Alternate Takes 06.14.08: The Incredible Hulk
Posted by Shawn S. Lealos on 06.14.2008
This week marks Marvel's second superhero movie of the summer. This week's Alternate Takes looks deeper into this latest iteration.
Hello and welcome to Week 8 of Alternate Takes. My name is Shawn Lealos and in the growth and maturation of this column, I am still making tweaks to the format to make it a more entertaining and educational column. From here out, unless I really hate the thought behind the movie coming out that week (as I did with Sex and the City), I am going to make Alternate Takes more of a educational walk through certain aspects of the film. For example, this week I will talk about some of the director's earlier works, an older classic superhero movie, a couple of aspects of the star's persona in past roles and the movie that we last saw the hero in. Next week for The Love Guru, I will explore the career of Mike Myers. As always, if you have any suggestions feel free to drop me an e-mail and I'll address them
After last week's spurt of output, I only have a couple of things for you to check out this week. First off, congratulations to The Movie Zone's Ron Martin. He moved on into the next round of the Sports Zone's Fact & Fiction Tournament and will face me in the second round in July. Click here to witness the second Movie Zone writer to defeat a Sports Zone guy in the tournament. Don't count us Movie Geeks out.
I have two Movie Reviews up this week. I felt You Don't Mess With the Zohan was a return to form for Adam Sandler, and you can read the review here. While I enjoyed Kung Fu Panda, I left the movie disappointed because I felt it could have been so much better, and you can read that review here. Finally, here is this week's TOP 5 - Most Memorable Reboots.
Now, on with the column...
THE INCREDIBLE HULK
Directed by Louis Leterrier Cast: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, Tim Blake Nelson, William Hurt
After the critical disappointment that followed Ang Lee's version of The Hulk, I assumed the character would be buried again. I was wrong. Instead of letting that perceived wasted opportunity be what rested on the minds of movie goers, the studio decided to try again. Out was the visceral genius that was Ang Lee and in is action director extraordinaire Louis Leterrier. The movie also changed the entire cast, replacing the decent Eric Bana with the awesome Edward Norton. To balance the scales, they replaced the great Jennifer Connelly with the bland Liv Tyler. Will the movie be any good? I think the studios were worried because they released a new trailer spoiling the cameo appearance of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark in what can only be described as a last ditch effort to up the buys. It is tracking well, and if it makes even a portion of what Iron Man made, it will be a success at the box office. The question is will it deliver the action? Edward Norton is said to be displeased with the final version but that may just be Norton being the control freak that he is. We'll see this weekend and look for my review to be up by Monday morning.
Five Alternate Takes
5. THE SWAMP THING (1982)
Directed by Wes Craven Cast: Louis Jourdan, Adrienne Barbeau, Ray Wise, David Hess Why it's here: It's the other big green superhero and is probably the funnest cheese you will ever see.
He's a big green superhero and is made of vegetables. Yep, it's not The Hulk. It's The Swamp Thing. Wes Craven had made a name for himself with video nasty's Last House on the Left and The Hills Have Eyes and got a big budget for his next feature, the comic book adaptation of cult comic The Swamp Thing. The Swamp Thing tells the story of a scientist named Alex Holland who was working on a formula which stimulates plant growth. When he was accidentally splashed with the chemicals he would become the Swamp Thing. He would seek vengeance on Arcane, the man who caused the accident and killed his sister. Adrienne Barbeau continued to deliver entertaining performances (The Fog, Escape from New York) and the movie was nothing more than giant cheese. The film was a critical and box office failure but has developed a huge cult following since its release. Craven mentioned the troubles the film faced and seems pretty happy about the final product. "My limitation was that we ran out of money towards the end," he said. "... the ending of the film was not technically what I would have liked. Aesthetically, yes, I thought it was successful. I've run into a lot of people who liked it. In my experience, about three out of four really liked it rather than thought it was a let-down compared to the comic."
"You've heard of but never seen me, so I'll introduce myself. My name is Arcane."
4. HULK (2003)
Directed by Ang Lee Cast: Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott, Josh Lucas, Nick Nolte Why it's here:It is nowhere near as bad as people would have you believe.
