The Incredible Hulk Review

4 out of 5

Action, Superhero

The Verdict

Thumbs Up: Highly Recommended

Marvel fans catching up on the early MCU who want a solid, action-heavy Hulk story. It’s rated PG-13 for action violence, so it’s fine for teens.

Wait for Streaming

Synopsis

Bruce Banner (Norton) is a mild-mannered scientist who one day gets caught in the middle of a gamma radiation accident. Now each time he gets angry he turns into a big, green, rage monster named the Hulk. The government sees the Hulk as a powerful tool to use and will stop at nothing to take him away. Bruce must hide away from the government and keep himself calm so that he can find an antidote for his transformations.

Spoiler Warning!!! Full Review Below

Full Review (Spoilers)

Producers: Avi Arad, Gale Anne Hurd, and Kevin Feige

The Good

Edward Norton did an awesome job as Bruce Banner. He fulfilled every expectation for this character. He not only portrayed Bruce as a smart man but one with great ingenuity. Norton gave a decent portrayal of a man who’s torn with the decision of getting rid of the Hulk or trying to aim it at a desired target.

The Hulk was amazing on screen and looked better than Ang Lee’s interpretation of the gamma-filled rage monster. He didn’t look too tall and had good muscular density. I remembered watching this in the theaters cheered when he said his famous line “Hulk Smash!”

The plot for this Hulk reboot worked well. It didn’t contain a complicated back story at all. They covered the basics of Bruce Banner and his gamma radiation accident in short flashbacks which worked. Norton’s revisions on the script put it as one of the best Hulk films to date. He made critical changes to highlight more of a fugitive story.

The Bad

General Ross only finds Banner in the beginning of the movie because of a U.S. citizen getting sick from soda pop. It makes you think about how hard are they really trying to find Banner if he could allude them for almost a year.

Bruce Banner giving his blood to Dr. Sterns was a far-fetched idea. Bruce wanted to keep it out of the hands of everyone but himself and wouldn’t allow anyone to try and test it. Him trusting Sterns lead to his capture during the second half of the film. It was a silly mistake which isn’t like Banner.

The campus battle was a nice scene but ultimately served barely any purpose at all. It only showed the new technology of the armed forces which didn’t stop the Hulk. Instead of capturing Bruce while he was in human form, they brought out the Hulk by getting him excited. They should have hold off on the smoke bombs and went for the tranquilizer darts instead.

This movie lacked in creating memorable scenes. When thinking about the movie after watching it you might forget what exactly happened. Even now the movie is hard to recall without re-watching a few scenes.

Originally published on the Bring On The Reviews Blogspot blog on June 19, 2014.

The Incredible Hulk (2008) Cast and Details

The Incredible Hulk (2008) is directed by Louis Leterrier and stars Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, Tim Blake Nelson and Ty Burrell. It runs 112 minutes and is rated PG-13. You can look up the full cast and crew on IMDb. You might also like my Horrible Bosses 2 review.

DC's Hypothetical Corner

Let’s say I change one thing. Maybe that one thing will make this movie better or more watchable.

It would be a different movie if Samson never told General Ross about Betty’s location. Of course the cool battle scene on campus would not have happened but they could replace it with another battle scene. Imagine if Bill Bixby, (R.I.P.), could have showed up in this version of the Hulk. This could have brought some nostalgia seeing him show up on the screen as Uncle Bruce. Maybe they could even make a joke like, “You were named after me.”

Share this review