TV buffs who still shed a tear when hearing the closing credits song to the Bill Bixby/Lou Ferrigno live-action series, get excited. This incarnation of Bruce Banner — the green goliath's human alter ego — looks to be one you'll find familiar.
Action junkies who like their monster movies big and with lots of debris/rubble, get ready. This summer, Hulk will smash!
How do we know? Well, producer Kevin Feige, director Louis Leterrier, and star Edward Norton have been pretty vocal as to the purpose of this sequel-cum-reboot. But that's not it. No, we're talking from personal experience… 'cause we've caught a sneak peek of the trailer and we're here to tell you that this is the big screen Hulk fans have been waiting for.
The trailer opens with a zoom in on an arts and crafts-style home. Inside, Banner (played by Norton) is engaged in a deep conversation with a friend/colleague. We're theorizing that this person is Hulk supporting character Doc Samson, but we have no confirmation on this. Banner is trying to tell his friend without actually "telling him"about his monstrous affliction, to which his comrade responds, "See a shrink." Ah, if it were only that easy…
Cut to a different setting and a close-up of Banner's eyes opening wide just as they turn bright green — clearly the beginning stages of a "Hulk out." Military commandos are hunting The Hulk and one unlucky soldier is hurled by an unseen assailant out of the frame. Tim Roth, who plays Emil Blonksy (a.k.a. The Abomination), sees the creature (although audiences don't) and is overcome with fear.
Cut to Banner, back in his home, talking to Betty Ross (played by Liv Tyler) and another scientist. This snippet serves as a quick recap of the accident that actually created The Hulk. Cut to a scene of Banner meditating, clearly trying anything he can to subdue the beast within. He's heard talking over this image to Betty saying he doesn't want to learn to control it — cut to Banner and Betty sitting in a car together — he wants to get rid of it. What this portion of the trailer sets up is the idea that, like in the comics, Betty is "standing by her man" and helping him work toward a cure — a serious departure from the end of the first film, which had the two separated and living completely different lives
This is where fans of the 1977 TV show will get excited. General Thunderbolt Ross' (played by William Hurt) voice can be heard talking over a number of snippets of Banner on the run. Commandos are making their way up a flight of stairs — Banner bolts out of bed, aware of their presence. A shot of Banner on the street shows him lifting the hood from a sweatshirt up over his head and slinking away. Ross' voiceover says, "As far as I'm concerned, he's government property." Clearly, the military is still hoping to capture The Hulk.
In fact, it's our theory that they want to use The Hulk as a weapon. The reason being, the very next shot shows Blonsky being injected with two serums — clearly, he's the volunteer for some kind of experiment. The procedure goes horrible awry, however, as the next shot is that of The Abomination tearing down a city street, knocking cars over and carelessly putting people in harm's way. Who can stop this creature from destroying the city and killing thousands of innocent people?
Cut to the inside of a military helicopter. Banner is saying goodbye to Betty, noting that perhaps he's the only person capable of stopping The Abomination (although, he doesn't actually call him that). The two kiss passionately, after which Banner jumps out of the chopper. Betty is crying and desperately reaching for him, but a group of soldiers are restraining her. Banner seemingly plunges to his death, crashing into the city street below — making a huge crater in the process.
Cut to a familiar green fist bursting out of a pile of rubble. A police officer and nearby woman look on in awe. The money shot — The Incredible Hulk in all his glory roaring loudly and flexing viciously toward The Abomination. The two run toward each other, cars and people flying out of their way. Title cards cut in and out as the creatures near each other — the message reads: "This summer our only hope is something incredible." Cut back to the two behemoths as they leap toward each other. Cut to black. The Incredible Hulk. June 13, 2008. End on a quick close-up of the Hulk's face.
So now the moment everyone's been waiting for: What do The Hulk and The Abomination actually look like? I can tell you that Blonky's villainous alter ego is a good adaptation of the character. Gone are the scales and silly fin ears that made the comic book version look like some sort of aquatic creature. Instead, the monster looks more like a horribly mutated man — about 10 feet tall, incredibly muscular, tan colored (instead of the comic book dark green) and covered in some sort of exoskeleton (most likely a nod to the aforementioned scales). In fact, running down his spine are bony spikes.
Hulk, on the other hand, looks as if he were ripped right from the pages of the comic. He clocks in at about nine feet tall, is slender (when compared to Ang Lee's downright chubby version), and has a much better defined musculature than his big screen predecessor. Even the manner in which he roars (body squatting, arms outspread, head craning forward) is reminiscent of his four color ancestor. And while we're not sure as to whether the pants he was wearing were purple or just dark colored, this particular homage is at play in the film as well. 'Nuff said!
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