Marvel May - The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Hey guys, Chuck here. Today, as part of Marvel May, I'm going to take a look at the consistently overlooked second entry of the Marvel Cinematic Universe: 2008's The Incredible Hulk. Part of why this one is overlooked is due to having a different actor as Bruce Banner as the rest of the MCU, and due to the fact that the film was released through Universal, and all MCU films up through Captain America: The First Avenger were released through Paramount. While both The Avengers and Iron Man 3 were released with the Paramount logo, those were both released by Disney. On top of that, the film doesn't really fit into the MCU tonally, but what we have to remember is that the MCU was in its infancy, so there wasn't much there in terms of consistency that the series has now. But is the movie any good? Should it be looked at along with the rest of the Phase One MCU films? Let's find out as we discuss The Incredible Hulk.
During the movie's opening credits, we see Bruce Banner, played here by Edward Norton, conducting an experiment that exposes him to near-lethal levels of gamma radiation, which causes him to turn into a giant green monstrosity, the Hulk. The accident also causes injury to Bruce's girlfriend and fellow scientist Betty Ross, played by Liv Tyler, and her father General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, played by William Hurt, forces Bruce to go on the run. After years and false leads, as well as acquiring equipment from Stark Industries, Ross almost gives up finding Bruce. Bruce, meanwhile, has been living in Brazil, doing day labor work in a bottling plant, studying yoga as a means to maintain emotional control, and chats via the Internet with the mysterious "Mr. Blue." Interestingly, Bruce's online identity is "Mr. Green." One day, after a cut on his finger causes some of Bruce's blood to get into one of the soda bottles, which is shipped to the USA and bought and drank by the film's Stan Lee cameo, Ross receives a report of the incident, and calls in a group of mercenaries to capture Bruce alive. Among the mercenaries is British soldier Emil Blonsky, played by Tim Roth. After a chase that leads into the factory. Bruce does eventually transform into the Hulk, leading to the mercenaries getting their asses handed to them. Hulk escapes and ends up making his way back to the States. It is here that Ross informs Blonsky that Bruce's experiment was part of the US Army's attempt to re-create a World War II era "super soldier" program (the same one that turned Steve Rogers into Captain America). Blonsky is then injected with a similar serum, which gives him more of an edge for his next face-off against the Hulk.
Bruce, meanwhile, has returned to Virginia, where the data from the experiment is located at the lab at Culver University. Using the guise of delivering pizza, and giving a free medium pizza to the security guard, played by Lou Ferrigno in a cameo appearance, Bruce finds that the data is gone. Later that evening, Bruce is reunited with Betty, who transferred the data onto a flash drive. Bruce and Betty, after being cornered by the Army, attempt to get away, with Bruce becoming the Hulk once more, and Betty confronting her father. After a fight on the grounds of Culver University, which results in equipment being destroyed, Blonsky being injured, and the Hulk and Betty escaping, Ross meets with Betty's colleague and current boyfriend Leonard Samson, played by Ty Burrell, who says that she'll never stop helping Bruce. Bruce sends the data to Mr. Blue, arranging to meet him in New York City. Blonsky, having quickly recovered, joins Ross and co. to bring Banner in. It turns out that Mr. Blue is scientist Samuel Sterns, played by Tim Blake Nelson, who has developed an antidote to suppress the Hulk, but is unsure of whether it's permanent or if it's for just one transformation. Ross takes Bruce away, and Betty tags along, angered by her father's actions. Blonsky, whose mental state has been deteriorating throughout the movie, forces Sterns to give him some of Bruce's blood, which Sterns warns that the fusion of the gamma-irradiated blood with the serum that Blonsky was injected with could create "an Abomination." Sterns does give Blonsky what he wants, however, and the Abomination is born, wreaking havoc throughout the streets of Harlem. Sterns, meanwhile, begins to undergo his own transformation when a few drops of Bruce's blood enters a cut on his forehead, hinting at Sterns' transformation into the Leader in the comics. With the Army unable to stop the Abomination, Bruce offers to due so himself as the Hulk. Dropping out of the aircraft and hitting the street below, Bruce turns into the Hulk, and a literal clash of the titans breaks out in Harlem between the Hulk and the Abomination. With some assistance from Ross' aircraft, Hulk takes the Abomination down, and goes on the run once again. Some time later, Betty recieves a package from Bruce, who has been living in seclusion up in Canada since the Harlem incident. Bruce finally learns to control his transformations into the Hulk, and triggers one. Meanwhile, Ross is drinking shots at a bar, where he is approached by Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr, who tells him that a team is being put together, ending the movie.
