prologue

The mythology they invented is condensed to an opening credit sequence, where Banner is bombarded by “gamma rays” in an experiment that turns him into a green-skinned monster.”

The great thing about the start of this movie is before the opening credits are finished, we see the entire origin of the Hulk in flashback form. We see Banner get exposed to Gamma Radiation, goes nuts, almost kills General Ross and his daughter/love interest for Bruce, Betty Ross, and then disappears... for 5 years! That’s a long time for hide and seek. Perfect way to tell the origins without re-treading already been done material.”

From the beginning it’s clear that Leterrier’s movie is a very different beast. After the title sequence establishes a new and more compact origin story, we’re thrown straight into the favelas of Brazil as Bruce Banner attempts to deal with his little green problem while staying out of the reach of the U.S army.”

Leterrier…does something vaguely extraordinary and retells all of Lee’s original story over the €opening credits, so we have Norton as Banner hiding in Brazil, trying to find the cure to his big green Hyde-side, with his long suffering love Betty Ross still a teacher in the U.S., but no longer talking to her father General Thunderbold Ross, who wants Banner so he can turn him into a weapon for the army. ”

Leterrier whisks much of the Hulk’s back story out of the way during the opening credits, an economical way of setting up the story for the uninitiated without slowing things down too much for those who already know what they’ve signed on for.”

It was definitely better than the 2003 movie. It took about oh, 40 seconds of opening credits to be better than that film. And mind you, I didn’t even hate that movie.”

They actually did something very wise during the opening: Instead of taking up a significant portion of the film re-creating Bruce Banner’s origin as the Hulk, it was done via a series of quick scenes during the opening credits. As soon as the credits are done, we’re plunged right into Banner’s present-day life on the run.”

Ingeniously, they gave us the origin story in stills while the credits rolled and started right in with Bruce Banner hiding out in Rio de Janeiro.”

Excellent opening credits bring those in who have zero knowledge of the green guy.”

In Leterrier’s “Hulk,” Bruce Banner’s back story is dispensed with over the opening credits. We see scientist Banner undergoing an experiment that goes awry. We see carnage. We see Banner... and 20 minutes into the movie, we see the mean, green monster in all his raging glory.”

Cleverly mixed within the fast-paced opening sequence are references to a few other Marvel heroes. “Kyle and myself are super Marvel geeks,” admits Leterrier. “There are lots of little things like the Nick Fury memo, the known accomplices...””

The opening credit sequence brings you up to speed with a quick rundown of what’s gone before, who the characters are and what dynamics are in play. We then get right to the action and the current status quo of one Bruce Banner; on the run, in hiding, and trying to find a cure.”

The film’s opening credit sequence revisits The Hulk’s origin story mirroring the starting point established in the show. Bruce falls victim to a gamma experiment gone wrong, an attempt to tap into man’s adrenaline induced super-strength.”

There’s plenty big about it, and not just the Green Giant himself … it compresses the previous film’s plot into a bite-size credit sequence in its big green fist.”

I was extremely pleased with the opening segment. As Marvel movies are fond of doing, the origin of the Hulk is played out as the opening credits roll. This isn’t exactly the comic book origin; it actually reminds me a lot of the Hulk origin from the 1970s TV show! In fact, the set and props looked like they came right out of the late Bill Bixby’s show.”

The first clip was the main title sequence, a montage with backstory for the movie that sets up the origin, with homages to the TV series (the chair for Bruce Banner, played by Edward Norton) and point-of-view shots of the transformed Banner wreaking havoc on a lab, Betty Ross (Liv Tyler) and Gen. “Thunderbolt” Ross (William Hurt), ending with his banishment and exile.”

The film begins with a credit sequence that economically shows how Bruce Banner became the Hulk and brings us up to speed in regards to his current situation... The credit sequence goes on to show that Bruce is now on the run, and through the clever use of newspaper headlines, how “Green Sasquatch” sightings are being reported all over the globe.”

