The Incredible Hulk Blu-ray Disc Review

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Title: The Incredible Hulk

Media: Blu-ray Disc

Region: A

Genre: Superhero Sci-Fi Action

Stars: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt, Tim Blake Nelson, Ty Burrell, and Lou Ferrigno as the voice of The Incredible Hulk

Writer: Zak Penn

Director: Louis Leterrier

Feature length: 1 hour and 53 minutes

Extras: Animated Comic, Picture In Picture, Alternate Opening, The Making Of Incredible, Becoming The Hulk, Becoming The Abomination, Anatomy Of A Hulk Out, Scene Explorer, Deleted Scenes, Feature Commentary With Director Louis Leterrier and Actor Tim Roth, Bonus Digital Copy Disc For iPod, Mac or PC, BD Live Chat, U-Control Comic Book Gallery, and Thunderbolt Files

Languages: English DTS Digital 5.1 High Definition Master Audio Theatrical Surround Sound, Spanish and French Language DTS Digital 5.1 Theatrical Surround Sound, English Dolby Surround Sound 2.0

Subtitles: English Subtitles For The Deaf and Hard Of Hearing and Spanish and French Language Subtitles

Packaging: Hulk Green Elite BD Case With Limited Edition 3D Packaging Slip

Chapter Stops: 26

Sound: DTS Digital 5.1 High Definition Master Audio Theatrical Surround Sound, DTS Digital 5.1 Theatrical Surround Sound and Dolby Surround Sound 2.0

Year of Theatrical Release: 2008/Blu-ray Disc Release: 2008

Theatrical Distributor: Universal Pictures

Home Video Distributor: Universal Studios Home Entertainment

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Reviewer: Mark A. Rivera

The Incredible Hulk is both a reboot and I guess if you want to look at it from a certain point of view, a quasi sequel to the 2003 Ang Lee motion picture, Hulk. There are enough little tidbits that could let one think it is a sequel. At one point William Hurt’s character remarks that it had been five years since he personally encountered the phenomena, which is about the same time between the two feature films. Bruce Banner is still in South America, desperately searching for a cure to his affliction while trying to lay low. He has been having some communication with someone online that can help him find a way to better control the rage that drives the beast within him if not find a way to reverse the effect all together. Unfortunately in order to take the research to the next level, Bruce has to come back to the States to get the data where the experiment first took place.

In a read what you will into it sort of metaphor, Bruce’s blood is toxic. It can have an effect on a person and change them depending upon the random nature of the exposure. After an accidental cut and subsequent drop of Bruce’s blood falling into a soft drink bottle that was then sealed and shipped to the States and ingested by an elderly consumer (Stan Lee in a cameo appearance), the General (William Hurt) and a special forces team trace Banner’s whereabouts to Brazil and the chase is once again afoot. Eventually Bruce makes it to the University where the experiment first happened and catches up to his old flame (Liv Tyler), who helps him evade capture long enough to get to New York where Bruce hopes he will find salvation. Hoping to thwart any possible escape, the General has one of his elite team members on loan from the UK (Tim Roth) exposed to a serum devised from the secret super soldier project. While it gives Roth’s character enhanced strength and resolve, it also makes him mentally unstable and hungry for more power enough to sacrifice his own humanity to become The Abomination, a creature only The Incredible Hulk can defeat.

There are lots of nods to possibilities regarding what might come next in the feature film franchise not just in the Hulk series, but in the whole direction Marvel Entertainment, which produced this film as well as Iron Man, is taking their larger pantheon of heroes and possible villains. There is a scene that hints to the next Hulk villain being The Leader. There is mention of Shield as well as secret documentation shown during the film’s opening sequence with the name Nick Fury on it. Robert Downey, Jr. has a cameo as Tony Stark in a scene that mimics one from Iron Man and further sets up the upcoming Avengers feature film and the super soldier serum Tim Roth’s character is exposed to probably derived from the same serum that help to create Captain America, who is also due to make his big screen debut in the coming years. Besides providing the voice for The Incredible Hulk, Lou Ferrigno once again appears as a campus security guard in a Hulk feature film and this time he gets a bit of dialogue too.

Personally, I liked and still like Ang Lee’s Hulk and in certain areas, this new movie lacks certain Hulk qualities that the first film had, such as when the Hulk gets ever more enraged, he not only grows in strength, he also grows in stature. In this movie, the Hulk only grows so big and then he just remains in one size. While I don’t want to see The Hulk grow to Godzilla size, I do miss that aspect of The Hulk that appeared in the Ang Lee film. The Incredible Hulk is a much more tightly paced film and the special effects are state of the art. The film is meant to stand on it’s own and as I noted above, could be seen as a quasi sequel to Hulk, but one absolutely does not have to have seen the 2003 film to get into this one and further more, the film pays homage to the classic TV series in more ways than one that fans of the TV show should appreciate.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment’s Blu-ray Disc edition of The Incredible Hulk comes packaged in a Hulk green Elite BD case with a limited edition 3D cover slip and it also includes a bonus disc containing a digital copy of the film that can be transferred to one’s PC, Macintosh or iPod. The film on Blu-ray Disc is presented in an AVC encoded widescreen high definition (2.35:1) aspect ratio with a resolution up to 1080p available depending upon the viewing capabilities of one’s TV or monitor. An aggressive English DTS Digital 5.1 High Definition Master Audio Theatrical Surround Soundtrack is provided and is strong enough to create a feeling of wind literally being blown up toward your feet depending upon the power of your subwoofer. Be mindful though if you have a small pet. My dachshund climbed up to my shoulder and stayed huddled there behind my neck during much of the film because the soundtrack was very lifelike. French and Spanish Language DTS Digital 5.1 Theatrical Surround Soundtracks as well as an English Dolby Surround Soundtrack are encoded onto the Blu-ray Disc as options along with English Subtitles for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired and French and Spanish Language Subtitles.

Extra value features on this Blu-ray Disc include an introspective feature length audio commentary with Director Louis Leterrier and Actor Tim Roth that touches upon some of the rumors regarding scenes deleted for the theatrical release and a discussion of the effects as well as the film’s conception is presented too. Supporting the audio commentary are high definition features that include a promotional making of The Incredible Hulk (28:00), concept design shorts for the creation of this film’s big screen version of both The Hulk (8:00) and The Abomination (8:00) as well as three dissections of effects sequences for when The Hulk goes on a rampage in the film (10:00). Standard definition deleted scenes including a somber alternate opening (45:00) is also included along with a CGI to comic comparison (6:00).

Exclusive to the Blu-ray Disc edition are U-Control picture-in-picture extra value features that cover expanded comic book sequences; graphics and text related to General Ross’ “Thunderbolt” files including character backgrounds and so forth. Storyboard-to-screen comparisons, production footage, and text notes are also available to the viewer on demand. In addition the Blu-ray Disc features BD Live real time online chatting and scene sharing for those with a profile 2.0 compliant Blu-ray Disc players and a broadband Internet connection.

Overall, this is a solid Blu-ray Disc release and an entertaining film that is part of a larger and ever-growing tapestry too. The Incredible Hulk is available on Blu-ray Disc now at retailers on and offline courtesy of Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

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