When this movie was in theaters, I really enjoyed it. One, because Hulk actually had an opponent to fight that was equal to him, and the performances weren't as flat and dull as the ones in Ang Lee's 2003 Hulk film. Director Louis Leterrier did a phenomenal job on that front, and he clearly understands the character of the Hulk. Actor Edward Norton, who was previously up for the role in the 2003 version before Eric Bana's casting, was phenomenal as Banner, and while it's unfortunate that things didn't work out between him and Marvel Studios, we can't deny that Edward was terrific in this movie. Looking back at it now, though, I feel that his presence likely would have overshadowed the rest of the leads in The Avengers, but I'll get into that movie, as well as Mark Ruffalo's performance as Banner, later on. Recently, Edward Norton has expressed interest in returning to the MCU as a villain, and I can see that as a possibility. Heck, I can see Edward Norton possibly take on the role of M.O.D.O.K. in an MCU movie. As for the rest of the cast, I really think it's a shame that we didn't get to see either Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, or Tim Blake Nelson return as Betty Ross, Emil Blonsky, or Samuel Sterns, as all three were really good in this movie. Hopefully, we might see them make an appearance in the Disney+ series She-Hulk, but we'll see what happens there. Meanwhile, William Hurt's General Ross, who has made subsequent MCU appearances, was good in this movie as well. I also have to compliment the visual effects work done in this movie by Rhythm & Hues, as they made the Hulk much more realistic than that piece of shit we saw in the 2003 version. The last positive thing I have with this movie was the appearance of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, just one month after the release of Iron Man. Honestly, if you didn't take that post-credits scene from Iron Man, hinting at the formation of the team known as the Avengers, seriously, then by the time you walked out of the theater at the end of this movie, you definitely did.
Unfortunately, as I said before, the major issue with The Incredible Hulk is that the film's tone isn't consistent with the other MCU films. While the MCU films have a sense of fun, optimism, and excitement about them, with the exception of the slightly more dire tone of Avengers: Endgame, The Incredible Hulk had a much darker tone, especially when compared to Iron Man, which came out the month before. The film just doesn't really feel like it fits in with the other MCU films, and it definitely shows. Now, many have wondered why Marvel Studios hasn't made a sequel to this film. Unfortunately, Universal Pictures holds what is known as a "right of first refusal" to future stand-alone Hulk films. In other words, Marvel can use the character in other MCU films, but any solo Hulk films would have to be presented to Universal before Marvel could proceed with it, just in case Universal wanted to make the movie and release it under their logo. Now as I said, I enjoyed this movie, but looking back at it all these years later, The Incredible Hulk isn't really a must-watch for MCU fans the way Iron Man was. In reality, it was an improvement over the 2004 version, but is best left in the MCU's experimental past as part of Phase One. I'm going to give The Incredible Hulk a rating of 3.75/5. Honestly, I liked Edward Norton's Banner, but Mark Ruffalo was a much better fit for the character. This is Chuck signing off. Join me next time as we take a look at Iron Man 2 as Marvel May continues.
During the movie's opening credits, we see Bruce Banner, played here by Edward Norton, conducting an experiment that exposes him to near-lethal levels of gamma radiation, which causes him to turn into a giant green monstrosity, the Hulk. The accident also causes injury to Bruce's girlfriend and fellow scientist Betty Ross, played by Liv Tyler, and her father General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, played by William Hurt, forces Bruce to go on the run. After years and false leads, as well as acquiring equipment from Stark Industries, Ross almost gives up finding Bruce. Bruce, meanwhile, has been living in Brazil, doing day labor work in a bottling plant, studying yoga as a means to maintain emotional control, and chats via the Internet with the mysterious "Mr. Blue." Interestingly, Bruce's online identity is "Mr. Green." One day, after a cut on his finger causes some of Bruce's blood to get into one of the soda bottles, which is shipped to the USA and bought and drank by the film's Stan Lee cameo, Ross receives a report of the incident, and calls in a group of mercenaries to capture Bruce alive. Among the mercenaries is British soldier Emil Blonsky, played by Tim Roth. After a chase that leads into the factory. Bruce does eventually transform into the Hulk, leading to the mercenaries getting their asses handed to them. Hulk escapes and ends up making his way back to the States. It is here that Ross informs Blonsky that Bruce's experiment was part of the US Army's attempt to re-create a World War II era "super soldier" program (the same one that turned Steve Rogers into Captain America). Blonsky is then injected with a similar serum, which gives him more of an edge for his next face-off against the Hulk.
