Tuesday, May 20, 2008

The Hulk's CGI Finally Gets Upgraded!

Bruce Banner

The revamped version of The Incredible Hulk hits theaters in exactly four more weeks, however almost everyone seems much more curious than excited for it. We all know that the production ran into quite a few issues, primarily a "feud" between Edward Norton and Marvel (read more on that here), as well as last minute marketing snags. Now I've heard that the press junket has been cut down to nearly nothing because the film won't be done by the originally scheduled date. On that note, I ran across a new TV spot today and noticed some freshly upgraded CGI. Not that this wasn't expected, but there are some enormous differences between now and two months ago. Care to take a look?

This is really much more of a fun thing to point out than it is a problem. I'm not that worried about the film, I just think they need to take their time to finish it properly. Obviously they pushed out the very first teaser trailer in mid-March with half-finished visual effects because audiences and fans were getting restless. In the two examples below, you can clearly see the differences in the CGI. Considering I'm a very optimistic guy, I'm looking at this situation as if the glass were half full - which just means that the effects are going to look much better completed than we've seen so far.

The Incredible Hulk CGI Comparisons:

Hulk CGI Comparison

The first image (on the top) is a screen capture from the very first teaser trailer released on March 12th. This exact image was also released individually as a promo photo. The second image (on the bottom) is a screen capture from the latest TV spot released today, which can be viewed in its entirely further below. Notice that Hulk's hair is a lot more detailed and he has pieces of ripped clothing left on (which can be clearly scene when you watch the new TV spot).

Check out the brand new TV spot below (courtesy of IGN) that features just a few scenes of extra footage. Even at this moment, with multiple trailers and TV spots, I still don't know what to expect. I guess I'm just imagining that the movie will feature fighting or action in some fashion almost the entire time. That could be cool, but it could also be an exhausting mess that feels more like The Transporter with a big green guy instead of Jason Statham. Anyway, I'm still going to go in with my fingers crossed, hoping for the best. Maybe we will find the golden ticket inside of this one?

Watch the new TV spot for The Incredible Hulk:

Knowing that the CGI is improving as they put the finishing touches on, I've got to say I'm looking forward to this much more than I am worrying about it. My confidence lies solely in Edward Norton and him alone. William Hurt looks terrible and Louis Leterrier hasn't convinced me that he was really the perfect guy for this. But only time will tell! We'll be anxiously awaiting our first opportunity to check this out in June. Will these CGI differences make an impact on your opinion of The Incredible Hulk?

The Incredible Hulk is directed by French filmmaker Louis Leterrier of The Transporter, Unleashed, and The Transporter 2. The script for the film was originally written by Zak Penn (Behind Enemy Lines, X-Men 2, X-Men 3), but after joining the film as the lead character Bruce Banner, Edward Norton himself took over the reigns and re-wrote the screenplay. The Incredible Hulk arrives in theaters on June 13th.

Original here

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