The Incredible Hulk Review

Introduction (Warning Contains Spoilers)

With an extended version of Avengers: Endgame arriving in cinemas this September, Marvel is once again attracting plenty of attention.

Avengers: Doomsday is also scheduled to arrive in December, making this the perfect time for another MCU rewatch.

We have decided to revisit the Marvel films in chronological order.

Our journey now takes us back to 2008 with The Incredible Hulk.

It came out only a few weeks after Iron Man and directed by Louis Leterrier, this movie features Edward Norton in the role of Bruce Banner.

The other stars in this film include Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt and Tim Blake Nelson.

This film revolves around the struggles of Bruce Banner to cope with the consequences of his failed experiment.

The gamma radiation has turned him into Hulk.

Whenever he becomes emotional, Bruce Banner transforms into a giant creature possessing immense powers.

Banner is in dire need of a solution.

He must also elude General Thaddeus Ross and the military forces of America. General Ross considers that he can use the Hulk for military purposes.

That leads to a clash between Banner and Emil Blonsky, another soldier who gets obsessed with competing with the Hulk’s strength.

Thus, the movie combines the elements of a chase with those of a classic superhero creation story.

In contrast with Iron Man, the movie begins when Banner has already transformed into the Hulk.

The audience is thus presented with a character who has had to deal with the effects of the change.

This results in the film being more dark and serious in nature. There are also several links to the larger MCU.

Tony Stark is briefly seen towards the end. The film thus makes clear that these seemingly separate stories exist in the same world.

However, The Incredible Hulk has always been considered separately from other earlier MCU movies.

It has enthusiastic supporters. It also has plenty of critics who believe it lacks the personality of Iron Man.

There are genuine strengths here. There are also clear weaknesses.

The question is whether the film remains successful despite those problems.

Direction

Louis Leterrier certainly had extensive experience in making action movies before he directed The Incredible Hulk.

Among others, Transporter 2 and Unleashed were his previous movies. It can be seen from the movie as well.

The movie focuses a lot on movement and physical action. The beginning scene instantly sets up Banner as a fugitive.

Instead of spending an entire first act explaining his transformation, the movie starts after it is done.

Instead of using the whole of the first act explaining how he became the way he is, the movie starts after all that has taken place.

This is a very interesting decision by the director. This means that the movie will be centered around Banner’s efforts to control himself.

His background is introduced through dialogues and flashbacks. There is also a more gloomy mood in the movie compared to Iron Man.

There really is a feeling that Banner is always being chased. He keeps moving from place to place, adopting new identities.

This makes the movie thriller-like. The director succeeds best when the movie becomes quiet and Banner takes his role.

Bruce is not just running away from the army. He is also running away from himself. The Hulk stands for something which Banner needs to control badly.

This makes the character internally conflicted. However, the movie does not always develop this conflict well enough.

The Hulk looks amazing. The appearance of the Hulk brings spectacular action to the movie.

His very presence gives the movie some spectacular action sequences. However, the emotions of Banner may take the back seat.

The movie shifts from character development to action sequences with no proper link between the two.

But Leterrier’s handling of action sequences is much more effective. His Brazil chase sequence at the beginning is a very impressive scene.

His fight sequence at Harlem becomes the main spectacle of the movie. The use of large-scale environments by the director gives a sense of Hulk’s size.

Cars and military vehicles form part of action sequences. It helps in creating a feeling of physical destruction.

Another point is that this movie gives weight to the character of Hulk. His actions are slower and heavier compared to other digital super heroes.

This helps in creating a feeling of a giant monster rather than a flying hero. But the direction of the movie can become rather generic at times.

There are times when the movie becomes just an ordinary action movie. The calmer scenes do not

What we get is a film that has a very visual personality but a lesser emotional one.

It is perhaps here where The Incredible Hulk stands out the most compared to Iron Man.

Tony Stark’s personality drives Jon Favreau‘s film. Action and plot drives Leterrier’s film. It isn’t a bad thing, but it makes the film less unique.

Cinematography

Cinematography of the film is done by Peter Menzies Jr. He creates the dark mood of the movie.

The colour scheme is quite different from Iron Man. There are lots of dark green and grey tones.

They suit the life of Banner very well because he lives in isolation. Banner finds himself in many hostile locations.

The cinematography also helps to tell apart the quiet and action parts of the film. Banner’s daily life is shot in a more restrained manner.

The camera almost never makes him feel like a traditional superhero. On the contrary, he looks like a regular person who is trying to fade away.

It is a very significant visual choice. The Hulk himself is creating a huge contrast.

When Banner turns into the monster, the perspective changes.

The camera zooms out to depict its size. It helps to see how different Banner is from Hulk.

Brazilian scenes seem to be especially successful. Crowded city streets present Banner with problems.

Camera moves along with the chase in such narrow spaces. It brings more realistic touch to the chase scenes.

