The Incredible Hulk

No, this is not about Jason Giambi.

My wife and I went to see The Incredible Hulk (movie) today. Granted, I went in with moderate expectations. But, I liked it. In fact, I liked it more than Iron Man (which we saw last month). Of course, any movie with Ed Norton is usually good. And, Norton gives The Incredible Hulk some legs - as he attracts and keeps your attention. Tim Roth and William Hurt did a good job in this one as well. Liv Tyler was sort of…blah. But, it didn’t ruin the film. If you’re a fan of the Marvel Studio films, I recommend checking this one out.

In terms of all the Marvel Studio theatrical releases that I’ve seen, here’s where I would place The Incredible Hulk:

1. Blade: Trinity (2004)
2. Spider-Man (2002)
3. Blade (1998)
4. X-Men (2000)
5. Blade II (2002)
6. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
7. X2 (2003)
8. The Incredible Hulk (2008)
9. X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
10. Spider-Man 3 (2007)
11. Fantastic Four (2005)
12. The Punisher (2004)
13. Daredevil (2003)
14. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)
15. Iron Man (2008)
16. Hulk (2003)
17. Ghost Rider (2007)
18. Elektra (2005)

Ghost Rider and Elektra are on the list because I saw them. But, they were pretty bad.

What about films based on DC Comics? The only ones there, that I truly liked - in the sense that I would want them in my DVD collection - are: Batman (1989), The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003), and Batman Begins (2005).

If I had to place them in the list with the Marvel Studio films, I would rank “Batman Begins” between “Blade II” and “Spider-Man 2.” (Yeah, it’s that good.) And, I would place “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” between “X2″ and “The Incredible Hulk.” (Many would disagree with this - but, for some reason “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” just sits well with me.) Lastly, I would sit “Batman” (from 1989) between “Spider-Man 3″ and (the) “Fantastic Four.”

Hellboy (2004) - taken from Dark Horse Comics - was a pretty good film. (And, the sequel, coming out soon, looks promising.) If I were to place “Hellboy” on the list above, I would squeeze it in just outside the ‘top ten’ - right around where “Fantastic Four” sits.

June 22, 2008 | Filed Under Random Thoughts

Comments

6 Responses to “The Incredible Hulk”

JeremyM on June 22nd, 2008 5:28 pm

You rated Iron Man quite a bit lower than I would have. And no love for any of the Superman films? Personally, I’d have Superman I and Batman Begins at the top of my comic book movies list.
Steve Lombardi on June 22nd, 2008 5:50 pm

Actually, #12 thru #15 on the Marvel list for me was close. So, while I had Iron Man at #15, it could have also made it as high as #12. Part of it, for me, with Iron Man was that I had high expectations, based on the hype…and, in the end, it sort of seemed like it was a rip-off of RoboCop 2.

The Superman movies? They never really hit it with me. Maybe it’s because I thought the flying scenes were too cheesy? Of all the Supe-flicks, I liked “II” the best - but, that was more because of General Zod and his crew than anything else.
K.V.C on June 22nd, 2008 6:18 pm

Your list…UGH. The biggest choice I have a problem with is FF:Rise of the silver surfer ahead of Ironman???? The big fight in FF is against a Ferris Wheel for gods sake.
Steve Lombardi on June 22nd, 2008 6:55 pm

Hey, like I said, #12 thru #15 was a close call here for me. You could rank them in any order within those slots - if you ask me.

And, those four movies, to me, were just O.K. - and none were great. So, I have a hard time saying one is better, or worse, than the others.

Was there a great fight scene in Iron Man? Like I said, the big on there seemed like a rip-off of Robocop to me.
bfriley76 on June 23rd, 2008 10:37 am

The fact that you listed Blade Trinity #1 completely negates the entire list for me. It’s not even the best “Blade” film, much less the best Marvel film. In fact, to paraphrase a line from a Brian Posehn comedy bit, it doesn’t just suck compared to the other Blade films, it sucks compared to other films that suck. It’s just a horrible, horrible film.
Steve Lombardi on June 23rd, 2008 11:05 am

OMG, Blade Trinity, to me, had the perfect blend of action, story, comedy, interesting side characters, over the top bad guys, sexy female roles, and instant-classic one-liners that you’d want in a Comics-related movie. What’s not to love there?