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Handicapping Hulk, Hellboy
by Richard Horgan |
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2/1/2008 at 1:07:53 PM |
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There are many reasons why I think Guillermo del Toro’s Hellboy II: The Golden Army (Universal, July 11th) is going to be a better comic book movie than Louis Leterrier’s The Incredible Hulk (Universal, June 13th). I know it’s early days, but I couldn’t help myself.
The Monsteur Theory: Although Leterrier, by virtue of his work on the Transporter series, knows how to keep a film moving, only del Toro was on Entertainment Weekly’s December 2007 list of the 50 Smartest People in Hollywood (he came in at #37). At this stage of the sci-fi fantasy horror blockbuster game, it’s all about imagination, not execution. And there’s no doubt the Mexican will bring a lot more to the table in that regard than the Frenchman.
Following the Trailer Trail: A trailer for Hellboy II is already out (it’s fantastic), while Marvel Comics fans on Internet bulletin boards are bemoaning the lack of even a poster peak at this stage for the revamped Hulk. The latter could mean a lot of things, including the fact that Marvel, having reclaimed control of the franchise, is being extremely meticulous in deciding what - and what not - to show advance glimpses of. But it may also point to the fact that while del Toro is on schedule and in command, Hulk makers are in a post-production hard scrabble.
Pan’s Labyrinth, Part II: There’s no mistaking the fantastical signature of del Toro’s 2006 masterpiece, which he made after 2004’s Hellboy, in the trailer for Hellboy II. In the clip introduced by del Toro himself, it looks like he has gone to Luis Bunuel town again, as only he can.
The Danny Elfman Factor: I could be wrong, but at this stage I don’t believe the soundtrack composer for the new Hulk has been announced. There’s certainly no listing on the film’s IMDB page, yet. But in del Toro’s corner lie the inestimable talents of Elfman, the first time the pair has worked together. Next to Tim Burton, it’s hard to think of a filmmaker better suited to being scored by Elfman than del Toro.
Budapest vs. Belleville: While Hulk was shot largely on location in Ontario, Canada, Del Toro took his crew to Hungary, with a side trip to the UK. Although Leterrier is estimated to have had close to $50 million more to spend on his movie than del Toro did ($125 million vs. $75 million), it’s not just about the CGI. The old world qualities of Budapest are perfectly matched to the Hellboy subject matter, likely inspiring the cast and crew moreso than delivering more than just a few non-indoor studio sequence shots.
The Abomination vs. Prince Nua: I’m not sure how Marvel is going to put across Hulk’s DNA archenemy on film, but based on the evidence of how del Toro used only a human in Pan’s Labyrinth to create one of the most crazily scary bad guys of contemporary cinema (Sergi López as the fascist Captain Vidal), he should be able to do the same trick here with British pop singer Luke Goss. Not to mention the fact that only del Toro’s evil protagonist is supported by a veritable coterie of golden sidekicks.
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