Hulk Smash! and Fans Like!

I really dug Iron Man. No secrets there. I've put it in my Top Five Superhero Movies (of the Modern Superhero Movie Era, which began in 1998 with Blade). For those interested in how I rank them, my list is:

1. Batman Begins
2. X2: X-Men United
3. Spider-Man 2
4. Hellboy
5. Iron Man
6. Spider-Man
7. Blade II
8. X-Men
9. Blade
10. X-Men: The Last Stand
11. Superman Returns
12. Spider-Man 3
13. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
14. Fantastic Four
15. Blade: Trinity
16. Ghost Rider
17. The Punisher
18. Daredevil
19. Elektra
20. Hulk
21. Catwoman

Iron Man being as good as it was kind of surprised me. Spidey and the X-Men have always been Marvel's main guns and for all intents and purposes, Iron Man is almost on the "B" tier. So, the fact that Marvel (which now controls many of its characters on film - including Captain America, Thor, Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk -via their new studio) was able to take a "second stringer" and give it a good directer, a great cast, and a decent script and turn it into a summer blockbuster, was a surprise.

And I think there may be another surprise on the horizon.

The Incredible Hulk opens on June 13. I know a lot of people hated the first movie, Ang Lee's Hulk. This might keep them from seeing the new flick. I'm not much of a fan either - I don't hate the movie on a Batman and Robin level but it leaves a lot to be desired. The bad taste it left in my mouth had made me hesitant about a new Hulk movie. The first trailer looked interesting, but didn't really move me. The second trailer looked better but I still wasn't sold. Then the internet buzz kicked in...

Up until a few weeks ago, I think the right word for the web buzz on this movie would be "non-existent." No one was talking trash about it, but no one was hyping it either. Then word began coming out about the online press being taken to the editing suite and shown bits of the movie. The web reporters generally liked what they saw and so a lot of people's curiosity was piqued (my own included).

Now word is coming out of early screenings. The verdict: it's good. Damn good. That's what I'm taking away from the first four reviews I've read from Ain't It Cool. In fact, the reviews are freakishly reminiscent of the early Iron Man reviews. In fact, the reviews for The Incredible Hulk bring that movie up quite a bit. No one's said it's as good as Iron Man, but they all agree it's worth seeing and that it's playing in the same league. Also, Robert Downey Jr. makes a guest appearance in the film playing Iron Man's alter-ego, Tony Stark. That right there should make The Incredible Hulk worth seeing. Plus, I've read that there are many other Marvel Universe references and that they are finally beginning to create one Marvel Cinematic Universe, linking all of these movies together to tell a much bigger story.

Anway, I'm fairly excited for it and intend to see a midnight screening of it, should they have one. Otherwise, I'll catch it at noon on opening day since I don't have to work until 4:00 that afternoon. Hopefully, it'll live up to the new found hype it's garnering.

I like superhero movies, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.