The Incredible Hulk

The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Rotten Tomatoes: 67%
Director: Louis Leterrier
Screenwriter: Zak Penn

The Incredible Hulk is the second film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and I am probably alone in enjoying it much more than the first, Iron Man, mainly because the story was more natural and contained, and Edward's Norton's Hulk is a far more compelling and intriguing character than Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man. While in this film, we've also got a proper villain portrayed fantastically by Tim Roth, as a soldier who slowly loses his mind and control of his body after being injected with the Hulk's blood. Another origin story, this feels fresher and has a much more interesting character at its core, despite many similar problems to Iron Man. 

This film also makes itself pretty unique by starting in what is essentially the middle of the story, showing Bruce Banner's transformation into the Hulk and subsequent refuge from the U.S. military in one short credit sequence and then jumping straight into the meat of things. We follow Edward Norton as he seeks to find a cure for his affliction while being hunted by the military, as he also attempts to control his ability to transform. Enter "Mr. Blue", a mysterious scientist who tries to help him, but who as we find out has got slightly insane with the advancement of science that Hulk could give him. Kudos must also go to to the Marvel team for not making the incredibly obvious and predictable choice of choosing "Mr. Blue" as the main villain.

The film is also beautifully shot, especially during the opening scenes in Brazilian favelas. Battles do occupy too much of the film's running time, but are all enjoyable enough, while the final climax is silly but did get a laugh from me. The main problem I had with this film was its failure to delve into the paradox between Banner and his alter ego the Hulk, and it felt in places like it deliberately shied away from a "Jekyll and Hyde" relationship between the two, which is a shame.

All in all though, Hulk is an enjoyable film and it is a shame that Edward Norton didn't reprise his role for The Avengers.

3 ½/5 Stars

Ted

Ted (2012)
Rotten Tomatoes: 68%

Director: Seth MacFarlane

Screenwriters: Seth MacFarlane & Alec Sulkin & Wellesley Wild

Like Family Guy, also created by Seth MacFarlane, Ted is very funny in places. However, it's one and only mission, for which it pulls out all stops and sacrifices everything to achieve is to make you laugh. Oddly enough considering the type of film it is and it's creators, it feels very earnest in this mission, and it bombards you with all types and forms of humour. Subtlety is definitely not the strong point of this film. You will find some of these jokes funny, but unless you are the most ardent fan of Family Guy, some jokes will definitely miss the mark. For me, there were several mildly offensive racial slurs that crossed the line just a bit too much, while there was an extended fight scene that just made me wince a lot.

But that sounds a bit too harsh. Ted is still a film with a huge, joking sense of fun and its appeal is obvious. Headed by Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis who manage to steer on the right side of annoying. The concept is simple yet brilliant: a man's childhood teddy bear has grown up with him. This film covers the themes of maturity and growing up, all the while being startlingly immature. Watchers of Family Guy will also recognize MacFarlane's familiar brand of humour, and the film is full to the brim with pop culture references, and sheer randomness in places. Joel McHale is one of the standout performances as Kunis' boss and it is unfortunate that he is given so little screen time as he is all but left out in the second half. The film also feels self aware and self-deprecating, with especially enjoyable references of Ted sounding like members of Family Guy. Seth MacFarlane is also excellent as the voice of Ted. And the film manages to mix the blend of drama and comedy almost perfectly, despite an emotional conclusion that was perhaps a bit too overwrought with emotion.

Ted feels like a breath of fresh air, and superior to most recent stale comedies. 

3½/5