People are harsh on this 2003 effort. The studios, however, have no one to blame but themselves. Maybe they confused Ang Lee with John Woo, but when you hire a guy who has made his living making art films like Sense and Sensibility and The Ice Storm, what are they expecting. Maybe they only knew him from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon but that is still no reason to think he will make a HULK SMASH movie. What Lee made was a great movie that was less the bombastic violence of a giant green monster and more a cerebral tale of a man constantly fighting the demon within. He went out and cast great actors and put together an intelligent story about Bruce Banner. It did fall apart at the end with the big fight between Hulk and Nick Nolte's character because the fans wanted the Hulk to fight a super villain, and the fight was a jumbled, confusing mess. Those who say there was not enough action need look no further than the Hulk battling the Hulk Dogs and the great Hulk versus the army scenes. The action was not enough for Hulk junkies and that is why they hired Leterrier to direct the sequel/revamp of the series. But the movie was a solid work of art and maybe the most comic book looking film ever made. It's what happens when you hire an artist to make a superhero blockbuster.
"Even now I can feel it, buried somewhere deep inside, watching me, waiting... But you know what scares me the most? When I can't fight it anymore, when it takes over, when I totally lose control... I like it."
3. AMERICAN HISTORY X (1998)
Directed by Tony Kaye Cast: Edward Norton, Edward Furlong, Beverly D'Angelo, Avery Brooks, Ethan Suplee, Fairuza Balk, Elliott Gould Why it's here: You've heard the stories about Edward Norton throwing his weight around on The Incredible Hulk? He did it here first...
If you have been following the news and rumor mills, you have heard about Edward Norton clashing with the director and producers on The Incredible Hulk. It all started when Norton, claiming his admiration of the comic book character, asked to be allowed to rewrite the script. Thanks Zak Penn, but we'll let Edward "Harrison" rewrite your work. Then the film was finished and Norton wanted in the editing room to "fix the problems with the movie." Since the hoopla, the spin machine has been working and they have gotten many major sites (including Ain't it Cool News) to publicize that the problems were all fabricated. I have it on good terms that the problems were indeed real. It is not the first time either. On American History X, Norton had director Tony Kaye locked out of the editing room and went in and reedited the movie himself, adding to his role and making the movie in his own fashion. Kaye was incensed and demanded that he get the legendary "Alan Smithee" credit reserved for those directors who felt a completed movie was not their vision. Thanks to the rules, once Kaye put out an ad in Variety explaining what Norton did to him, they refused to allow him to use that pseudonym. He then requested to be credited as Humpty Dumpty and then sued the DGA and New Line Cinema for the debacle. That is the history of the movie. The truth is, it is a great fucking movie that uses the word "fuck" 205 times. I don't know how much was Edward Norton and how much was Tony Kaye, but the movie is nothing to be ashamed of and is a wonderful flick with great performances by Norton, Edward Furlong at his best, and a surprisingly dangerous Ethan Suplee. I highly recommend this movie to anyone and everyone.
"Shut up! Shut Up! Shut the fuck up, I came here for one reason, to tell you that I'm out, and Danny's out too and if you come near him again, I will feed you your fucking heart."
2. THE TRANSPORTER (2002)
Directed by Louis Leterrier and Cory Yuen Cast: Jason Statham Why it's here:Who the hell is this guy directing The Incredible Hulk? Watch this movie and tell me he can't make The Hulk cool again!
You want a reason why I think The Incredible Hulk will deliver the goods in the action department. I give you two reasons: The Transporter and The Transporter 2. While Crank is the more enjoyable, crazy Jason Statham movie, The Transporter series delivers balls-to-the-wall action that leaves you with a jaw dropped to the floor and ne'er a chance to breath. Another Leterrier movie to check out is Jet Li's Unleashed, which took to martial arts action and added a really interesting story that proved to be a step above the rest. But let's talk about The Transporter. Jason Statham plays a man whose job is to transport items, no questions asked, from one place to another. He is paid well for this job and he is damn good at what he does. In the first movie, the item turns out to be a girl. He ends up refusing to transport her and we are set for crazy action set pieces that never fail to entertain. I present to you a scene from the second movie: Statham is sitting in a doctor's office with a young boy he is hired to protect. He notices that the nurse might not be who she appears to be. She then drops her coat, wearing only sexy red lingerie, stripper heals and thigh highs, all while holding two big ass guns. All I could do was sit there with a big dumb grin and watch as the two blew the hell out of the doctor's office using anything and everything that wasn't tied down. This is the type of director people who hated the first movie desperately needed. This guy can bring the goods. But remember, Edward Norton is an "artist" and he was not happy with the final cut. On the positive side, maybe there was too much action for his high brow taste. Give me the balls-to-the-walls demolition and frenzied action of The Transporter in this movie and I'll be a very happy man.
