Of all the MCU titles, The Incredible Hulk is the one I’ve revisited the least. In fact, it had been a few years since I popped it in until last week as it has been considered by myself to be the weakest of the bunch. Depending on my mood, I would toss it around with Thor & Thor: The Dark World as the low point for the Marvel Cinematic Universe but this recent revisit had me viewing it with a new set of eyes. It’s still on the low end for me, but I found myself enjoying it a lot more than I remembered and there are some isolated moments that really make the film stand out. The overall problem with The Incredible Hulk, at least for me, has very little to do with the film itself but with the character itself. For some reason, I don’t think he translates all that well to the big screen as the main focus of the story. He’s great in a supporting capacity, as we’ve seen in recent years, but for some reason, filmmakers can’t get him to work 100% on his own.
Director Ang Lee, a fine director in his own right, tackled the character in 2003’s Hulk and proved to be the wrong choice for the project. Lee has a lot of art house sensibilities and he tried to infuse that into the film and it simply did not work. There is a bit a tragedy to the duality of the character that can be effectively explored but Lee focused too much on that and ultimately forgot to also engage in action.
The 2008 take on the project, directed by Louis Leterrier, rectifies a lot of these issues. The Jekyll and Hyde aspect of the story gets the attention it deserves but Leterrier has a better handle on balancing that with the action. There are more moments of excitement at play here and although this film has some flaws as well, I’d say this is the closest we will get to having a definitive Hulk standalone film until another director, or Marvel themselves, are brave enough to give it a go again.
The film opens with a re-telling of how Dr. Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) entered his Jekyll and Hyde state. This allows the 2003 Hulk to be “erased” from the record for those who care about such things. As we join the story, Banner is in South America, on the run from himself and the military, trying to keep a low profile while he searches for a cure to what plagues him. A mishap at a factory alerts General Ross (William Hurt) to Banner’s location. A tactical team, led by the amoral Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth), goes in to capture Banner. After turning into the Hulk, he escapes and heads back to the United States, where he is reunited with his former love, Betty Ross (Liv Tyler). Meanwhile, the General and Emil plot a “foolproof” method of capturing Banner – one that involves injecting Blonsky with a serum that makes him superhuman.
Structurally, The Incredible Hulk is a fairly straightforward superhero movie. While it is not an “origin story” in the strictest sense, it functions as one in the way it must introduce characters, establish situations and relationships, and open a series. As a result of so much backstory, there’s not a lot of room for a complex plot. So the principal villain remains half-formed and the storyline as a whole revolves around three confrontations between the Hulk and this nemesis. On the heels of Iron Man, which was released a few months before this film, the more straightforward approach proves to be a bit of a weakness. Iron Man was able to transcend a lot of the origin story conventions that plagued these kinds of movies but The Incredible Hulk isn’t as innovative. The basic story works for the film but it never threatens to break the mold.
The Incredible Hulk takes place in the same universe as Iron Man (a point that is driven home by a Robert Downey Jr. cameo to continue the universe building), but the movies aren’t on quite the same level. Iron Man was rightfully described as a “comic book movie that you don’t have to be a comic book fan to like.” The same is not true of The Incredible Hulk. This film’s appeal, while not as narrowly focused as some comic book films, is designed primarily with fanboys in mind. Director Louis Leterrier’s approach lacks the wit and sophistication of Iron Man. While The Incredible Hulk has some emotional resonance, it’s built on a foundation of action. When Lou Ferrigno (providing the main character’s voice) shouts “Hulk Smash!”, it encapsulates the attraction. This certainly isn’t a total detriment but we know fairly quickly that the quality between the two films will be very different.
Edward Norton was a unique choice for the role of Bruce Banner/The Hulk. At the time, he seemed like the kind of actor that would steer away from these kinds of projects but Norton was actually a big fan of the source material. In fact, he was such a fan that his input, allegedly often clashed with those behind the project, particularly Marvel. The big industry story about Edward Norton is that he is, allegedly, very difficult to work with and apparently this project, in particular, was a big example of his difficult nature. This is apparently why he was one and done in the role because since this character was being viewed in the larger sense of being used as the MCU continued to expand, it would be cumbersome to work with someone who would present roadblocks along the way. Marvel has no issue cutting ties with difficult actors (Terrence Howard learned that when he was replaced by Don Cheadle in Iron Man 2) and that eventually became the case here when Mark Ruffalo stepped in to play The Hulk in The Avengers.
Judging performance, this is a fairly easy role for Norton to essay but he doesn’t phone it in. He seems invested in exploring the complexities of the role and does give it his all. The problem is that Norton is such a good actor that this doesn’t seem like too much of a challenge for him to play. From a physical standpoint, I prefer him to Eric Bana, who played the role in 2003, because Norton’s slight frame makes his transition into The Hulk a more visceral and visually compelling experience.
Much like Iron Man, there is a mixed bag issue with the supporting players. I like Liv Tyler but her take on Betsy Ross is slightly awkward. I’m not entirely sure it’s her fault because she is given some clunky dialogue but she can’t quite get the character to work. I will say that she shares some genuine affection with Norton in certain scenes but on her own, she falters. William Hurt is fine in his role as her father but it’s a role he could play in his sleep and he isn’t as compelling as he could be. Tim Roth is the brightest of the supporting actors. His role consists of a lot of sneering but Roth is great at bringing a ferocity to the part. It’s a shame he has to transition into a more effects-laden villain by the film’s end because he’s more menacing before the change.
After a slightly protracted introduction that puts all the pieces in place, The Incredible Hulk stays action-oriented for the remainder of its running time, pausing occasionally for some exposition or to advance the Banner/Betty relationship. Granted, a lot of the action consists of chase scenes with soldiers running after Banner, but whenever the Hulk appears, things get interesting. This is something that Lee couldn’t accomplish with his take but is handled much better here. The final battle recalls one of those Japanese monster-a-thons where giant creatures collide. And it’s a lot more kinetic (and shorter) than the climactic conflict you’d find in a Transformers movie. The Incredible Hulk builds to this, and it doesn’t let us down. Am I usually a fan of this typical comic book mas destruction that is more of a showcase for effects rather than a compelling narrative? No, but for a character known for his “Hulk Smash” approach, I find myself accepting it more here.
If Iron Man was a home run, The Incredible Hulk falls a bit short of bringing it home for team Marvel but it is a lot better than I remember it was. Like I said, I think this is a tough character to bring to the screen and the film hits a few snags doing so but it’s probably as good as we’ll get to see the character stand on its own. If anything the film is an interesting look back at what might have been. What if it had done slightly better at the box office? What if Edward Norton continued on in the role? The film has an interesting place in the MCU but in my book, it has moved out of the place of being the weak link it once was for me.
