Great motion picture representation of the Hulk as I always knew him. Spectacular, well done.
Don't forget to watch Ang Lee's 2003 film before you see (or rewatch) this one: it's a way better film, for which The Incredible Hulk serves as a sort of retconned unofficial sequel. (But beware: it's not your usual superhero flick.)
If you're a fan of the comics, or just of fun popcorn films you'll definitely enjoy this one.
This movie is destined to fail no matter what lead actor they choose.
In the end, Hulk has its own face, he's pretty much speechless and also quite inexpressive in terms of acting.
"The Incredible Hulk" is an enjoyable movie with an exciting climax and final battle. The film effectively tells the back story of the Hulk through the opening credits, the look and style of which were fantastic. Although I know it wouldn't be commercially successful, I would have loved to see this stylized setup stretched into something more.
The movie drags a bit until Hulk battles the military in a campus park. The effects are impressive and the action moves pretty quick. General Ross, played by William Hurt, is driven and ruthless in his pursuit of Banner. He takes it one step too far when he recruits the battle crazy Major Blonsky, played with expected intensity by Tim Roth. Blonsky is transformed into a super-soldier to challenge the Hulk and truthfully, the whole thing is rather predictable after that. It's a good superhero action movie but it's not of the same caliber as "The Dark Knight", "Spiderman 2", or "Iron Man".
The stinker of phase 1, shame cause it had 2 great leads
I'm not here for acting or plot... I'm here (again) for HULK SMASH!!!!
You can skip this one too.
The Incredible Hulk is a product of its time, in the late ‘00s this was about as good as action movies not called The Dark Knight got. This one isn’t unwatchable and the bit were The Hulk kicks Tim Roth into a tree is pretty cool but given how little this film has effected the franchise going forward you really wont miss anything by skipping it.
Really wish norton would have stayed on to play hulk throughout the other movies. He’s a way better banner than Ruffalo
Much better movie than the original Hulk.
Nice job by Edward Norton. I love Liv Tyler. I didn't like Tim Roth at all as the bad guy. I just did not see him at all in the role of an elite soldier: too old, too weak looking. Sorry Tim.
The Incredible Hulk is by far the weakest link in the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise thus far for the five films that were released before The Avengers. This new version of the Hulk compared to the previous Hulk film that was released in 2003 (with Eric Bana as the lead and directed by Ang Lee) had a much darker and deeper tone to the story. By comparison between both Hulk films, The Incredible Hulk (2008) was a big improvement over The Hulk (2003). The story line and action scenes along with the directing of the 2008 Incredible Hulk film were all superior to the 2003 Hulk film which is a step in the right direction. Comparing The Incredible Hulk to the other four Marvel movies pre-The Avengers is a different story. Overall the story line and casting failed. Even though it was better than the 2003 film, it was still a bit hard to keep my interest going through the film. Also even though Norton is a brilliant actor I had a hard time believing he could be Bruce Banner, and the same could be said for Tyler as Betty Ross. The only people who I thought did their roles well were the villains (Roth, Hurt, and Nelson). Besides the darker tone in this film I thought the action scenes were top-notch; that finale climax fight scene was epic. Other than that, The Incredible Hulk just an OK film not as great as the other Avenger franchise films.
NPR's Linda Holmes recently posted a tweet asking if there was any superhero film where the most exciting or interesting part took place in the third act action sequence. While I there are a few exceptions, she's right to make the point. Plenty of films spend a good chunk of their run time developing their characters and setting up interesting plots and conflicts, only to see it all more or less smashed together with a gigantic, semi-interchangeable fight scene at the end.
Holmes's take was particularly on my mind as I watched The Incredible Hulk, and found myself spending two-thirds of the film wondering why it was considered the ugly stepchild of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the last third of it being reminded. Most of Hulk is an interesting exploration of the main character's mythos, from Banner's condition being a curse, to an antagonist who desperately wants to be the thing that Bruce hates, to the doomed romance between Banner and Ross. Then, the last 30-40 minutes of the film devolve into a cheesy video game, and the movie more or less falls apart, making all the good work director Louis Leterrier did to get to that point feel like it was for nothing.