Well, the film wastes no time in getting into the thick of the action – an opening montage over the credits politely sidesteps any events from Lee’s Hulk, and a teasing POV shot clues the audience into Dr Banner’s fate, before an establishing shot where we find Bruce Banner hiding out in the favelas of Brazil.”

The film flies through the back-story in its opening credits. Fleeting, chaotic images of scientist Bruce Banner (Norton) undergoing experimental gamma-ray treatment reveal a fiasco. ”

The opening credits fill in a bit of back story...several rapid sequences in these opening flashbacks reference the opening credits of the old '70s Bill Bixby/Lou Ferrigno TV Hulk series, which, however cheesy it might be now, a lot of us have fond memories of...Little details like that may skip by the casual cinema goer, but to the comics geek they show that the film-makers are determined to stay respectful to the source and history of the character, at least as much as they can in a different medium.”

It’s hugely refreshing when, instead of rehashing the same old tired origin story all over again, "The Incredible Hulk" dispenses with the pleasantries and gets all that gamma ray stuff out of the way during the credits sequence.”

I love how they did the story. They did not spend hardly any time with how Bruce becomes the Hulk except through flashbacks. They used the beginning credits to do a montage of what happened during the incident. It was brutal and got the job done. I think that that was a great way to start the film because now people are informed and it took a matter of minutes.”

Just a few seconds into the opening sequence had me smiling from ear to ear.”

The mythology they invented is condensed to an opening credit sequence, where Banner is bombarded by “gamma rays” in an experiment that turns him into a green-skinned monster.”

I’ll start off by saying what they did with the opening, i.e. the opening credits, was brilliant.”

The movie wastes no time explaining Hulk’s origin, compressing 1977’s two-hour “Hulk” TV pilot (starring the late Bill Bixby) into a two-minute title sequence.”

It’s a fresh start in the 2008 release, and this version tells the story of Bruce Banner’s accident and escape from society within the confines of the opening credits, which puts you into the action right from the get go.”

Straight-forward where the first movie was convoluted, action-packed where Hulk dithered, "The Incredible Hulk" dispenses with whatever back-story and exposition there is over the film’s opening credit sequence. No tortured unresolved oedipal conflicts here!”

The film flies through the back-story in its opening credits. Fleeting, chaotic images of scientist €Bruce Banner (Norton) undergoing experimental gamma-ray treatment reveal a fiasco. Banner believes the treatments will be for the Greater Good, but they’re being conducted on behalf of Evil, in the form of a secret U.S. military weapons project. Having tasted blood and big-boy tantrums as the Hulk, Banner goes undercover, a fugitive from justice. ”

A TV-style opening-credits sequence serves up the bare-bones origin story: Milquetoast scientist Bruce Banner experiments with gamma radiation, which turns him into a raging jade-skinned behemoth who destroys the lab and injures Betty Ross, Banner’s girlfriend and colleague, before escaping; Betty’s father and Banner’s boss, Gen. “Thunderbolt” Ross, becomes fixated on capturing Banner. And that’s about all you need to know.”

Leterrier... does something vaguely extraordinary and retells all of Lee’s original story over the opening credits, so we have Norton as Banner hiding in Brazil, trying to find the cure to his big green Hyde-side, with his long suffering love Betty Ross still a teacher in the U.S., but no longer talking to her father General Thunderbold Ross, who wants Banner so he can turn him into a weapon for the army.”

The film opens with booming confidence, re-introducing the audience to the Hulk’s world through an electrifying opening credits sequence. On top of being a top-notch primer, it is also really effective visual storytelling. We are shown brief flashbacks of events that we’ve never actually seen, as this film has no connection to the previous film, yet which catches us immediately up to speed. ”

"The Incredible Hulk" gets right to the point at the start of the opening credits. We right away get a run through of Bruce Banner’s accident that first turned him into the Hulk and how that led to him being chased by General Ross and the military. A lot of Easter eggs can already be found here that will be recognized by Marvel fans. This holds true for the rest of the movie.”

