“The Incredible Hulk” Review

The Incredible Hulk (Edward Norton) makes his stand in the climax of “The Incredible Hulk,” the second film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

When people talk about Marvel films, “The Incredible Hulk” often gets forgotten in the conversation. Probably because the film is very much an outsider in terms of Marvel’s style. The film’s distribution rights are owned by Universal instead of Disney and the main actor who played the Hulk was recast for subsequent films. However, “The Incredible Hulk” is still worth checking out for its action and character, although it is certainly one of the least impressive films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Instead of focusing on the Hulk’s origin (since the hated 2003 film “Hulk” came out only five years prior), the film shows us this in its opening credits: Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) is a scientist who, after being exposed to gamma radiation, can transform into the Incredible Hulk with limitless destructive potential. 

Now, after over a year in hiding, Banner continues to try and cure his condition while being pursued by the superhuman hating General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (William Hurt). When Ross finds Banner, he sends in Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth): a soldier being injected with super strength serum which turns him into the Abomination. With the Abomination’s lust for violence surpassing the Hulk’s, Banner must confront him in a battle of brawn.

While most people, including myself, love Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner, Edward Norton is fantastic in the role, especially when he works on techniques to calm himself. I have no problem believing that this man is a genius scientist and a lot of that comes from Norton’s brilliant acting. He’s an unbelievable talent and, despite only being the Hulk once, he nailed it.

Tim Roth is also a lot of fun as this man losing himself to his destructive capabilities. When he does become the Abomination, the fights that ensue are a lot of mindless fun that I’d expect from a film called “The Incredible Hulk.”

The film’s comedy is also pretty strong from well-utilized cameos from Stan Lee and Lou Ferrigno to a crack at the Hulk’s bright purple shorts in the comics. Looking back, there were quite a few scenes that I loved that I think are underappreciated by fans.

However, I don’t think the film quite comes together. It’s not awful or even bad, the film just feels generic which should not be the case in a film called “The Incredible Hulk.” I understand that this can’t be an easy task: to make an origin story out of the Hulk while not feeling too mindless. The film should be a good balance of fun action and internal drama but it comes off as standard.

Elements of the film have also started to look dated like the CGI of the Hulk. While he looks good far away and in close-ups, the medium shots look a bit shaky, especially compared to the CGI of both 2008 and later versions of the Hulk. 

As a completionist of the MCU, it's hard for me to say skip this film because the stuff I like in the film is worth checking out: namely the performances and action. But, after all these years with so many early Marvel films still holding up, “The Incredible Hulk” is definitely one of the more forgettable Marvel films