What's frustrating is that there's some good thematic work done with Banner/Hulk in particular. Norton is solid if unspectacular in the role, by the writing and direction do a good job of conveying how The Hulk is an affliction for Banner, how this one accident has left his life in shambles. He cannot be near people. He has to take extreme precautions to keep himself calm. Each new "incident," leaves him having to start all over again, unable to continue with whatever progress he's made in the short term. The Hulk is not a tool that allows him to fight the bad guys -- it's a curse, something that prevents him from building a life, something that constantly makes him a threat to the innocent (and not so innocent) around him, something that puts him in the crosshairs of the government and the military and even just the overly-ambitious scientists who mean to help him.
It's also something that keeps him away from the woman he loves. Again, it all falls apart in the third act, but Liv Tyler's soft spoken approach to Betty Ross makes the scenes she and Norton share compelling, and accentuates the star-crossed nature of their love in the silent but intense moments they share. The scenes when they come together expose why Bruce had to leave her especially. His presence at the university where she teaches brings her into the line of fire of the folks trying to catch him, and even their brief moment of physical affection has to end because it's raising Banner's pulse too much. (Betty is also the comedic highlight, from her line about Bruce not being able to even get "a little excited," to her anger at the cab driver, to her skepticism that the government will be able to track them via mundane objects like her ID.) It's clear why this is an even greater curse for Banner -- it keeps him away from the woman he loves.
And yet, Betty is the key to him overcoming some of that concern. For one thing, Bruce is worried that if he turns into The Hulk while Betty is around, he'll harm her. But one of the first things that allows us to realize that there's more of Bruce in his big green alter ego than he thinks is that Hulk repeatedly protects Betty, that he protects her from the military helicopter bearing down on them and when they have their King Kong moment in a cave, she doesn't so much as lay a finger on her. She's also the one thing in the film we see able to calm The Hulk, whether it's her explaining that lightning isn't anything to be afraid of, or climbing onto him in Dr. Sterns's laboratory while the procedure takes place. She is a powerful force in Bruce's life, so powerful that she cuts through to the man beneath the angry green exterior, even in the worst of rages.
She's also the key to Bruce making peace with his alter ego to some degree. When she asks him how much Bruce is aware when The Hulk is about, and intimates that maybe he could find a way to get back into control, Bruce tells her that he doesn't want to control it, he just wants to get rid of it. The Hulk has made Bruce Banner's life a living hell, turned him into a maelstrom of green flesh leaving a path of destruction in his wake, and taken away any semblance of a normal life he wants to have. But with Betty's help, over the course of the film Bruce learns that Hulk can be a force for good, that he can be used to protect people like Betty and can be trusted, or at least taught, not to harm the people Bruce cares about. Bruce's knowing smile at the end of the film as he induces the transformation shows a man in harmony with his "curse," who's learned, with Betty's help, that he can control the beast within, and maybe even channel the effects to where it becomes not a curse, but a gift.
Emil Blonsky desperately wants that gift. Like many cinematic foils, he works best as a mirror image of the hero -- not as the grotesque scaly monster he becomes who is basically a spiky ugly version of Hulk, but in more human terms. Bruce is a subdued, gentle man who desperately wants to rid himself of the rage monster that lurks inside and resents the changes it brought. Blonsky is a fighter at heart, who feels his effectiveness slipping away, and wants more than anything, the afflication that Bruce is trying so hard to escape from, so that it can allow him to continue in battle. Bruce will give anything not to have to fight; Blonsky will do anything to get to stay in it, and that makes them an interesting contrast until the film defaults to a pair of brutes slugging each other indiscriminately.
