The Hulk is a popular Marvel superhero who has had many adaptations in film and TV with varying results both good and bad. In terms of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they would not get the Hulk character right until the first Avengers movie with Mark Ruffolo because the first time the MCU tried their hands at a separate hulk movie, it didn’t work out the way it should have with trying to have some other actor as the big green crushing giant. Still what we got in The Incredible Hulk is not anywhere near bad, but it’s not quite anything spectacular compared to the other MCU films.
Years ago, Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) was involved in an experiment that went totally wrong as he transformed into a giant green monster and almost killed his girlfriend Betty (Liv Tyler). Bruce goes into hiding from the government as he tries to find a cure for his unique condition. When a mysterious online user called Mr. Blue says he may have found a cure, Bruce gets the help of Betty to track down his location so that they can maybe put an end to bruce’s monstrous powers. They better be fast though as the government is tracking their every move to stop them from succeeding.
Before I talk about what doesn’t work in the story, I’ll tell you what does work. The action sequences are great and they really make use of the Hulk’s abilities while doing some new things that we haven’t seen in a Hulk movie before. We’ve already seen the Hulk do things like picking up and throwing heavy objects and smashing things, but I like how the filmmakers try other things like having the Hulk using car doors as shields for protection. The overall narrative has its pros and cons. I think the main issue is that everything seems rather rushed there are many scenes that could have been longer or explained better like how Bruce got his powers. Still, the film is clearly trying to tell a good story and it shows in its execution. Another thing I wish they could have developed better is the characters. I did like Bruce and Betty’s chemistry as it can be sweet at times and even heartbreaking. The rest of the characters do a fair job playing their roles and while they could be better from a development point of view, they also could have been much worse.
Unlike some of the other Hulk adaptations, The CGI effects for this Hulk movie although kinda obvious are definitely a step up from previous incarnations. Like mentioned before, they make great use of the Hulks powers on a visual scale and there are a lot of battle scenes that are both thrilling and well-paced. At times the CGI can look a little fake but not to the point that it’s poorly executed. The rest of the background visuals when not in an action sequence are kinda half and half. There are some beautiful shots of Brazil in the beginning but unfortunately, the rest of the cinematography goes very mellow with your typical filming shots of locations like a school or some parts of New York. That’s not bad at all, but it just makes the overall presentation not very unique compared to other superhero flicks. The Music is done by Craig Armstrong who brings everything he can to make for an entertaining experience. It’s clearly not the best music score in the MCU, but I give credit to Armstrong for giving everything he’s got to make epic sounds for this kind of movie.
Just to be clear with everyone, I don’t think The Incredible Hulk is anywhere near a bad movie or even a mediocre movie. There was a lot of effort that went into this movie and while, some of the results didn’t quite work as well as the filmmakers intended, there was clearly a good movie trying to come out from all the weak elements of the whole picture. It may not be anywhere near the best MCU movie, but its okay storytelling, pretty good effects, and decent music score provide enough of an entertaining experience that’s worth watching at least once. If one great thing did come out of this movie, it’s the last scene during the end credits which is so satisfying I won’t dare ruin it for you here. Hulk is an overall decent flick which means it is better than some of the other adaptations, but not by much in the long run.
(Final Grade: B-)