The Avengers Are Coming: Part Two

THE INCREDIBLE HULK (2008)

After Ang Lee's Hulk (2003), Marvel Studios decided to do their own independent version as a better lead-in to The Avengers. In theory, Marvel and Louis Letterier (director of 2010's terrible Clash of the Titans) probably thought they were making a superior film, but The Incredible Hulk is no better than Ang Lee's effort. This one isn't really an origin story, since the “origin” is explained through images in the opening credit sequence. It's basically a chase movie, minus a great deal of the excitement a chase movie usually entails.

We meet Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) hiding out in the Brazilian shanty town, Rocinha, long after he has been infected by the gamma radiation that causes him to mutate into the Hulk when his heart rate rises. Quietly working at a bottling plant, he has been trying to find a cure for his condition while managing the anger that brings out the beast. A simple accident at the plant causes a drop of Banner's blood to land in one of the bottles being shipped to the U.S., resulting in the death of the person who drinks it (cameo by Stan Lee, creator of three of the four Avengers that got their own movie). The bottle is traced back to the plant in Brazil, and General Ross (William Hurt) mobilizes a team, led by Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth), to bring in Banner.

Obviously they fail as Banner mutates into the Hulk and annihilates them. Blonsky barely survives, then marvels at the incredible power of the creature he has seen. Ambitious to possess such strength, Blonsky allows General Ross to give him a low dosage of the “super soldier” serum the military has been working on since World War II (the same serum taken by Steve Rogers and Johann Schmidt in Captain America: The First Avenger). In the meantime, Banner has made his way back to the U.S. where he reluctantly meets up with his former lover, research partner, and daughter of the general, Betty Ross (Liv Tyler). The rest of the film features these two lovers on the run, with some big action setpieces worked in.

The action and special effects are actually the highlight here, as the human “story” can barely be called such. We are given just enough to enjoy the proceedings to some degree, and not an ounce more. Banner and Betty are “good people”, the General is a “cold heartless bastard”, and Blonsky is a “power hungry little mongrel”. This wonderful cast is completely underutilized, each one of them could do these roles in their sleep. I've seen worse though, much worse, and as I mentioned...the action scenes aren't half bad. The Culver University showdown is fun, involving enough military firepower (provided by Stark Industries from Iron Man) to take down a small city, though it doesn't even phase the Hulk. The final battle is also rather engaging, as it pits Abomination (a really ugly, massive, mutated powerhouse) against the Hulk in the streets of Harlem.

Ultimately, The Incredible Hulk does enough to be average, but that's about it. If it wasn't part of the build up to The Avengers, I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it to anyone. Robert Downey Jr. shows up as Tony Stark in the final scene though, explaining to General Ross that “...we are putting a team together.” In a couple more days, we will see how that team turned out.

The Incredible Hulk (2008): 5 out of 10
Hulk (2003): 5 out of 10
Clash of the Titans (2010): 2 out of 10

IRON MAN 2 (2010)

Billionaire tech genius Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) returns, at less than maximum potential, in Jon Favreau's blockbuster sequel to Iron Man. Stark is actually dying this time around, ironically caused by palladium in the very core that keeps him alive. This accounts for Stark's antagonistic nature here. At times he's still the witty playboy, but the chip on his shoulder makes him less appealing somehow. To make matters worse, his superhero identity is worldwide news, and the Russian physicist, Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), happens to want him punished for the past deeds of his deceased father, Howard Stark.

One of Tony's top competitors, Justin Hammer (a fitting name given the way Sam Rockwell hams it up), enters the fray as Ivan's secret financial backer, while Tony gets a little help from S.H.I.E.L.D. in the form of Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson). We see a lot more of Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) this time around as well, including a scene where he sheds a little more light on the "Avenger Initiative”. Don Cheadle takes over as James Rhodes (formerly played by Terrence Howard), and Gwyneth Paltrow returns as Pepper Potts.

Iron Man 2 is a slick, well made production like all these other Marvel pics, but it's a step down from the original. Tony doesn't enjoy a character arc comparable to the one in Iron Man, the villains are not particularly special, and the final showdown with Vanko seems to end in the same minute that it begins. The film just isn't as tightly constructed as the first, though there are some great moments, especially the Japanese Garden battle pitting Stark and Rhodes against a bunch of heavily armed Hammer Drones.

For fans of The Avengers there are a lot of other fun bits here, including another sighting of Captain America's shield in Tony's workshop, and news footage following one of the Incredible Hulk's attacks. The post-credits sequence even shows Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) arriving in New Mexico at the very spot where Thor's hammer landed after he was exiled from Asgard. Iron Man 2 is a good time, indeed, just not as good as the first movie.

Iron Man 2: 6 out of 10