The film also does a tremendous job of quickly establishing both characters. The film's opening half hour is probably of its best. The initial montage does a good job of setting up the premise without belaboring the point or retelling the origin story of a character 90% of the audience is familiar with, at least on a surface level. The scenes set in South America are close to wordless, but they quickly establish the lengths Bruce has gone to in order to 1. keep himself and the people around him safe; and 2. try to find a cure. His breathing exercises, his pulse machine, his day labor job, his learning how to deflect physical attacks rather than respond to them, his makeshift science lab, and the tons of other precautions he takes. Without ever telling us with exposition, the audience knows that he is a talented scientist, that he's taking extraordinary precautions in an attempt to try to prevent his dark side from emerging, and that despite that, he cannot avoid his impulse to help people who need it.
The ensuing action sequence as he's chased through the streets is the best in the film. There's a Bourne-like quality to the dips and dives through the labrynthe of the town, and excellent recurring beats like the roughians he ran into at the plant showing up or his daring escape when he realizes the government's on his tail. It also gives Hulk himself the JAWS treatment, giving us just glimpses, keeping him in shadow, letting us see what the creature can do before we ever clearly see the creature.
The subsequent action scene on the quad of the university is not as tightly directed or constructed, but is still an enjoyable crush-fest that has important beats for the characters. Hulk's determination in the face of the sound canons makes you feel for the atavistic brute. Blonsky's speed past the younger soldiers and move face-to-face with the beast shows both what he's trying so hard to regain and how much he's itching for this, how much he thrives in battle in a way that would make him just crazy enough to suffer and take these kinds of risks to hold onto it.
Unfortunately, it all culminates in a strange page out of the Rampage playbook. Abomination has little in common with Blonsky. He's just a big sack of evil, with cheesy bad guy dialogue and little to recommend him. General Ross's sudden change of heart and willingness to send Bruce out to fight Abomination makes little sense, and their fight goes on too long with not nearly enough excitement. It's the usual cacophony of destruction, made all the more static by the fact that there are two cartoon characters doing the damage. In the right hands, CGI can be a boon, and it's hard to imagine this film working anywhere near as well as it does if it had to rely on a modern day Lou Ferrigno. But the height of the film involving a pair of unconvincing computer-generated creations constantly punching one another, just makes the whole thing feel weightless, feel unreal, and not in a good way. Sure, there's neat moments like Hulk using a cop car as brass knuckles, but for the most part it feels like tensionless, dull combat, and yet it's supposed to convey the heart of the movie.
Sure, Hulk going to great lengths to protect the innocent is a nice beat, but it's in the middle of more contrived, block-busting battles. There's a nice emotional story being told for two-thirds of the film, about making peace with your id, about trying to regain waht you've lost, about learning how a curse can be used for the greater good. But that story is lost in a sea of oversized fists, cheesy one-liners, and actions that make little sense. It's a shame for a movie that started of this well to devolve in something so pointless.
i watched it right the day after i watched the avengers.
but also in comparision with the partly trashy 2003-hulk, edward norton don't really fits in.
It was a good decision to change the banner char. Norton was fantastic in primal fear and also in fight club. But now he just don't gives me a good hulk.
In the end 5/10
The first worst marvel movie. The action isn't the problem nor is the acting. The cgi was mediocre but I wouldn't have expected any better. The issue is the lifeless plot that drags out so unbelievably hard.
For 15 years, the film has become a little outdated, as if frozen at the turn, before which the militants took entertainment, but not the plot. You also need to know that the Hulk is not a football player (the movie does not start from the beginning), the director quotes scenes from King Kong, and Roth and Norton, well, it's debatable, isn't it? It would look good on its own, but as part of the MCU it now looks like an anachronism
Not a very good movie on its own. As part of the Marvel Universe, it's awful! It's so forgettable, I originally watched it almost exactly six years ago and didn't remember anything about it. BTW, I'm rewatching the Marvel Universe in chronological order which is the only reason I watched this again.
It doesn't have a particularly good story and has some huge plot holes. Especially irritating is that the movie plays out Banner becoming the Hulk in the opening credits and not particularly well. The movie opens with Banner hiding in South America already on the run. If you don't pay much attention to the opening credits, you're kind of lost as the movie starts, even if you do pay attention to the opening credits, you're still kind of lost.
