Senin, 07 Juli 2008

Fun at the Movies: The Incredible Hulk and Marvel Crossovers by Planet Comic Book Radio

The 2008 blockbuster hit movie, The Incredible Hulk, finally brought Hulk fans redemption for their beloved superhero. Many opinions on the movie indicate that the 2008 version was much more loyal to the comic book than the 2003 release.

Not only did the Hulk movie include staples to the Hulk universe such as Doc Sampson and the Abomination, it also made references to other Marvel comic book superheroes such as Thor, Iron Man, and Captain America. What? You didn't see these guys? That's ok. These guys and a few others were around in the form of hints, allusions, and "Easter Eggs". It's a great way to setup future movies such as the Avengers, Thor, and Captain America.

Here's the list Marvel crossover references if you missed them:

* Allusion of Thor in the cave scene. A very powerful scene that reminded me of King Kong. Outside the cave, lighting and thunder raged. One of the bolts struck the Hulk prompting him to howl upwards to the sky in defiance of the elements. In Marvel universe, Thor is the god of war and thunder and many fans saw this scene as Thor measuring the Hulk before an eventual showdown.

* Stark Industries on documents in the opening sequence. Stark Industries is a weapons manufacturer owned by Tony Stark who also flies around as Iron Man.

* Tony Stark cameo (Robert Downey Jr.) at the very end scene speaking to General Ross about a new team he's putting together. The buzz online is that Stark refers to the formation of the Avengers.

* S.H.I.E.L.D. name and logo on documents in the opening montage. S.H.I.E.L.D. stands for Supreme Headquarters International Espionage Law-enforcement Division. It is "an extra-government intelligence and security organization dedicated to protecting the nations and peoples of Earth from all threats, terrestrial or extraterrestrial." (Marvel.com). S.H.I.E.L.D. often works with the Avengers and is led by Nick Fury. Samuel L. Jackson made a cameo in Iron Man as Nick Fury.

* S.H.I.E.L.D. logo can also be seen in the e-mail sequence when, from a gas station computer, Banner e-mailed to Mr. Blue the data of his experiments. S.H.I.E.L.D. technology intercepted the message.

* The blue serum that turned Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) into a super soldier references Captain America the first super soldier created by the US government during World War II.

* Blue serum turns Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) into a super soldier in the Hulk movie

* Blonsky's super quickness and agility coupled with his military training and experience demonstrated how Captain America would fare against a much stronger opponent like the Hulk.

* Blonsky's healing ability also demonstrates how Captain America could survived being frozen in the arctic since World War II. In the comic books, the Avengers found the body of Captain America frozen in a block of ice somewhere in the North Pole.

* Jim Wilson, one of the college students interviewed by the news media as a witness to the battle between the Hulk and the US Army, is a nephew of Sam Wilson. Sam Wilson is a superhero known as the Falcon who is a friend of Captain America. Jim Wilson also appears as a sidekick of the Incredible Hulk in other issues.

* The blue serum is clearly labeled Weapons Plus. This one is a bit of a stretch, but the program that created Wolverine is called Weapons X. Wolverine made his very first appearance in an Incredible Hulk comic book issue.

* Stan Lee cameo drinking the gamma-laced soda and falling over from poisoning. Marvel movies are known for Stan Lee cameos.

* Stanleys Pizza is the name of the restaurant where Banner stayed temporarily and where Betty first discovered his return. The name is too close to Stan Lee to be dismissed as coincidental.

* Paul Soles playing Stanleys is the voice of Spider-Man in the late 60's cartoons.

More on easter eggs in The Incredible Hulk movie is in Planet Comic Book Radio.

About the Author

Planet Comic Book Radio is a weekly talkshow and blog on everything comic books.

The Incredible Hulk is a Smash Hit! by Will Connor

The latest film adaptation of Marvel’s iconic comic book The Incredible Hulk raises the bar for comic-related movies. Louis Leterrier brings a new cast and new life to this previously presented, but never before seen like this set of characters. The CGI effects in the this recent Hulk incarnation surpasses the previous ground-breaking, but still jerky green giant from Ang Lee’s project (Hulk (2003)) bringing the audience closer to a full suspension of disbelief.

The new cast is truly the key to the Hulk’s success. Ed Norton makes a perfect Banner and Liv Tyler is much more convincing as the romantic interest and daughter of the semi-protagonist played by William Hurt.

Tim Roth makes a decent bad guy, but it is his change of character from rational to practically evil that subtly takes over which livens the film.

MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS BELOW

The basic hero paradigm throughout the plot is obvious and somewhat predictable. Banner is pegged as the bad guy in the beginning and has to prove himself the hero as the presumed good guy slowly turns from friend to foe. The heart of the semi-protagonist semi-melts, but maintains enough coldness to offer a formidable conflict consistently as the story unfolds. The version is somewhat closer to the comic in many ways than the 2003 release and is extremely well written.

Some of the delightfulness comes in the form of cameos, both by characters and actors. We are graced again with Lou Ferringno returning as a security guard, but Leterrier goes further and has him overlay the voice of the Hulk as well. Originator Stan Lee appears on the screen as a man that gets gamma radiation poisoning from drinking a Brazilian soda tainted with Hulk blood. And as in Iron Man, the last scene reveals the production intentions of Marvel and Hollywood as Tony Stark enters to discuss adding Banner to his crack team of superheroes, The Avengers, with General Thunderbolt Ross.

An excellent outing for any comic book fan, the Incredible Hulk delivers the punches, story, acting, and directing one would hope for in such a long awaited film. Great fight scenes, suspense, heart felt characters, and amazing special effects allow the Hulk to rage across the screen and smash his way into a high quality, bench mark setting presentation not to be missed!

About the Author

Connor is an ethnomusicology Ph.D. candidate, percussionist, and avid movie-goer living between London, UK and Honolulu, HI, USA.

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GOGGLE FIVE !


Yes, it was 20 yr ago, I love this movies at VIDEO TAPE... GOGGLE FIVE! They gone now, but still have POWER RANGERSSSS!!!