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The Incredible Hulk 3-Disc Special Edition DVD Review

By Prairie Miller

In fierce competition not only against his formidable enemies, but with the various other Hulk incarnations that have popped up on the big and small screens, this latest Hulk as big as the guy is, must measure up to all those assorted clones and knockoffs. And whether or not he does, depends on the levels of Hulk exposure of longtime fans, purists, and the uninitiated. But there's a little bit of something for everyone here, in the way of action, humor, romance, and among assorted surprise cameos, Robert Downey Jr. turning up to hint at future sequel mischief.

Edward Norton's sulking Hulk/Bruce Banner is hiding out this time around in a Brazilian slum, drudging away at a bottling plant and getting slapped around by some sort of anger management tropical guru. In his feverish race for the cure to his multiple persona disorder, Banner dabbles in a bit of flower power as he distills a serum from a blossom that turns out to be a dud.

But with the US military still on his heels in their manic bid to exploit his bad luck to create an invincible super-soldier, as he flees around the globe, Banner heads back to the campus lab where his troubles began, and to meet up with his strictly platonic abandoned honey, Dr. Betty Ross (Liv Tyler). Though not before stopping off for a one-size-fits all wardrobe addition in a Chiapas outdoor mall, to suit up for anticipated Hulk weight fluctuations.

In the meantime, Betty's baddie dad, General Thunderbolt Ross (William Hurt), plots to unleash nearly the entire arsenal of US weaponry against The Hulk/Banner whenever he senses him in the vicinity, while also warding off his infuriated offspring. Then there's the matter of devious military man Blonsky (Tim Roth), who gets jealous and is bent on sampling some of that super-steroid elixir too.

On a side note, this is the second movie in a row where Roth gets bummed out on a quest for chronological rejuvenation, following his reverse biological adventures in Francis Ford Coppola's Youth Without Youth, and he fares no better here. Morphing into the hideous Abomination, the overly ambitious Blonsky faces off against The Hulk in a Harlem showdown, tearing up the hood in a masterfully choreographed awesome showdown.

Heavy on the muscle mass and light on the drama, this Hulk version directed by Louis Leterrier (The Transporter) is not exactly new and improved, but works its own brand of differently conceived mega-action magic. In summation, the green guy rules again.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Rated PG-13
3 stars

DVD Features:

Single-Disc Edition; Deleted Scenes.

Special Edition DVD And BLU-RAYTM HI-DEF Features: Alternate Opening: Deleted Scenes; The Making of The Incredible Hulk, With Interviews; Featurettes: Becoming The Hulk; Becoming The Abomination; Anatomy of a Hulk Out; Behind-The-Scenes: Hulking Out in the Bottling Plant; Hulking Out on Campus; Hulking Out in Harlem; From Comic Book to Screen; Feature Commentary With Director Louis Leterrier And Cast; Digital Copy of The Incredible Hulk Compatible with PC, Mac or iPod.

Bonus Features Exclusive To BLU-RAYTM HI-DEF:

1. U Control: Universal's exclusive signature feature, U Control puts viewers one click away from going deeper into the making of the film without ever interrupting the movie, through animated comic book panels, storyboards, early renderings of the visual effects, interactive cast and crew interviews and exclusive information about the characters, back story, and THE INCREDIBLE HULK physics.

2. Thunderbolt Files - Explore the top-secret files of the forces hunting The Hulk with this interactive feature that takes you deeper into the movie - without ever leaving the film.

3. Scene Explorer - Discover the secrets behind the special effects! Explore all the individual layers that go into an effects-intensive scene with this unique Blu-ray feature.

4. Comic Book Gallery - Hi-Def experience of the classic comic book images that inspired key shots in the movie.

BD-Live Features: Blu-ray and Playstation3 players with an Internet connection can access exclusive interactive applications that allow viewers to communicate with friends and family while watching the film:

1. My Chat - Just plug your player into your Internet connection and connect to BD-Live to chat with friends while watching the movie and conduct your very own private screening discussions.

2. My Scenes Sharing - Share your favorite clips with your buddies through the BD Live Internet connection.
Prairie Miller is a multimedia journalist online, in print and on radio. Contact her through NewsBlaze.

Prairie Miller is a multimedia journalist online, in print and on radio. Contact her through NewsBlaze.