The acting is ok, but nothing special. After watching the Hulk in the Avenger movies, it's hard to see any of the actors as convincing in their roles. Liv Tyler's soft spoken, breathy voice was especially irritating.
The action is actually pretty good, although the military doesn't come off very well! The CGI isn't bad and holds up pretty well 14 years later.
It's not a complete waste of time but there's nothing special or memorable about it. I originally gave it a 6 out of 10 and, if anything, I might go down to a 5 out of 10 on my second watch.
Pretty good monster movie. The greatest flaw is acting from the two leads that's more wooden than anything you could possibly find in a forest. Both the CGI and the story aged pretty well here.
was an okay film, but mqrk ruffalo does play the role much better , the film had weird story that was long and vboring but had nice action scenes
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Infinity Saga
Phase One
Iron Man (2008) https://trakt.tv/movies/iron-man-2008
The incredible Hulk (2008) https://trakt.tv/movies/the-incredible-hulk-2008
Iron Man 2 (2010) https://trakt.tv/movies/iron-man-2-2010
Thor (2011) https://trakt.tv/movies/thor-2011
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) https://trakt.tv/movies/captain-america-the-first-avenger-2011
The Avengers (2012) https://trakt.tv/movies/the-avengers-2012
Phase Two
Iron Man 3 (2013) https://trakt.tv/movies/iron-man-3-2013
Thor: The Dark World (2013) https://trakt.tv/movies/thor-the-dark-world-2013
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) https://trakt.tv/movies/captain-america-the-winter-soldier-2014
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) https://trakt.tv/movies/guardians-of-the-galaxy-2014
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) https://trakt.tv/movies/avengers-age-of-ultron-2015
Ant-Man (2015) https://trakt.tv/movies/ant-man-2015
Phase Three
Captain America: Civil War (2016) https://trakt.tv/movies/captain-america-civil-war-2016
Doctor Strange (2016) https://trakt.tv/movies/doctor-strange-2016
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) https://trakt.tv/movies/guardians-of-the-galaxy-vol-2-2017
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) https://trakt.tv/movies/spider-man-homecoming-2017
Thor: Ragnarok (2017) https://trakt.tv/movies/thor-ragnarok-2017
Black Panther (2018) https://trakt.tv/movies/black-panther-2018
Avengers: Infinity War (2018) https://trakt.tv/movies/avengers-infinity-war-2018
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) https://trakt.tv/movies/ant-man-and-the-wasp-2018
Captain Marvel (2019) https://trakt.tv/movies/captain-marvel-2019
Avengers: Endgame (2019) https://trakt.tv/movies/avengers-endgame-2019
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) https://trakt.tv/movies/spider-man-far-from-home-2019
Phase Four
Black Widow (2021) https://trakt.tv/movies/black-widow-2021
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) https://trakt.tv/movies/shang-chi-and-the-legend-of-the-ten-rings-2021
Eternals (2021) https://trakt.tv/movies/eternals-2021
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) https://trakt.tv/movies/spider-man-no-way-home-2021
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) https://trakt.tv/movies/doctor-strange-in-the-multiverse-of-madness-2022
Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) https://trakt.tv/movies/thor-love-and-thunder-2022
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) https://trakt.tv/movies/black-panther-wakanda-forever-2022
The Marvels (2023) https://trakt.tv/movies/the-marvels-2023
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ((2023) https://trakt.tv/movies/guardians-of-the-galaxy-vol-3-2023
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) https://trakt.tv/movies/ant-man-and-the-wasp-quantumania-2023
Fantastic Four https://trakt.tv/movies/fantastic-four
This was just pretty boring? Nothing really stood out to me. Tim Roth's performance as pretty good? Hated the design for Abomination. Hate that there will probably never be a followup on Samuel Sterns, but thats not this movie's fault. This movie is just a slog and probably my least favorite in the MCU (this or Thor 2).
5,5/10
H H H H H
This is easily the most generic MCU film I've seen, glad to see Abomination returning in Shang Chi though.
