Review written by Christian Garcia
Often considered the black sheep of the MCU films, The Incredible Hulk is the second film in the MCU and a film that has long since been forgotten.
Hulk is one of my favorite Marvel characters. I had the action figures for the Ang Lee film back in 2003. Despite never actually having seen the film, the figures made me a big enough fan that I bought the book The Hulk: The Incredible Guide by Tom DeFalco. In that book, contained a complete history of the Hulk. From his original designs to his history and storylines. It was this book that first made me aware of the Avengers. I remember thinking how cool it was that Hulk teamed up Thor and Iron Man. It was this book that got me more interested in Marvel's heroes and got me buying the Marvel Legends figures that would make me the fan I am today.
Whenever the Marvel films are discussed, The Incredible Hulk is usually not one of them. Most reactions typically range from being meh to I didn't waste my time. Is this movie as bad as everyone says? Does it deserve its place in obscurity? Let's take a look.
The Hero:
Bruce Banner is a renowned scientist who is on the run. An experiment gone wrong left him exposed to lethal levels of gamma radiation. But instead of killing him, it created the rage-fueled monster known as the Hulk.
After fleeing to South America, Banner tries to keep a low profile and maintain control of his anger while trying to find a cure to rid himself of the Hulk once and for all.
The Hero's Journey:
The film begins with Banner trying to meditate. He is hiding out in South America from Lieutenant General Ross. He is shown studying martial arts and meditative breathing techniques to control his anger. The film has a counter that shows he has gone 158 days without incident. He works a job at soda bottle factory and communicates with someone by the name of Mr. Blue, trying to find a cure for his condition.
The opening minutes are film are the only sense of calm that Banner is allowed to have as the rest of the film has him constantly on the run. The opening moments allow the audience to feel sympathy for Banner and see him as a man who is just trying to maintain a stress-free life for the betterment of himself and others. After accidentally slicing his hand at the factory, a trace of Banner’s blood ends up in a bottle that leads to his cover being blown later on.
A clever Stan Lee cameo drinks out of the bottle and Ross tracks Banner’s location. He sends a team led by Emil Blonsky and Banner tries to escape. He ends up cornered in the bottle factory where he is attacked by a gang lead by a fellow employee who he had a confrontation with earlier. The attack leads him to lose control and transform into the Hulk. His incident streak broken; Banner is able to escape.
Banner is given a few a moment of calm when he returns to the US and reunites with his ex-girlfriend Betty Ross. Their reunion and time together are the most light-hearted moments of the films and the only time where Banner’s life has a sense of calm and comfort. However, that moment of calm is not to last as they are ambushed by Ross yet again. Banner once again transforms into the Hulk and is able to escape with Betty. This leads to one of the best moments in the film, where Hulk and Betty are hiding in a cave and Betty tries to calm the beast down. It's a touching moment and one that shows that there is more to the Hulk than destruction.
They hide out in a motel and reunite. They attempt to have sex, but Banner’s blood pressure begins to rise, and they must stop. This is a sad moment that conveys the burden that Banner carries with him not even being able to get intimate without the risk of hurting the ones he cares about. They made their way to New York and get in touch with Mr. Blue where he finally gets an opportunity to test Mr. Blue’s cure and possibly rid himself of the Hulk. Betty tries to argue that he may be able to control the Hulk, but Banner is adamant about riding himself of the beast. He sees the Hulk as a burden that he wants gone rather than to get it under control.
Ross tracks them down again and leads to the film’s climax where Banner must become the Hulk to take down the Abomination, created by Ross. They battle it out and Hulk defeats Abomination. The Hulk shares a final look with Betty. This is a sad moment that highlights that so long as the Hulk exists, he cannot have a normal life with the woman he loves. But it also gives a sign of hope that shows that Betty was right that there is part of Banner still inside the Hulk. The film ends with Banner meditating and showing he has learned to control the Hulk.
The Villain:
Emil Blonsky is a special op hired gun who is recruited by General Ross to capture the Hulk. He is fascinated by the Hulk and his power. After a confrontation with the Hulk at Culver University left him brutally injured, he has himself transfused with Banner's blood and turns into the monster, Abomination.
He is a very one-dimensional villain. His motivation is just to beat and capture the Hulk. There is not much to him other than that. As Abomination, his design is cool and threatening looking but he is not much more than another Hulk. He doesn’t seem to be that much stronger than Hulk as he is simply out fought and easily beaten by the Hulk. His role as the antagonist is also not very strong either and he is more of a final obstacle.
General Ross plays more of an antagonistic role as he wants to capture Banner so he can harness and weaponize the Hulk for the military. His beliefs put him in conflict with both Banner and Betty and make for a more interesting dynamic. But Ross is not a physical threat to Hulk and more of a thorn in his and Banner’s side. The weakness of both villains does hurt the film in a way as they are not very memorable. Although I did find myself strongly disliking Ross, Abomination left little affect on me. Making for another wasted villain in the MCU.