The straightforward plot eschews a lengthy origin story in favor of an opening credits montage, with the action picking up in Brazil where Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) lives in a self-imposed exile, learning to control the anger that turns him into the Hulk.”

The real “meat” of this sequence, however, comes in the form of an origin story. In one of several fanboy “tip of the hat” moments, Bruce Banner is seen sitting in a hi-tech lab chair conducting a strength enhancing experiment. The close-up on his face as the gamma emitter’s targeting system lines its cross hairs across his forehead screams TV era Bill Bixby!”

The opening few minutes was essentially a series of mini-scenes depicting Bruce Banner and Elizabeth Ross and the General, and the origin of the Hulk, a kinda compressed intro sans dialogue, while the opening credits spooled over the top of it. Nice.”

From the opening credit sequence, which brings the uninitiated up to speed with Banner’s gamma-experiment gone wrong and his ensuing exile, Leterrier serves up a high-octane thrill ride that doesn’t let up.”

"The Incredible Hulk" reinvents the Hulk myth in a whirlwind credit sequence that plays like an amped-up version of the intro for the original 1978 television series.”

By the time the opening credits sequence ends, Dr Bruce Banner has already undergone the scientific experiment that blasted his DNA into orbit, has turned into his new alter-ego, wreaked general havoc and fallen afoul of the US military.”

All the origin stuff is taken care of during a slick-looking credit sequence.”

Let’s just start with the fact that this movie uses a credit sequence that is at least 60% homage of the original television series’ credits and it also gives a succinct origin for the Hulk that has nothing to do with the original film. This is a great way to separate this film from the original and to also establish everything you need to know about the story before it actually begins.”

"In The Incredible Hulk," the story of how Banner became the Hulk and then the events that immediately followed were shown in a matter of 5 minutes during the opening credits. Something that the Ang Lee’s Hulk took about a half hour to do.”

Like "Iron Man," this movie wastes no time. The opening credit sequence shows that Bruce Banner was a scientist exposing himself to gamma radiation, being watched over by assistant Elizabeth Ross. Something goes wrong and Banner becomes... something else. The lab is destroyed and “Betsy” winds up in the hospital. Her dad, General Ross, bans Banner and he leaves. From that point Banner is on the run (watch for S.H.E.I.L.D. references as well as the names Tony Stark and Nick Fury). And that’s just the opening.”

He deals neatly with the familiar story of how the nuclear physicist Dr Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) became the Hulk in the opening credits.”

Louis Leterrier... disposes of the backstory under the opening credits and wraps up the whole thing in 24 minutes less than Lee took.”

The opening credits sequence of the film sinks the reboot in with the right clarity, but not so much as to rob you of later revelations.”

Director Louis Leterrier takes the Hulk’s origin story-line that made up the bulk of the 2003 film and crams it into a five minute montage that plays behind the opening credits. This is a genius move that frees the film from the confines of forced storytelling at allows the movie to move along at break-neck pace.”

Even the requisite (and often tiresome) business of recounting the hero’s origin is dispensed with over the opening credits. When the movie proper starts, it already feels like you’re into the second chapter of the story.”

A lightning-quick title sequence wisely zips through Bruce’s back story.”

This movie spends the 3 minute credit sequence showing you the Hulk’s origin and does it so much better than the 45 minutes that Ang took.”

This is the two and a half minute intro to the movie that sets the stage… For a long time people have been asking, ‘Is it a sequel? Is it a reboot?’ And in these two and a half minutes, the idea is that everybody will have everything they need to know. There was a lab, there was a love, there was an experiment, there was an accident, there was a man hunt, and now... the movie starts.”

The origin story, dwelled upon at great length in Hulk, is here telescoped into a neat little montage that accompanies the opening titles. ”

This sets the pace because it’s really a chase movie... It’s like my other movies (Transporter 1 and 2); non-stop [he makes machine gun noises]... Whether it’s action or drama, you don’t stop. Action doesn’t wait for drama and drama doesn’t wait for action ... With this little opening sequence you’ll understand.”