Harlem ending is exactly the opposite case. Wide shots make it possible for Hulk and Abomination to act freely.

Destruction becomes a part of the visuals. The cinematography also takes advantage of practical locations well.

The film was filmed in a number of locations, such as Toronto and Rio de Janeiro. The film gets a feel of realism.

However, the visuals do not always show uniqueness. Some scenes look very polished as if it were a standard 2000s action blockbuster film.

There is less uniqueness visually compared to some films from the MCU in the coming years.

That is expected given when the film came out. It also reflects the different filmmaking approach used by Marvel at the time.

Overall, the cinematography does its job effectively. It creates the appropriate mood and supports the scale of the action.

However, it rarely becomes a defining feature of the film.

Visual Effects

Visual effects was one of the greatest challenges that faced The Incredible Hulk. The film makers had to come up with a convincing computer-generated image of The Hulk.

This meant making the Hulk move around in realistic settings. It is quite remarkable for a 2008 movie.

The Hulk is very physically intimidating. He moves around with brute strength.

Not only does he appear physically intimidating but he does not just appear like any other computer-generated image.

The animation also reveals his rage. His facial expressions contribute to the formation of his personality.

This is essential since the Hulk does not say anything significant. Therefore, the effects should communicate the emotion through the visuals.

Another effects challenge in the film is the Abomination. This character changes throughout the whole film and becomes more and more monstrous.

This transformation forms a visual difference between the Abomination and the Hulk. Moreover, the designs of these two creatures differ.

The Hulk seems more human-like, while Abomination seems more alien and skeletal. This is how the viewer can differentiate between these two characters.

The battle in Harlem is the biggest effects scene in the movie. There are explosions, destroyed buildings and big computer-generated characters in the scene.

This scene is quite impressive. Nevertheless, there are some elements of the effects which age more than others.

For example, sometimes it seems that the Hulk is created using outdated computer animation.

Moreover, sometimes his movements seem somewhat unrealistic. It becomes especially clear when compared with other superhero movies shot recently.

Nevertheless, the effects still work well where it really matters. The Hulk looks dangerous enough to cause destruction.

Also, the movie mixes computer-generated images with practical effects. Military equipment and physical environment make the action more tangible.

This creates a balance for the digital characters. The movie isn’t purely created on a computer.

The visual effects, in this regard, create a balance. There is lots of CGI since the storyline needs it.

The issue, however, is that some of the technology has become dated. For the year 2008, the effects were very impressive.

They still are effective enough to allow the movie to function.

Themes and Storyline

The core theme in The Incredible Hulk is that of control. Bruce Banner is scared to lose control over himself.

The Hulk is the element inside him which he can’t suppress fully. Banner spends most of the movie looking for a cure.

Elimination of the Hulk is what will allow him to get back to normal. But the movie starts to imply that the Hulk isn’t that simple.

Banner needs to comprehend his illness, not get rid of it. It provides an interesting psychological aspect.

There is also the theme of fear in the movie. Banner is afraid of what he can turn into.

The military is afraid of the power of the Hulk. Blonsky later becomes obsessed with having that same power.

There is a clear contrast between the two. Banner wants to escape from his powers. Blonsky wants more powers.

The difference in their attitude towards power is what makes this plot work. The movie also shows the implications of scientific experiments.

The change in Banner is caused by an experiment. The change in Blonsky is an intentional recreation of such power.

It means that the military uses humans as weapons.

This is one more topic connected to the bigger theme of the MCU. It works best in relation to these topics.

However, some of the themes remain under-developed. The psychological conflict of Banner is not explored to its full potential.

Betty Ross does not play much of a role in the main conflict. Her role is brought to life by Liv Tyler.

But the screenplay lacks sufficient material for the character. Hence, the relationship between Betty and Bruce becomes slightly undeveloped.

The plot is simple. Banner is on the run. Ross is trying to find him. Blonsky wants the Hulk’s power.

These threads eventually collide. The simplicity can be refreshing.

However, it also makes the story feel less ambitious than some later MCU films. The film’s 112-minute runtime is relatively short.

This helps maintain a fast pace. It also prevents the movie from becoming unnecessarily long.

However, the shorter runtime means some characters receive limited development. The film moves quickly from one action sequence to another.

This keeps things interesting. It also results in some emotional scenes being short on development. The antagonist is another problematic element of the film.

Tim Roth brings a lot of intensity to Blonsky. The process of his transformation into Abomination looks impressive.

But his motives become more simplistic as the movie goes on. The reason he desires power is because he wants to defeat the Hulk.

Having a more complicated psychological motivation would have definitely made the character more memorable.

William Hurt portrays General Ross as an authoritative character. However, the character is rather one-dimensional.

Ross wants to catch Banner and control the Hulk. At times, the movie alludes to the presence of a more complicated motive.

But, it fails to delve into that much deeper. In general, the plot fits well with the genre of the superhero movie.

The story is quite enjoyable and understandable. However, it lacks some of the emotional complexity found in Iron Man.

