all in an opening credits sequence that looks shockingly like a video game cut scene. It sets a tone for the movie - something is missing. I'm totally down with skipping the origin story (it's one of the things that usually makes the sequel better than the original) but then why focus the plot of the movie on the origin itself? The movie is about going back to the place where it all began to fix the problems caused there. Bruce wants his Mr. Hyde vanquished and he's been working with someone online, the mysterious "Mr. Blue" to find a cure. At the same time, the General Ross (William Hurt) wants this super soldier for himself, so he brings on board a trained killer, Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) and tries to even the mutated score. Of course, every good beast needs a beauty and Liv Tyler adequately fills that role.

The Incredible Hulk could only have (and only does) work as the action movie that fans felt was missing from Ang Lee's film. There are two major battles that are so well-choreographed and shot that they almost make the movie worth seeing on their own and anyone who tells you they like it - those two scenes are why. To be fair, they're better sequences than anything in Iron Man just because the man who directed The Transporter movies has a better eye for action than the one who helmed Elf (although I expect a marked improvement in that arena in the second Iron Man flick). But outside of those two set-pieces, The Incredible Hulk is so boring that it borders on parody. Even the structure is laughable - Emil and Bruce fight in Brazil, fight at the school, fight in NYC, roll credits. The love story never works and the characters are as two-dimensional as we've yet seen in this genre that regularly loses its focus on character.

Now, the Blu-Ray. There are two interesting things about it before we get to the special features. First, much was made of the behind-the-scenes drama with Ed Norton and the studio, one that reportedly saw up to 70 minutes cut from the final film. I can't wait to see that version of the film. I assumed I would be able to on Blu-Ray. Not really. There are extensive deleted scenes but they're in standard def and not organized enough for us to really see what caused the behind-the-scenes controversy. There could be a great version of The Incredible Hulk buried out there like Captain America in the ice (more on that later). I'm sure Marvel and Universal thought that by trimming what was probably character and drama that they made a less-boring film, but the opposite is true. What they've missed is that if you don't have anything believable to grab on to or characters to care about, it actually makes the experience feel longer and lessens the impact of the action. There's less reason to care when you can feel the studio manipulation. The emotions in a film like this – loss, love, and, of course, rage - never once feel genuine, draining the power of even the well-made action scenes. Paramount and Marvel could have given fans something extra with an extended or alternate cut on this extensive Blu-Ray release instead of saving it for a double dip or burying it for good.

Second, you won't often here this but The Incredible Hulk might actually look worse on Blu-Ray. Don't get me wrong. Universal's 1080p transfer is beautiful and completely without flaw. The colors are crisp and clear and the picture is stunning. The problem is that the CGI in the actual film is far from perfect and that's heightened in high-definition. The sensation that the big green guy looks a little fake? Much more palpable when you're watching the film in 1080p. A LOT of Blu-Ray buyers are going to watch The Incredible Hulk on their PS3 and it's odd and ironic that they'll probably think to themselves that the green guy looks about as realistic as a video game character.

The special features on The Incredible Hulk Blu-Ray disc are the real draw of the release. Universal is diving into the BD-Live pool with both feet and they've been promoting its inclusion on The Incredible Hulk. The idea is that you'll be able to chat with friends and download trailers for other Universal products through your Blu-Ray players and while you watch the movie. As of press time, it hadn't gone live yet so I can't give you full details on the experience but I'm amazed at the potential of this technology. Maybe Ed Norton will break into a studio and offer the alternate cut of The Incredible Hulk through BD-Live technology. The capability is there.

You can turn The Incredible Hulk into something with even more of a resemblance to a video game with the cool "Thunderbolt Files", a feature that plays in the up-left corner of the screen while you watch the Blu-Ray disc. In it you will find a "Mission Overview", "Intel Tracking", and "Active Personnel". Through them, you can track the characters and their locations through out the movie. For example, the Intel at the beginning of the film, complete with maps of his location reads "Banner is presumed to be alive and searching for a cure for his disorder. Intel suggests he is likely in hiding in a sparsely populated, wilderness area. Banner is considered dangerous and should be managed with extreme caution." You can also use Universal's excellent U-Control, which allows access to interviews and behind-the-scenes information picture-in-picture while the movie is playing.

All in all, the special features on the Blu-Ray release of The Incredible Hulk are remarkable. User control, interactivity, picture-in-picture information. It's a new world of DVD. Back on the "Extras" menu screen, you'll find even more including the already-infamous alternate opening, which reportedly features a blink-and-you'll-miss-it shot of Captain America frozen in ice. I say "reportedly" because I'm still not 100% sure. Some have called b.s. on the odd shadow in the snow at the 2:25 mark, claiming that it's not the reported Captain America cameo. Decide for yourself. More interesting is the opening itself, which I consider a much stronger opening than what was included in the film. It's just another hint at what could have been.

If you really want to see what could have been, check out the 42 minutes of deleted scenes. Personally, I'd like to see an alternate cut but you can almost make out what happened to The Incredible Hulk by watching this cutting room floor footage. Featurettes included are "The Making of Incredible", "Becoming the Hulk", "Becoming the Abomination", "Anatomy of a Hulk-Out", and "From Comic Book to Screen". It's a great collection of special features even if the movie should have been better. Maybe they'll get it right the third time around.