The film cleverly “retells” the original story in a montage during the opening credits. Mild-mannered scientist Bruce Banner turns his gamma-ray machine on himself and the result is another variation on a theme of Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 psycho-thriller landmark Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.”

The movie starts out with some crazy intense opening titles. Within this, you see a background of the green giant. It shows Bruce Banner strapped to a bed while gamma rays are shown onto his eyes. His pupils turn appropriately green, and then we are treated to a view from the Hulk’s perspective. We see the two giant hands causing much havoc and destruction, injuring his love, Betty Ross, and her father, General Ross.”

First up was the opening title sequence, which had just been handed in days earlier by the great Kyle Cooper... Louis explained that ... that they wrestled with it, and finally decided to try handing it over to Cooper to make sense of it as an opening... It’s a very cool, very smart way of getting a lot of information across very quickly… This just has the right energy, the right kinetic sense, and it paints in big broad strokes.”

The film gets off to a pacy start. In the first five minutes we have swept through a prologue which efficiently and engagingly explains how Bruce Banner got a gut-full of gamma rays, bust out of the lab, injured his scientist girlfriend Betty Ross and, now on the run from her dad, General Thaddeus Ross, is working in a bottling plant in Rio. This is a lot of information to take in with the opening credits, but it is expertly done and leaves the rest of the film free to explore some of the other, equally interesting aspects of Banner’s situation. ”

What’s great in the opening is that they don’t blow their wad with a big CG sequence. When the experiment does go wrong and the Hulk appears, you see from his point of view, and you can feel the rage just in how the camera moves... and the destruction he leaves completely sets us up...”

The movie opens with a great credits sequence that gives you flashes of the origin before it drops you in the middle of a story already in motion. I love movies that do that and by viewing this film as a reboot they assume you get it and if you don’t, well...”

From the opening sequence, which in many ways mirrors the old TV series’ intro, you realize that we’re not going to get a slow build up to the hows and whys of Bruce Banner experimenting on himself with gamma radiation. All the backstory you need is basically covered during this opening sequence.”

We are treated to the history of how the character was ‘born’ in the opening credits and begin the film’s story thereafter, when Banner goes on the run having inadvertently killed and brought upon himself the ire of General Thunderbolt Ross.”

You get everything you need in spritzes of narrative behind the very opening credits — the beautiful scientist played by Liv Tyler, whom scientist Bruce Banner winks at before a big experiment goes awry; the cold military type in charge played by William Hurt with white wig and mustache making him look like a Scottish terrier; the rampage the Hulk goes on when things go kerflooey.”

“Hulk” is a re-imagining that jettisons everything about the previous movie, restarting the clock at square one with a brisk Cliff’s Notes version of the character’s origin (bookish scientist Bruce Banner bombards himself with Gamma radiation in a government experiment gone wrong, transforming into a roaring, green-skinned behemoth) before the opening credits have finished rolling.”

This version delivers. It dispatches with the origins of Doc Bruce Banner within the 2 1/2 minute title sequence and becomes a two-hour chase picture.”

They get around recapping the origin story by portraying it in a series of cut scenes during the opening credits. It works really well, showing us that this Hulk is slightly different from the one in Ang Lee’s movie, but that the important parts of the origin are still essentially the same.”

Leterrier condenses Banner’s back-story - the exposure to gamma radiation and subsequent physical transformation - into the opening credits then begins promisingly in the favelas of Brazil.”

By abbreviating the origin story in the opening credits, no time is wasted to make this Hulk simply incredible.”

It begins with a zippy credit sequence that dispatches with the backstory Ang Lee’s lumbering 2003 version took more than an hour to slog through. And we’re off!”

