I hardly ever send 2 newsletters in one week but, after seeing the sneak peek of the INCREDIBLE HULK movie last night, I felt I needed to give a quick review and a warning for parents.
First, the warning. As you may have experienced while visiting Comic Books, ETC!, we try to keep the kid-friendly and all-ages items separate from the rest of the store. As a father, I appreciate not everything is suitable for every age and try to give other parents enough information to make an informed decision for their children. Ultimately, it is up to the individual parents to make that decision.
So, knowing there have been a lot of kids (ages from 4 to 10) coming into the store over the last month who have seen IRON MAN (another PG-13 movie), I wanted to let parents know that the INCREDIBLE HULK is a totally different type of PG-13. It received this rating for "Sequences of intense action violence, some frightening sci-fi images, and brief suggestive content." And, let me tell you, it was really intense. There is one thing playing a violent Hulk video game, and another seeing it on the big screen where it looks real. And there are a lot of intense chase scenes, action scenes and fight scenes. So, in my opinion, this is not a summer movie for Grand Ma to take the grand kids to spend an afternoon. As always, I simply want to give you enough information to make an informed decision. You know your children best.
Okay... with that out of the way... the INCREDIBLE HULK movie rocked! I went to see it with low expectations, thinking the previews gave away all the good parts, and was pleasantly surprised. Comic fans will really appreciate all the inside references to other characters and creators. Fans of the original television series will get a kick out of the movie, as well. Giving IRON MAN an "A," I give INCREDIBLE HULK a solid "B," or "B+." Yes, Marvel did scrap the last Hulk movie and started from scratch (that's obvious from the opening credits). And, they set up a few things for a sequel - which comic fans should recognize.
Should you stay through the credits? We did and there wasn't anything at the end. BUT... I wonder if the epilogue shown at the end of the movie was edited to be before the credits for the sneak peek or if that is how it is supposed to be. To be safe, I'll just say if the last scene takes place in a bar, the movie is over. if not, stay through the credits.
I don't want to get anyone's expectations too high but, I didn't hear one negative thing from anyone after the movie, including from the non-comic readers. In fact, there was a lot of glowing comments. So, if you are looking for a fun Summer action movie, I'd go see it. I predict INCREDIBLE HULK will be a box office smash.
Thanks for making us your Hero Headquarters!
Rick
I liked the ending. "Bear witness to his choice children and give thanks to your gods and then pray for their mercy for tonight the Hulk may sleep, but this rage will never die."
