A couple of positive reader reviews have come out after some early screenings. There are apparently several nods to the classic 80s TV show, as well as some other Marvel franchises. Having taken over the chore of making its own movies, Marvel is going to present the first shared comic universe ever on screen. Robert Downey Jr. reportedly has a cameo in Hulk, and of course Samuel L. Jackson’s turn as Nick Fury was one of the best after-credit treats ever.

This is all leading up to the Avengers film slated for 2010. Hulk was a founding member of the team in the comic books, so it will be interesting to see if Marvel goes there in the movie.

I’m also curious whether they’ll use strictly people that have had their own movie or round out the roster with other characters. The X-Men flicks did pretty well introducing a lot of characters, even if they only fleshed out a few. Go ahead, those of you that aren’t big comic fans but saw X-Men 3 and tell me something about Pete other than “he turns to metal.”

Image courtesy of Newscom.

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Marvel’s hope is that fans who didn’t see the first film will get all the backstory they need and be ready to rock with the new movie. I worry if Marvel’s going too far in its retreat from Hulk. I mean good grief, they’re treating this movie like it was Elektra or something. I really thought the only one that needed to be replaced was the director.

With a Hulk that grew in size proportionate to his anger and was also ridiculously fast, Lee had created a being that didn’t have any visible weakness. That is of course, unless some other character in the mythos undergoes a power upgrade that happens at deus ex machina speed. It could be argued that the comic book’s writers did the same thing last summer but that’s another column.

Sentry, meet Nick Nolte. Nick Nolte, meet Sentry. Have some coffee, talk amongst yourselves about the ridiculously contrived ways in which you almost beat the Hulk. O.K, I swear we’re moving on. Marvel knocked it out of the park with Iron Man.  Here’s hoping they keep the momentum going.

Photo: Edward Norton, The Incredible Hulk, Marvel Studios, 2008

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The game based on the upcoming Incredible Hulk film just took a major step toward not being the complete and total waste of a jewel case most movie games are.

Marvel and Sega have announced that the game based on the June movie will feature all the key members of the cast including Edward Norton as Bruce Banner/The Hulk, Liv Tyler as Betty Ross and Tim Roth as Emil Blonsky/The Abomination.

Sega said the game, being developed by Edge of Reality, will draw from the movie’s events but feature some divergent plotlines too. Now we just have to hope the gameplay’s up to par.

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So the Incredible Hulk franchise reboot isn’t in trouble yet. As a matter of fact the trailer for this revamp doesn’t look half bad. Edward Norton is always good so I don’t have any qualms about him playing the Hulk.  Liv Tyler replacing Jennifer Connelly is a bit of acting downgrade, though. The trailer confirms the appearance of Abomination in this one. If Hulk and the chick-flickish Superman Returns have shown us anything, it’s that comic moviegoers expect the hero to fight an actual villain of some sort in films. We’re old-fashioned that way.

But don’t take my word for the smashy goodness, check out the new Hulk teaser trailer here. The trailer also appears in the previews before Doomsday which starts its run at cineplexes tomorrow. Check that out quickly if you want to see it, because that run may end Saturday.

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Now the House of Ideas has announced that the first Hulk teaser trailer will begin airing March 12 on seven networks. After its initial airing, the trailer will go live on MTV.com. (You still probably won’t be able to find any music on there, though.)

The first Hulk film was something of a disappointment, as evidenced by the fact they replaced everybody involved with it down to the key grips. Edward Norton will now play Bruce Banner instead of Eric Bana, Liv Tyler will replace Jennifer Connelly as Betty Ross, and William Hurt will be Gen. Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross. Sam Elliott played Hulk’s eternal nemesis in the 2003 film. And for good measure, Louis Leterrier has the director’s chores instead of Ang Lee.

Really, the only person that probably needed to go was Lee. His “Crouching Drama, Hidden Action Sequences” take on the character didn’t resonate with most fans. Tim Roth plays Emil Blonsky, the man who becomes Abomination, so hopefully initial reports that there is a lot more “Hulk Smash!” in this one are correct.

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