The Film's Pros:
The Cave Scene
The best moment of the film is where Betty and the Hulk are hiding out in a cave during a thunderstorm. The thunder and lightning freak out the Hulk and Betty tries to calm him down telling him it’s only the rain. It’s a touching moment made even better when Hulk listens and sits down next to her. It shows that Bruce is still inside the Hulk, and he can be controlled. This scene alone makes this film worth seeing and even could work as a short. It captures the human and tragic side to the Hulk under all the rage and chaos.
Edward Norton
While lookwise, Edward Norton is not who I would imagine as the Hulk, he does fantastic job as Bruce Banner. I have been a fan of Edward Norton as an actor from his roles in American History X and Primal Fear. His performance in Primal Fear showed that he is more than capable of playing a man with multiple persoanlities which in the case of the Hulk is pretty similar. Banner's journey is interesting as he is trying to maintain calm while constantly on the run in the most stressful situations possible. He is an innocent and burdened man who knows of the monster within him and does his best to keep it under control. Norton gets that conflict across very well and I find myself sympathizing and rooting for him throughout the film.
I would have loved to have seen Norton's Banner interact with the rest of the Avengers in later films and it's a shame that he doesn't stick around. While Mark Ruffalo does make the role his own and does a great job, one can wonder how different the dynamic of the Avengers would be with Norton.
Betty Ross
Bruce Banner’s world is filled with stress and chaos and in the only bright light in his world is his girlfriend, Betty Ross. She is the perfect counterpart to the Hulk. While the Hulk bring chaos and pain, she brings Bruce calm and peace. She is warm and caring and is the only one Bruce can turn to. When she comes face to face with the Hulk, she doesn’t run away in fear. She tries to help him and protect him. The scenes with her and Bruce are my favorite parts of the film and where the dramatic moments really shine. Liv Tyler plays Betty, and she does a great job. She brings the warmth and calm to the cold and chaotic world of the Hulk. Her performance shines, and she is one of my favorite supporting characters in any Marvel film.
The Film's Cons:
Doesn't feel like an epic film
The story of the Incredible Hulk is an interesting tale like that of Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The story of a man who turns into a monster and constantly trying to get his monstrous side under control. The idea and complexities of Bruce Banner are fascinating to see unfold but the medium of film limits the storytelling potential. The Incredible Hulk would have worked better as a television show. The episodic structure of TV allows more time to let characters develop and let the audience get to know them. Hulk could have worked the same way as Daredevil did on Netflix.
My recent viewing of this film was not in one sitting. I watched it in bits and pieces, and I noticed how each bit could have worked as an episode. The opening with him in Rio could have been the pilot ending with the Hulk about to appear and get fans to tune into the next episode to see what unfolds. This film doesn’t allow the viewer or the characters to catch their breath. The slow moments they have don’t last long before jumping right into the next chase or battle scene. Imagine an episode dedicated to Banner and Betty in the motel formulating a plan. The climax felt like an epic season finale with the last scene of Banner meditating as a teaser for the next season. Would it have been as big of a success as Daredevil? Who knows but there was potential. I am aware that there is a She-Hulk show being made for Disney Plus. Hopefully they can do what wasn’t done with Hulk and turn out a more interesting product.
Final Thoughts:
The Incredible Hulk, while not an incredible film, is still a solid film. Norton's performance as Bruce Banner is great as he captures the essence of a guy who's fighting to control the beast inside and is constantly on the run while trying to achieve inner calm. The film should have been called Bruce Banner or Banner as it really is more about Bruce Banner than the Hulk. It's a film after both viewings that left me thinking, well that was good. Not great but good.
So why does this film always get ignored when discussing the other Marvel films?
Well, the sad truth is, while it is a solid film, many and much better and more memorable films have come and gone since so it's been lost in the shuffle. The glaring reason this film is ignored is because it does not feel like part of the Marvel Universe. It feels more like a separate standalone film. As a standalone film, it’s good but as a piece of the MCU, its very insignificant. I did not bother showing my girlfriend this film as there was really no reason to. The actor is switched out in later films so there’s no reason to get attached to Norton’s Banner as good as it is. Also, the events that happen in this film do not really affect the MCU. Nothing that happens here is ever followed up on in any other Marvel film. The only piece that really connects it to the MCU is the post credit scene with Tony Stark but even that is only loosely followed up on. The film is more of an isolated incident rather than an important piece of a long-term storyline and as a result, this is the movie that most people skip when looking at the MCU.
It is not a must-see film by any means, but it does more right than its contemporary and is the best attempt at a Hulk film. It is worthy of at least one viewing and a little more love than it gets.
Commentaires