Louis Leterrier
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Connections, in both directions
Now You See Me will surely remind viewers of the Ocean’s Eleven franchise, where the criminals are so talented they’re admirable, and one cannot help but root for the bad guys (who are really just good guys with a lot to prove).
It requires the obvious mention of “Ocean’s Eleven,” from which the far-fetched “Now You See Me” takes blatant inspiration (and a twist or two) without replicating its style and finesse.
If the movie itself had a bit more of that forthright urgency, it might have been a gripping, lighthearted combination of "Ocean's Eleven" and "The Prestige."
The first 20 minutes of “Now You See Me” play like a sort of “Ocean’s Eleven” with magic, in which four shady street performers are brought together by a mysterious tarot-card invitation.
Ocean's Eleven for Gen-Y, it's a 'pop heist movie' that's more concerned with looking cool than being it.
Call the setup “Ocean’s Eleven” meets “The Prestige.”
But is it too much to ask for a little believability? Louis Leterrier's "The Incredible Hulk" -- conceived as a do-over after Ang Lee's cerebral 2003 "Hulk" proved to be such a disappointment to fans of the Marvel comic series -- is so fattened up with special effects that it seems to be insulating itself against audience disapproval.
The origin story that so many of these movies get bogged down in is done away with as a series of brief shots over the opening credits: they were doing an experiment, something went wrong, now Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) can turn into the Hulk and is on the run from the government.
An attempt to reboot the franchise after Ang Lee’s angst-ridden arthouse “Hulk” (2003) made fanboys plotz, “The Incredible Hulk” is Rock’em Sock’em Robots to the 10th power.
Frankly, it's going to be much easier for me to compare the two than to judge The Incredible Hulk on its own merits.
Unlike “Hulk,” Ang Lee’s disappointing 2003 film based on Stan Lee’s 1962 Marvel comic book series and, in turn, the 1978-1982 television show that starred Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno, Louis Leterrier’s new version gets it right.
We might as well be watching Clash of the Titans.
Immortals plays like the illegitimate offspring of 300 and Clash of the Titans , but while it represents a substantial improvement over the latter, it falls short of the former.
The less said about the most recent entry, the lamentable remake of Clash of the Titans, the better.
Where the remakes of Clash of the Titans and Conan the Barbarian failed to quench the thirst of fantasy action fans, Immortals should appease many a swords and sorcery junkie.
Don't look for sharp dialogue or multifaceted character in this sword 'n' sandals bloodbath, the latest in the abs-obsessed genre featuring " 300 ," " Clash of the Titans " and " Conan the Barbarian ."
Following in the sandals of Zack Snyder’s 300 with a splash of story inspiration from Clash of the Titans, Immortals is a chest-thumping sword, sandal and CGI Greek mythology actioner for those who like their violence with a side of splatter.
A scene or two recalls King Kong; others invoke the wounded innocence of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
Stan Lee , the Hulk's co-creator, has said that he came up with the character by crossbreeding Boris Karloff's Frankenstein monster with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Whether it’s Jean Marais stepping through a mirror in Orpheus or George Lucas using miniatures to create a mile-long spaceship , practical effects, like a magician’s illusions, trick the eye into thinking it’s seeing something it isn’t.
The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963)
Directed by Vincente Minnelli
influenced The Incredible Hulk (2008)
And Norton's performance is pleasingly reminiscent of the late Bill Bixby (who cameos in a brief clip from "The Courtship of Eddie's Father") in that show.
He’s also taking martial arts classes, learning Portuguese by watching TV (including reruns of The Courtship of Eddie’s Father, inciting appreciate cheers from movie viewers), chatting with his adorably intelligent dog, and looking out for Martina (Débora Nascimento), a female coworker at the factory, thus earning the ire of other coworkers—bald-headed and leering—who call him “gringo.”
That's a shame, because Edward Norton does his part by providing Bruce Banner with the requisite sense of torn humanity, and the film is filled with imaginative asides for fans of the comic book and/or TV series (my favorite is the shout-out to the late Bixby, showing him on a TV screen in an episode from his popular sitcom The Courtship of Eddie's Father).
Momoa’s flamboyant, over-the-top Dante—who is reminiscent of the Joker from The Dark Knight at places—could have very easily fallen flat and become annoying and it nearly does at places, no thanks to the writing. However, it is Momoa’s earnestness to go all in with his performance that ultimately saves the day and renders some entertainment out of a rather flippantly written screenplay.
However, the character is a bizarre concoction. Apart from simply looking out of place, Momoa portrays Dante with a dubious mix of flamboyant peacocking and what could only be described as a Looney Tunes version of Heath Ledger’s Joker from The Dark Knight.
For example, an especially gross gag involving Nobby and Sebastian hiding inside an elephant’s vagina (vaguely reminiscent of a 20 year-old gag from “Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls”) is bawdy, irreverent sketch comedy stuffed into an ostensible satire – where it absolutely doesn’t belong.
Captain America: Brave New World (2025)
Directed by Julius Onah
influenced by The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Themes Plot
Despite the various script touch-ups, there’s sensible connections from films from as far back as The Incredible Hulk, Civil War and more recent fare like The Eternals in a way that proves rewarding once again to be invested in the entirety of the MCU.
…leaning more on Louis Leterrier’s The Incredible Hulk and Chloé Zhao’sEternals than it does the preceding Captain America films.
…how much the film actively serves as a closure and a quasi-sequel to “The Incredible Hulk” (2008)…
…having an obvious restructure that has more parts The Incredible Hulk (Marvel can’t make another solo Hulk film due to rights) than the titular hero.