"The Incredible Hulk" tries to be a more mature take on the famous superhero, yet it's just one more incredibly dated, poorly casted and one-dimensional movie. Edward Norton is the least convincing Bruce Banner ever and had zero chemistry with Liv Tyler. The plot itself offers no growth for the characters nor reasons to actually care about any of them. It's just a bunch of lousy CGI action scenes watered down by dull narrative sequences. Tim Roth's character started as mildly interesting but ended up being less than a Power Rangers movie villain. It could have been successful if it was released in the '90s maybe.
The CGI in this 1 is really bad
Not bad. But not great. Why no more Betty in the rest of the films?
Much more enjoyable than the 2003 film, which this 2008 release reboots. So that's a positive. As for a follow-up in the MCU, it's a little underwhelming if still passably good - at least to me.
'The Incredible Hulk' is closer to being forgettable than it is to being memorable, but that's not to say I didn't have a solid time watching. It's only really the ending that I felt dragged, yet even then it still has positive moments.
I liked Edward Norton's performance for the most part, particularly early on in South America. Tim Roth is good too, though a few of his scenes irritated me slightly - perhaps more to do with how the film uses him, rather than what Roth does himself. There are a few others, but those two are the most standout.
I did expect more, but there's enough there that I rate.
The Revisit the MCU Project (2021) #2 of 23
I'm not sure The Incredible Hulk had been picked for a rewatch if it hadn't been a part of the MCU. It's a bit too "uneven" for that, but since it's a part of the MCU, here we are.
What I said in the review from 2016 still stands, The Incredible Hulk doesn't really fit in with the MCU. There are no funny one-liners and there is really no tie in with the rest of the MCU apart from Banner/Hulk. It doesn't work as an origin story either, as we get introduced to all these characters with little to no back story and then asked to care for them. Both Norton and Tyler do a good enough job with what little they had to work with, but it still wasn't enough to lift this one all that much.
One thing though...Rewatching this one made me appreciate the fact that Norton turned down the role for Avengers, as I think having him as Banner would have changed everything rather drastically.
Anyway...if you want to see everything Marvel, The Incredible Hulk has its place, but it's not the best outing in the MCU, that's for sure. The first half is good enough to give it a pass...barely.
THE WACPINE OF ‘THE INCREDIBLE HULK’
WRITING: 4
ATMOSPHERE: 5
CHARACTERS: 6
PRODUCTION: 6
INTRIGUE: 5
NOVELTY: 3
ENJOYMENT: 6
Interestingly, The Incredible Hulk skips the origin story (or rather, retells it quickly over the opening credits) and throws us straight into Bruce Banner's life as a recluse, hiding from the world. Most of the film centres on Bruce's attempt to escape the US government who want to turn him into a superweapon. He unwillingly has to face the dangers placed in front of him, which makes him a tragic, yet incredibly dangerous character. The film depicts this difficult dimension of Banner's life convincingly, while for once depicting the US government as the baddies instead of some foreign force.
The overall plot is predictable and very formulaic, which just goes to show that Disney didn't quite have an idea as to where to go with the franchise at this point. It takes a weird King Kong idea and gives it a Marvel twist. It's not very different from the troubled Ang Lee version from 2003, either.
Another weakness is how the film builds up to the entrance of Abomination as the main villain out of nowhere, after mainly focusing on Bruce's attempts to avert the US military. This turns the film's final act into a generic battle of the beasts.
Director Louis Leterrier teases us with minor glimpses of the beast by setting the action in dark and small spaces, a decision that gives the first half of the film a claustrophobic, horror film kind of vibe. The effects-heavy actions sequences are very well realized, but at some point the film started to feel like it was overdoing the effects bit somewhat, to fill in for a lack of story content. The problem is that the integral Hulk sequences turn worse and worse after the initial one.
The jokes fall mostly flat, particularly those written for Tim Blake Nelson's childishly eager scientist character.
Edward Norton is in many ways the perfect choice to play the brilliant scientist with anger problems since he plays such parts very well. Here, however, he isn't allowed to do much in-depth acting, so that potential is wasted. Through Norton's beastly form, the Hulk is initially depicted as something of an anti-hero or villain even, before forcing to come out of hiding to save the day.