Bruce, meanwhile, has returned to Virginia, where the data from the experiment is located at the lab at Culver University. Using the guise of delivering pizza, and giving a free medium pizza to the security guard, played by Lou Ferrigno in a cameo appearance, Bruce finds that the data is gone. Later that evening, Bruce is reunited with Betty, who transferred the data onto a flash drive. Bruce and Betty, after being cornered by the Army, attempt to get away, with Bruce becoming the Hulk once more, and Betty confronting her father. After a fight on the grounds of Culver University, which results in equipment being destroyed, Blonsky being injured, and the Hulk and Betty escaping, Ross meets with Betty's colleague and current boyfriend Leonard Samson, played by Ty Burrell, who says that she'll never stop helping Bruce. Bruce sends the data to Mr. Blue, arranging to meet him in New York City. Blonsky, having quickly recovered, joins Ross and co. to bring Banner in. It turns out that Mr. Blue is scientist Samuel Sterns, played by Tim Blake Nelson, who has developed an antidote to suppress the Hulk, but is unsure of whether it's permanent or if it's for just one transformation. Ross takes Bruce away, and Betty tags along, angered by her father's actions. Blonsky, whose mental state has been deteriorating throughout the movie, forces Sterns to give him some of Bruce's blood, which Sterns warns that the fusion of the gamma-irradiated blood with the serum that Blonsky was injected with could create "an Abomination." Sterns does give Blonsky what he wants, however, and the Abomination is born, wreaking havoc throughout the streets of Harlem. Sterns, meanwhile, begins to undergo his own transformation when a few drops of Bruce's blood enters a cut on his forehead, hinting at Sterns' transformation into the Leader in the comics. With the Army unable to stop the Abomination, Bruce offers to due so himself as the Hulk. Dropping out of the aircraft and hitting the street below, Bruce turns into the Hulk, and a literal clash of the titans breaks out in Harlem between the Hulk and the Abomination. With some assistance from Ross' aircraft, Hulk takes the Abomination down, and goes on the run once again. Some time later, Betty recieves a package from Bruce, who has been living in seclusion up in Canada since the Harlem incident. Bruce finally learns to control his transformations into the Hulk, and triggers one. Meanwhile, Ross is drinking shots at a bar, where he is approached by Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr, who tells him that a team is being put together, ending the movie.
When this movie was in theaters, I really enjoyed it. One, because Hulk actually had an opponent to fight that was equal to him, and the performances weren't as flat and dull as the ones in Ang Lee's 2003 Hulk film. Director Louis Leterrier did a phenomenal job on that front, and he clearly understands the character of the Hulk. Actor Edward Norton, who was previously up for the role in the 2003 version before Eric Bana's casting, was phenomenal as Banner, and while it's unfortunate that things didn't work out between him and Marvel Studios, we can't deny that Edward was terrific in this movie. Looking back at it now, though, I feel that his presence likely would have overshadowed the rest of the leads in The Avengers, but I'll get into that movie, as well as Mark Ruffalo's performance as Banner, later on. Recently, Edward Norton has expressed interest in returning to the MCU as a villain, and I can see that as a possibility. Heck, I can see Edward Norton possibly take on the role of M.O.D.O.K. in an MCU movie. As for the rest of the cast, I really think it's a shame that we didn't get to see either Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, or Tim Blake Nelson return as Betty Ross, Emil Blonsky, or Samuel Sterns, as all three were really good in this movie. Hopefully, we might see them make an appearance in the Disney+ series She-Hulk, but we'll see what happens there. Meanwhile, William Hurt's General Ross, who has made subsequent MCU appearances, was good in this movie as well. I also have to compliment the visual effects work done in this movie by Rhythm & Hues, as they made the Hulk much more realistic than that piece of shit we saw in the 2003 version. The last positive thing I have with this movie was the appearance of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, just one month after the release of Iron Man. Honestly, if you didn't take that post-credits scene from Iron Man, hinting at the formation of the team known as the Avengers, seriously, then by the time you walked out of the theater at the end of this movie, you definitely did.
Unfortunately, as I said before, the major issue with The Incredible Hulk is that the film's tone isn't consistent with the other MCU films. While the MCU films have a sense of fun, optimism, and excitement about them, with the exception of the slightly more dire tone of Avengers: Endgame, The Incredible Hulk had a much darker tone, especially when compared to Iron Man, which came out the month before. The film just doesn't really feel like it fits in with the other MCU films, and it definitely shows. Now, many have wondered why Marvel Studios hasn't made a sequel to this film. Unfortunately, Universal Pictures holds what is known as a "right of first refusal" to future stand-alone Hulk films. In other words, Marvel can use the character in other MCU films, but any solo Hulk films would have to be presented to Universal before Marvel could proceed with it, just in case Universal wanted to make the movie and release it under their logo. Now as I said, I enjoyed this movie, but looking back at it all these years later, The Incredible Hulk isn't really a must-watch for MCU fans the way Iron Man was. In reality, it was an improvement over the 2004 version, but is best left in the MCU's experimental past as part of Phase One. I'm going to give The Incredible Hulk a rating of 3.75/5. Honestly, I liked Edward Norton's Banner, but Mark Ruffalo was a much better fit for the character. This is Chuck signing off. Join me next time as we take a look at Iron Man 2 as Marvel May continues.
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