Those who have long been watching MCU films will appreciate the incorporation of previously-seen characters from The Incredible Hulk and Eternals…
…dangling plot threads from other MCU efforts (notably 2008’s The Incredible Hulk and 2021’s Eternals)…
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Directed by John Landis
influenced The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Visuals
It very much reminded me of John Landis's work on An American Werewolf in London and the Thriller video and I mean this in the best way possible.
Despite its serious flaws, the film is carefully crafted to offer a wealth of emotionally satisfying moments for fans of the 21 previous films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — in particular, the older franchises of "Iron Man," "Captain America," "Thor" and "The Incredible Hulk" (with quite a bit of a newer franchise, "Ant-Man," referenced for good measure).
Since 2008, as we’ve progressed from “Iron Man” to “The Incredible Hulk” to “Thor” to “Captain America: The First Avenger,” we’ve seen Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), and Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) battle alien invasions, terrorists, and ghosts from their past.
With the onerous task of having to bring matters to a close in the grandiose conflict between uber-villain Thanos (Josh Brolin) and the Avengers, directors Anthony & Joe Russo ( Captain America: Winter Soldier/Civil War ; Avengers: Infinity War ) summon the super-powered roster of characters that have accrued over a staggering range of 21 films since Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk kicked off the super-franchise way back in 2008.
Marvel has Spider-Man, Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, and others.
It’s kind of interesting; there was briefly a trend in which independent auteurs were hired to direct superhero movies (Bryan Singer and X-Men, Christopher Nolan and Batman Begins, Sam Raimi and Spider-Man).
Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk have done it the first time out of the gate, at least Spider-Man waited until part 3. The film does stand on it’s own two feet, thanks mainly to Norton who should have demanded having Banner run a little more, and Hulk smash a little less.
In the tradition of X-Men and Spider-Man, this version of The Incredible Hulk is a solid adaptation for the big screen that retains its comic book feel.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton
influenced by The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Themes
Every time anyone has to deal with their inner darkness taking over them, whether it is Jean Grey or Peter Parker or Bruce Banner, they ultimately return to their true self through self acceptance.
…most notably in a scene involving the Hulk that really emphasizes the character’s nightmarish quality that’s been unseen on screen for about a decade.
Regardless of if we’re fighting ninjas or The Incredible Hulk…
…the introduction of a so-called “universal power adapter” that conveniently neutralizes super-powered characters like Hulk (Mark Ruffalo)…
…the fight scenes featuring Punisher (Jon Bernthal) and the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) are both dynamic and comical.
…include “The Incredible Hulk” (2008)…
It’s kind of interesting; there was briefly a trend in which independent auteurs were hired to direct superhero movies (Bryan Singer and X-Men, Christopher Nolan and Batman Begins, Sam Raimi and Spider-Man).
In the tradition of X-Men and Spider-Man, this version of The Incredible Hulk is a solid adaptation for the big screen that retains its comic book feel.
It’s that deep duality we want to see in superhero / supervillain stories -- the script is by X-Men vet Zak Penn and Norton himself, in his first credit as a screenwriter, and who knew he was such a geek?
If Now You See It resides below those two superb 2006 films on magicians, Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige and Neil Burger’s The Illusionist, that’s because director Louis Leterrier has the energy but not the visual grace to match the elegant malefactions of his characters.
Suffice it to say, great movies about the magician's art — films like The Prestige and Edward Norton's The Illusionist — manage to make you forget that film itself is an illusion, one capable of miracles that dwarf the best stuff a tag team of Harry Houdini, David Copperfield and David Blaine could ever whip up.
And I was very happy back in 2006, when we had two competing period pieces — "The Prestige" and "The Illusionist" — about tricky prestidigitators.
In 2006, The Prestige and The Illusionist were released within just a few months of each other.
Agente contrainteligente aspira a ser la comedia más repulsiva de todos los tiempos, con permiso de la ya insoslayable y prestigiada Pink Flamingos (1972): en ella se difama gratuitamente a personas reales, se incurre en ofensas de clase, raza y género, se sube la apuesta a la hora de transgredir tabúes de representación y, entre otras muchas cosas, se rompe la imagen de actores proverbialmente sofisticados, a golpe de chorros de semen paquidérmico o de insertos testiculares.
It’s as if the ethos of “ Pink Flamingos ” was filtered through a bad jag on crystal meth, with a lot of visual effects money thrown after it.
For this reason Focus makes me think more of the magician caper Now You See Me rather than the many other crime romances it could be compared to.
This is another in the long line of tricky, sleight-of-hand yarns in which everyone is deceiving everyone else at all times, but based on the results of 2013's Now You See Me and this picture, it's obvious that Hollywood's hustlers have lost their sting since the days of Paul Newman.
Writer/director Glenn Ficarra & John Requa's (“Crazy, Stupid, Love”) latest is a little bit "Now You See Me," a little bit "Out of Sight."
The tricks are as flashy as the plotting is flimsy in “Now You See Me ,” an illusion-filled caper from director Louis Leterrier that poses no serious challenge to Christopher Nolan’s “The Prestige” or David Mamet’s “The Spanish Prisoner” in the pantheon of cinematic sleight-of-hand.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Directed by Jim Sharman
influenced The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Characters
And the hunched Abomination reminded me of nothing more than Riff Raff from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show."
Christopher McQuarrie described his screenplay to The Usual Suspects as "a big, well-structured magic trick" and the similarities between it and the one concocted and re-concocted by Edward Ricourt, Boaz Yakin and Ed Solomon are notable.
A cross between The Prestige and The Usual Suspects (souped up with some sly action sequences), Now You See Me, Louis Leterrier’s crime comedy about magicians, has a first-rate setup but lacks the punch of anything extraordinary.