Other Review of the Week

Monosyllabic review of The Hulk in Friday's Guardian.

"Hulk. Smash!" Yes. Hulk. Smash. Yes. Smash. Big Hulk smash. Smash cars.
Buildings. Army tanks. Hulk not just smash. Hulk also go rarrr! Then smash
again. Smash important, obviously. Smash Hulk's USP. What Hulk smash most? Hulk
smash all hope of interesting time in cinema. Hulk take all effort of cinema,
effort getting babysitter, effort finding parking, and Hulk put great green fist
right through it. Hulk crush all hopes of entertainment. Hulk in boring film.
Film co-written by star. Edward Norton. Norton in it. Norton write it. Norton
not need gamma-radiation poisoning to get big head. Thing is: Hulk head weirdly
small. Compared with rest of big green body.

Hulk not scary. Hulk look like Shrek. Wait. Critic have ... second thought.
Hulk look like Shrek when Shrek turn handsome, in Shrek 2. Like Gordon Brown.
Hulk rubbish. Hulk not look powerful. Especially when Hulk do jumpy bouncy
floaty thing. Over New York buildings. Then Hulk look wussy. Big. Yet wussy. Not
good combination.

Stan Lee have big cameo. Stan Lee keen on self. Previously Stan Lee just
glimpsed. Now Stan in it for 30 seconds. Or more. Stan clearly on roll. Stan
even give Robert Downey Jr cameo. As Iron Man. This very irritating. Audience
supposed to be excited. Audience nod off. Long ago.

Idea is. Dr Bruce Banner - on run. Keep anger under control. Banner hope
not turn into Hulk. Banner live .... in Brazilian slum. Work in factory. Total
babe there fancy Banner. Banner quite fancy babe. But Banner not make move. Babe
in film to keep guys interested. Until Banner's girlfriend Liv Tyler come into
action later. Tyler not mind Hulk thing. Hulk remind her of dad. Steven Tyler.
Possibly. Much location work. Overhead shots. Of slums. City of God vibe
intended. But this rubbish. Like everything else.

Tim Roth come on. As evil soldier. Fighting Hulk personal for him. Roth
typical evil Brit. Roth supposedly working for US army. Yet Roth Brit. Critic
annoyed by stereotyping. Roth get injected with serum. Become Hulky
supervillain. Smash cars. Tanks. Only with no trousers. Roth groin area
ambiguous. Groin area look lumpy. Bumpy. Perhaps odd penis. Perhaps odd
trousers. Critic ... not sure.

Same old story. Superhero movie give superhero mirror-image antagonist.
Like in Spider-Man 3. Idea rubbish in Spider-Man 3. Idea rubbish here. Hulk
versus humanity important thing. Cancelled out here. Basic problem ... critic
not believe Hulk angry. Hulk just roar. It not look convincing. Not truly seem
angry. Critic think about this. Critic decide why. It because Hulk not swear.
Hulk just say: "Hulk. Smash" etc. If Hulk shout C-word ... different matter.
Then Hulk look angry. Sound angry. Not here. Hulk genteel.

Critic remember Ang Lee version. Ang Lee version slagged off. Yet rubbish
new Hulk film make that look like Citizen Kane. Critic exit cinema miffed. Film
take away two hours of critic's life. Critic not get time back. Ever.
Rarrrrr.

Very clever, Brits. Evil, evil, Brits