Overall, a superhero film featuring Norton, Liv Tyler and Tim Roth sounds very weird, but the main cast mostly turns out fine. Norton's chemistry with Tyler is almost non-existent; they're fairly awkward onscreen. Liv Tyler sounds dreamy as if she was on a different mental plane altogether while making the film. Additionally, William Hurt's Thaddeus Ross is slightly too one-dimensional and clichéd to feel truly interesting. Props by the way to OG Hulk Lou Ferrigno, who voices the Hulk here and cameos as a security guard.
The production is mostly solid, even if the light shaky-cam action sequences drag down the otherwise claustrophobic battle sequences somewhat. The climactic battle with the CGI beast Abomination is among the worst effects sequences in a Marvel movie (and that's saying something). That final battle is an abomination (pardon the pun).
It's difficult to pinpoint something that keeps this film intriguing. I cannot help but think that Edward Norton could have done more with the character and they could have cast somebody else as Betty Ross. Liv Tyler was miscast if you ask me.
Unlike Iron Man, which somehow managed to rethink the typical origin story, The Incredible Hulk not only falls for all the same clichés, it doesn’t do anything new with the character or the possibilities linked to him.
The Incredible Hulk has its moments, but several smaller shortcomings make it one of the lesser successful entries within the MCU. Lifeless action and an uninspiring plot mean this film doesn’t deserve rewatches. Not even the final moments connecting the film to the rest of the MCU (with a cameo from Robert Downy Jr) help lift the film.
In a better world, I believe we would have gotten a film where Stan Lee turned into Abomination from drinking soda with Banner's gamma blood.
WACPINE RATING: 5.0 / 10 = 2,5 stars
THIS MOVIE IS TOTALLY FREAKING AWESOME AMAZING
WOW....JUST....WOW
I WATCH THIS TO KICK OFF THE INFINITY SAGA
AND IT JUST FITS IN NICELY, AN EPIC START JUST LIKE THE BEGINNING OF THIS MOVIE, WHICH IS PERFECT, NO MESSING AROUND, OFF WE GO,
BUT BRINGS US ALONG WITH IT,
FOR A TRULY GOOD TIME, WITH A VERY VERY
WELL TOLD STORY, BUT WE ARE IN THE MCU SO THERE'S NO SURPRISE THERE. THEY ARE
THE MASTERS AT THAT.
I LOVE HOW THEY MAKE DAMN SURE THAT YOU KNOW EDWARDS HULK IS THE SAME HULK AS MARKS AVENGER HULK,
SAME HULK DIFFERENT ACTOR.
MARK TALKS ABOUT THE AVENTS FROM THE INCREDIBLE HULK, MARVEL IS JUST FLAWLESS AT STORY TELLING AND CREATING A UNIVERSE, NO IN CREATING A MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE,
NO IN CREATING "THE MULTIVERSE".
THE HULK LOOKS ABSOLUTELY FRICKING AWESOME THE PACING OF THE MOVIE IS FANTASTIC AND EVERY MOMENT IS FILLED WITH
STORY, ACTION AND WIT.
THIS MOVIE IS SUCH A WELCOME
ADDITION TO THE MCU.
IT REALLY REALLY IS A SUPERB
MOVIE AND THE FX ARE VERY VERY WELL DONE.
AND BLOWS MY MIND HOW YOU CAN SEE
CAPTAIN AMERICA'S
SHIELD AT THE BEGINNING THEN YOU GET TONY AT THE END, WHAT MORE COULD YOU ASK FOR. 10/10
This movie doesn't deserve all of the hate it gets, it's not great and if anything it doesn't fit in the MCU in my opinion. But the film is pretty enjoyable and though it can get a little slow at times, I still found the action very enjoyable and the setup for the Hulk in the MCU played by Edward Norton (Bruce Banner) was perfectly fine and though I prefer Mark Ruffalo, I could see Edward Norton in the MCU if it wasn't for the drama behind the scenes.
