The Incredible Hulk (2008) Review

"Hulk smash!"
-Hulk



After a gamma ray experiment goes horribly wrong, Dr. Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) can now become the Hulk, a unstoppable beast full of anger and power.  He flees the country and manages to stay in hiding for years before being tracked down again.  Now Banner has to return to the United States to find a possible cure, but General Ross (William Hurt) is determined to stop him at a any cost as he wants to turn the Hulk into a weapon.


What Works:

The best parts of the The Incredible Hulk are the villains.  Tim Roth plays Emil Blonsky who sees the Hulk as a foe worthy of fighting.  His only goal is to make himself tougher so he can defeat the Hulk in a fight.  It's a refreshing villain motivation and makes me kinda like the guy.

William Hurt is the other villain.  He is interesting because he is the father of Banner's love interest, Betty Ross (Liv Tyler).  This gives him a personal connection to Banner.  He isn't just another generic military guy who wants to give the government a new weapon.  That is a large aspect of his character, but he has personal stakes in the film as well.

I also liked that this movie wasn't really an origin story.  We get all of the origin stuff done with in the opening credits.  We all know the story, so I'm glad they didn't waste much time on it.  It makes this movie feel more like a sequel, which isn't necessarily a good thing, but it's different at the very least.

Finally, I do like some of the humor in this film.  The reference to the Hulk TV show are all pretty funny and Tim Blake Nelson has a few humorous moments.  There aren't a ton, but I appreciated what was there.


What Sucks:

I found most of this movie pretty boring.  Edward Norton just didn't interest me as Bruce Banner and I'm really glad Mark Ruffalo took over for him.  His story is just kinda boring.

Even worse is Liv Tyler.  Unless she is playing an elf, I have never liked her as an actress.  I don't find her believable at all and I'm really happy she never returns to the MCU.

The CGI has aged pretty poorly and most of the Hulk fights don't look great.  And apart from the action scene in the bottle factory, all of the action sequences were pretty lackluster and not all that interesting.


Verdict:

The Incredible Hulk isn't a bad movie, but it's easily the worst film in the MCU.  I like Tim Roth and William Hurt's characters and there are a few funny moments.  The fact that it's not an origin story is also a plus, but Bruce and Betty aren't very investing, the CGI isn't great, and most of the action sequences are pretty weak.  

 5/10: Meh 

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