Performances

Edward Norton brings forth a dedicated performance of Bruce Banner. His acting style is much more reserved compared to Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark.

Norton portrays Banner as a thoughtful, intelligent, and perpetually scared person. It works well with the character’s current state of affairs.

Banner is always on the edge because he may get angry and transform again. Norton succeeds in depicting that anxiety.

His acting is best in quiet moments when he shows Banner as a man who struggles to live like everyone else.

The problem is that the screenplay restricts the possibilities of what Norton can accomplish.

The Banner character is not always allowed enough emotional development. Thus, the acting is more impressive than some of the supporting elements in the film.

Liv Tyler portrays Betty Ross with sincerity and warmth. She helps the movie connect emotionally with the past of Banner.

Betty knows Bruce better than other people. Unfortunately, she is a poorly developed character.

Liv Tyler handles the material very well. The problem is that the movie provides her with few chances to develop Betty further.

Emil Blonsky is played by Tim Roth and he displays great dedication to the character.

He brings a lot of physical energy to the character’s portrayal. Blonsky starts off as a very dedicated soldier.

He slowly becomes obsessed with Hulk. Roth does a good job in bringing this transition to life.

But finally, Blonsky becomes a fairly normal character.

William Hurt makes the character of General Ross intimidating. He brings authority into every scene.

Ross is motivated by his need to dominate the Hulk. Hurt makes him look like an authentic military man. The role could have been more emotionally diverse, however.

Tim Blake Nelson is Samuel Sterns. Nelson helps to make the character more interesting. Sterns also establishes the link between the movie and the Hulk mythology.

Ty Burrell has a smaller role as Leonard Samson. He gives the character warmth and confidence.

The supporting cast is generally strong. Again, the biggest issue is the screenplay. Several performers are given characters with limited development.

What Worked and What Did Not

There are definitely lots of positives with The Incredible Hulk. The movie knows the essential attraction of the character.

Bruce Banner is always running from the beast that lives within. That provides an automatic sense of conflict.

The fugitive plot adds yet another flavor to the film. It is not just another origin story of the superhero genre.

Banner already has his powers to contend with. Action is another key element in the movie.

The chase scene in Brazil still stands up. The showdown in Harlem also brings offers quite a bit of spectacle.

Hulk is an intimidating and powerful character. It’s great that the visual effects are so good for such an old film.

Also Edward Norton turns out an excellent performance. He shows us a different side of Bruce Banner.

Liv Tyler offers some feeling. Tim Roth brings intensity into Blonsky.

General Ross has his power conveyed by William Hurt.

The cinematography provides the right kind of dark environment.

The movie is also related to the bigger MCU universe. The brief appearance of Tony Stark is especially significant.

It reminds the audience that this story is part of something much bigger.

However, the movie has some serious flaws. The major flaw is the absence of any unique personality.

This movie could be just another action movie with the addition of the Hulk. Development of emotion is equally inconsistent.

Internal conflict in Banner is the key to the plot. However, at times, action takes precedence.

Character of Betty is poorly developed. Blonsky also turns out to be an ordinary villain.

Battle scene is exciting but emotionally shallow. Visual effects have also become outdated.

Hulk continues to be awesome to look at in many scenes. But now, some of the digital movements and facial expressions seem out of date.

Also, this film has been somewhat disjoined from the rest of the MCU films. One reason is that Marvel hadn’t yet perfected its format.

As a result, The Incredible Hulk is an important piece of history. In this way, The Incredible Hulk shows Marvel’s attempt to be creative.

They tried a lot of things but not all worked. But this film deserves praise for doing something new.

It also offers a darker and more serious superhero movie experience.

The negatives of the film shouldn’t totally overshadow its positives.

The film is fun to watch. The film has an outstanding lead performance. The film also features some memorable action sequences.

The film just lacks the charisma that helped Iron Man succeed.

Overall Short Verdict

This film is not perfect but is still a fun one to watch for the early MCU films.

Bruce Banner’s acting by Edward Norton is quite believable and restrained.

Director Louis Leterrier has created some great action scenes.

The photography contributes to the correct mood.

Visual effects are also impressive for a movie made in 2008.

Hulk looks real and dangerous.

But the movie also has its flaws. Supporting characters should have been developed more.

The plot is rather simple and sometimes predictable. The emotional aspect of the film is not fully revealed.

The climax of the movie is visually impressive but emotionally unsatisfying.

The special effects have certainly lost some relevance over the years.

Despite all its imperfections, the film will remain an intriguing part of the Marvel universe.

It paved the way for the diversity of MCU movies to come. It was also here that Marvel showed a different side of Bruce Banner.

The Incredible Hulk may not be one of Marvel’s best movies. However, it is certainly not the disaster that its reputation sometimes suggests.

It has enough strengths to remain an enjoyable early MCU adventure. It also deserves recognition for helping build the universe we know today.