Otherwise, this film has some of the best scenes with the Hulk and the last 20 minutes I feel are some of the best onscreen Hulk scenes which compare to the comics perfectly. Though a little forgettable, it's a harmless scene with some really perfect scenes and I find the CGI is pretty perfect, even though some of them have not aged as well. If you are watching MCU films then I can recommend this one, but don't expect the same hulk after this.
One must consider the fact that the movie was made 12 years before but despite that the pace of the movie seemed too slow, stretching unnecessarily as if to fill time. The creation of Abomination wasn't justified well enough and could've been given more screentime. The first half could easily lose good 15-20 minutes of fillers
From start to finish, this is a total mess of a film that seems more interested in finding room for not-so-subtle cameos and wink-nudge-grins than telling a complete story.
Knocking out the whole origin chapter during the opening credits may have freed up the rest of the picture to explore new territory, but it also killed the basis of the cast's relationships and removed any reason for the audience to care about them. Ed Norton and Liv Tyler turn in genuinely rotten performances, with a black hole of chemistry as an on-screen duo; neither true to the original characters nor interesting in the slightest. Bruce never comes off as remotely intelligent, let alone the super genius he'd have to be to come up with the formula that turned him into the Hulk, and actually spends more time running from grossly generic government operatives than using his brain. This effectively kills the contrast between Banner’s more meek, subdued character and the shoot-first viscera of the Hulk that's such a focal point of the character’s story. In this edition, they're both mindlessly running, just in opposite directions.
Corny dialog, predictable twists and turns, weak CG, flat characterization and sleepwalking actors. This blew up in Marvel's face.
Spot all the continuity errors. Like hat on hat off! Woohoo!
It just feels weird, that rewatching the whole MC universe, that the actors are different. :sweat_smile:
The Incredible Hulk is an exciting action film, and an exemplary remake of the classic ‘70s television show. In a bold move the film forgoes the Hulk origin story and instead finds Bruce Banner on the run, in search of a cure to his gamma exposure, and Gen. "Thunderbolt" Ross in hot pursuit. An impressive cast has been assembled that includes Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, and William Hurt. While both Norton and Roth give excellent performances, Tyler chews up the scenery and drags down every scene she’s in. But, the script is especially well written and the special effects are quite impressive. The Incredible Hulk is a no-holds-barred, adrenaline packed action film that reboots the franchise.
Perfect adaptation of the spirit of Stan Lee's Marvel character.
[MCU Rewatch Review]
Not that bad. It's just very generic, but add some to the universe if you watch following MCU chronological order
More action packed than the strange Ang Lee movie. Edward Norton tries his best but Eric Bana Mark Ruffalo were better. The rest of the cast does better I think.
I don’t get why General Ross is in Civil War though with no mention of his daughter. While they still push Bruce with Black Widow. But not Betty Ross.
[Pre-Endgame MCU Rewatch] It's not a great movie by any means, but it's entertaining at least. I'm glad they took care of most of the origin story right in the opening credits and fill in the remaining blanks shortly after. Ed Norton plays a decently well Bruce Banner but I didn't really care for him. Hulk is great and I love his look in this movie, much more menacing and dark than in the later films of the MCU.
Overall plot is the usual thing they've done for decades in the comic books before the Hulk actually got interesting to read. Bruce loves Betty, Betty's father the military general doesn't like that, general chases Hulk with military might, Hulk just wants to be left alone. Yawn. If they ever try to make a Hulk movie again they should look at the later storylines, just as they incorporated parts of Planet Hulk into Thor Ragnarok.
Not the best mcu, nor superhero movie. It's decent just lacks depth of charcters you don't really care about any of the charcters besides Bruce and Betty. Action is good but can be cgi heavy, villain is also very weak.