The first of the four scenes we watched was the movie’s opening credit sequence. But you can’t skip this one to get your popcorn. No, if you miss the opening and you aren’t already a Hulk aficionado, you might find yourself playing catch-up for the rest of the movie. Designed by Kyle Cooper from Prologue, the opening sequence is a high-octane montage sequence that quickly gives you insight into Hulk’s origin and Bruce Banner’s plight dealing with the consequences of his experiment gone wrong. ”

As a result, the film starts with a hectic 3 minute info dump of previous events. With a very neat economy, this manages to not only recreate the series opening credits with enormous affection, but neatly tells us what we want to know, so that we can then comfortably jump to Dr. Banner being a fugitive on the run in Brazil, without wondering why he’s there! It really is very nicely done, and if you are old enough to remember the series, the shots of the unfortunate Banner being blasted with Gammer radiation will surprise you by a sudden surge of warm familiarity. What it was to have a seventies childhood!”

The most enduring aspect about "The Incredible Hulk" might be found in the few minutes comprising its opening credits...”

Over the opening credits we get a quick recap of the origin of the Hulk, which skillfully walks the line for those who liked Lee’s "Hulk" and those who hated it.”

I was totally hooked within the first five minutes of the film. The opening-credit backstory actually worked well, allowing the audience to jump right in the middle of the plot without feeling totally lost.”

Leterrier jumps into the action, including a quick title sequence that shows how the Hulk was created after an experiment with Gamma radiation goes horribly wrong when scientist Banner is transformed into the big green guy every time he’s irritated. Not wanting to be turned into a weapon, Banner decides to run from the U.S. Army, specifically Gen. Ross, who also is the father of Banner’s girlfriend.”

The most redeeming part of this film though, are all the tie-ins to the Marvel universe. There are plenty of references to S.H.I.E.L.D. (a major organization in marvel comics) including the mentioning of Nick Furry in the opening title sequence (Nick being the leader of S.H.I.E.L.D.). Which also brings me back to the summer’s earlier release of Iron Man, which also had S.H.I.E.L.D. in it.”

A masterfully fluid opening credits sequence conveys all the necessary information with a great sense of clarity and allows the film to hit the ground running. ”

The opening credit sequence which functions as a sort of recap to a film we haven’t seen (it certainly doesn’t try to pretend it’s following the Ang Lee version) also conjures up memories of the old TV show with a few small tributes that go by quickly. It’s sort of like the opening credits of Superman II if the first film didn’t exist.”

The whole back story of how Banner came to be the Hulk is dispensed with through wordless footage playing under the opening credits.”

The opening credits take care of the heavy lifting, establishing the trembly Banner as the tortured-genius hero, fellow egghead Betty Ross as his test-tube Tammy Wynette and her father, General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, as the power-hungry military suit who wants to convert Banner’s demons into super-soldier juice.”

The movie starts by doing the origin story as the credits are rolling in. This was a brilliant move.”

With in the first five minutes of "The Incredible Hulk" I knew it was gonna be better than 2003’s Hulk. Instead of wasting half the movie with how Bruce Banner became the Hulk, that’s all taken care of in the opening credits. From there the movie is off and running and rarely slows down.”

It’s a good cast, and the script is just as smart, boiling down the whole how-he-became-the-Hulk story into an opening-credits sequence. By the time the movie proper gets underway, Banner is already on the run, hiding in Brazil; the military, which sees him as a stolen weapon, not a tortured man, is on his trail.”

The title sequence was made by Kyle Cooper... who did the cool animated end titles in Iron Man and put together the film The History of Stark Industries. He and his company have been working three months on this opening title sequence for us... we decided to take everything, all the story telling, back story telling and compress it and make it the coolest credit sequence to explain everything and to make it very graphic. Which is literally an homage to the TV show which I love.”

Screenwriter Zak Penn (X2) has wisely relegated the origin story to an inventive visual recap quickly told behind the opening credits.”

A main title sequence showing how Banner becomes the Hulk provides a perfect example of what his script does right.”

Hulk 2’s opening credits present a re-telling of the origins of the big green guy, but it bears little resemblance to the last film. Indeed, it looks a lot more like the opening credits of the megahit 1970’s TV series. I suppose this is the first indication that director Louis Leterrier was actually going to tell a story that would be fun.”