"I do what I do best. I am who I am. Now, if you're going to use that gun then use it. Otherwise, get this gun out of my face!"
1. PRIMAL FEAR (1996)
Directed by Gregory Hoblit Cast: Gere, Edward Norton, Laura Linney, Frances McDormand, Terry O'Quinn, Andre Braugher, Steven Bauer Why it's here:This isn't the first time Edward Norton played a man with a split personality. He mastered it here.
This is a very similar sounding story, with a very different twist. Richard Gere is an attorney brought in to defend the accused murderer of a priest. That murderer is a young man named Aaron Stampler, played by Edward Norton. Stampler, an altar boy, says he did not kill the priest and it was a man named Roy who did. The twist here is that Aaron Stampler is Roy and the case that must be defended is that Aaron is not guilty due to the fact that he suffers from multiple personality disorder and therefore Aaron is not responsible for the murders. It is a brilliant story, based on the novel by William Diehl, carried to great heights by a wonderful cast. The character of Aaron/Roy is one of Norton's greatest creations, as he planned out how the character would talk and act before ever auditioning for the role. It is his performance that raises the movie from a solid court room procedural into a masterpiece of modern cinema. Norton would play a split personality later in Fight Club and once again this week in The Incredible Hulk, but it is this movie that he perfected the character. It is arguably Edward Norton's best role and his crowing performance in a career filled with greatness.
"Do you know what I would do if someone did that to me? I would kill him, I wouldn't hesitate. I would stab him 78 times. I would chop off his fingers, slash his throat open, carve numbers in his chest, gouge out his eyes, I swear to God!... But that's me."
I have pretty high hopes for The Incredible Hulk this weekend. Thanks to Iron Man, I have a feeling nothing in this movie will reach the level of that film, but if that lowers my expectations going into the theater, it might make for a more enjoyable experience. There is a lot to love about this movie. The actors are great, with Norton leading the way and Tim Roth as the bad guy is icing on the cake. The appearance of Tony Stark will make my geek blood gurgle and I have so much hope for the action scenes at the hands of Leterrier. I still think it will be the third or fourth best superhero movie of the summer, depending on Hancock, but as a comic book fan, that is still fine by me.
Since I mentioned that I thought Edward Norton's performance in Primal Fear might have been his best here are my TOP Edward Norton movies (I will only list movies I have seen)
1. Fight Club - One of the best movies ever. Period.
2. Rounders - This was just pure fun, but it was more a Matt Damon movie than an Ed Norton one.
3. Primal Fear - See write up above
4. American History X - See write up above
5. 25th Hour - A great character study and one of Spike Lee's best movies outside his comfort zone
6. The Illusionist - Everyone talked about The Prestige, but this movie is just as good
7. Kingdom of Heaven - The Director's Cut = Brilliance. Orlando Bloom's finest moment
8. The People vs. Larry Flynt - Woody Harellson is fantastic in this movie
9. Death to Smoochy - People shit on this movie but I liked its dark tones
10. Red Dragon - It is better than Hannibal but not as good as Manhunter
11. The Score - It was cool to see DeNiro and Brando together but the movie was just so-so
12. The Italian Job - Norton never wanted to make this. You can tell by his performance
13. The Painted Veil - A fantastic looking movie but it's just not my cup of tea
"Bravo, Peter. You are the Spalding Gray of crap."
Instead of ending this week with a funny quote, I will allow my inner geek to reprint a line from the classic TV show: "In each of us there lives a kind of beast... made of rage. Years ago I used science to study this beast... to bring him out of me. I used Gamma radiation to release him... but I used too much... far too much. Now the beast is out of my control... emerging whenever anger strikes. My name is David Banner... the world thinks I'm dead... I travel alone... I try to keep the beast caged within myself..."