Where did it go wrong? It had a solid cast, all noted for being great performers, but it all felt horribly miscast. The story began all wrong, in a frenzy, skipping everything that would have developed characters and established relationships. It was like walking into the theatre 20 minutes late, you feel you've missed something important. The CGI was excessive and the human stories were undeveloped. And, I can't help but think that this didn't fare so well being released within months of a Marvel movie that was as well made as IRON MAN. Even in these rewatchings, I watched them chronologically, which just heightened the disparity. I'm disappointed to give this film a 6 (fair) out of 10. (It didn't even have an after credit scene - sub par). Well, at least I know that a better incarnation of the Hulk was resurrected for subsequent Avenger movies. [Superhero Action Adventure]
The beginning of this movie is super! We start off with opening credits that show us the origin of the Hulk. Then we see that Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) is in the favelas in Rio, which is all nicely portrayed. The story is about a scientist on the run, looking for a cure to a dangerous infection. I'm hooked right away.
But as soon as the story takes us to the US, the plot goes downhill. We ended up in a freakshow, with the army following a green monster and a Spec Op (Emil Blonski) that buffs up and becomes an Abomination. And unfortunately the CGI was as abominable...
Not bad for an action movie, but certainly not Incredible.
Honestly the incredible hulk is a pretty good movie if you can overlook the awful "love" story and the unimpressive final battle but other than that its entertaining enough
Not so touching, not so thrilling, just two guys in green and their tolerance problem to each other ;)
I think Nortan does a great job at performing Hulk. I wish this was more of an origin film than somewhere in the middle where he's trying to find a cure for the Hulk.
It's a fine superhero movie. Nothing special. The last fight is a little too CGI heavy. There really isn't any humor. It takes itself too seriously. Still I enjoy it for what it is. I wonder what the MCU would look like if Edward Norton was still Bruce Banner?
Easily the least of the MCU-era Marvel films, but still a lot to like. Nice touches referring back to the tv show, and the action - when it comes - is thrilling. It's a mile better than Ang Lee's "Hulk" movie, but Mark Ruffalo is definitely a warmer, more interesting Bruce Banner.
I have never been a fan of the Hulk. He´s a rather monotone character. A guy that turns green and goes nuts once his puls hits 200 ? Sounds like my old teacher.
But this is also a weak movie. First of it´s a bad idea to put the whole origin story in the opening credits. You feel like this is a sequel to a movie you haven´t seen. Acting is bad, very shallow dialogue. The humor isn´t great. Whole plot in general has holes the size of a tank. And it´s just plain stupid when you see soldiers peppering the Hulk with bullets with obviously no effect yet they do it over and over again. Furthermore the Superhulk is ridicolous. There isn´t even some kind of comprehensive story just smashing things.
And technically, compared to Iron Man, this looks old. Which is curious because they both had roughly the same budget and were made at the same time. So overall quite a forgetable movie.
Downgraded from 6 to 4 after viewing it for the second time.
it's the best Hulk movie but that doesn't mean it's necessarily a great movie it's perfectly fine as an action flick
I personally think it's way better then the Hulk film that predates it. personally for me Edward Norton and Tom definitely kill it in their respective roles
So much better than the 1st one
Although I could mention a lot of things that irritated me with this outing of the Hulks origin story, the positives outweigh most of the negatives.
The Incredible Hulk is, in fact, a movie about Bruce Banner. The Hulk gets a supporting role. The movie isn't suffering too much because of this, as the story seems well thought through, and actually works rather well. The action sequences seems a little long to me, but I suppose that's a matter of taste rather than a flaw.
Though...fitting in with the other Marvel Universe outings it does not. It's much too dark and brooding for that. No funny one-liners, no real tie-in with the other movies. It's an ok enough movie on its own, but as a part of the Marvel Universe...not so much.
If you like superhero movies...I'm sure you'll like it.
Loved The Avengers, but Norton is the definitive Hulk IMO.
Shout by DraackjeBlockedParent2012-06-03T09:14:57Z
Mindless action, not much of a story. In my opinion Norton does a great job in the chasing scenes, and the Hulk action scenes look great (although they are too much and too long), but they don't really fit together in the same movie. I guess Hulk is great as a side character, but too difficult a character and story to fill a 90 minute movie with.
Conclusion: worst movie in the 'Avengers' series, and I won't be watching again.