Writer: Zak Penn (Screenplay) Stan Lee, Jack Kirby (Comic)
Starring: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt, Tim Blake Nelson, Ty Burrell, Christina Cabot
Plot: Bruce Banner, a scientist on the run from the U.S. Government, must find a cure for the monster he turns into, whenever he loses his temper.
Tagline – This summer, our only hope is something incredible
Runtime: 1 Hour 52 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Entertaining Action Packed Origin Film
Story: The Incredible Hulk starts as Bruce Banner (Norton) has seen his experiment that turned him into Hulk, making him a wanted criminal, he injured his girlfriend Betty (Tyler) and her father General Thunderbolt Ross (Hurt) is leading the hunt to capture him. Bruce hiding out in Brazil when his location is finally discovered.
With his location exposed, Bruce goes in search of Betty with new soldier Emil Blonsky (Roth) given the same dose that Bruce had, forcing Bruce to bring out the Hulk to save the people he loves.
Thoughts on The Incredible Hulk
Characters – Bruce Banner is the former scientist that has become infected with the gamma radiation has to go into hiding with the government after him, he has been communicating with somebody that could help him, which sees him come out of hiding, attracting the attention of the government, where he must learn to continue to control the Hulk inside of him. Betty Ross is the girlfriend of Bruce, she has tried to move on with her life after the incident, she has always wanted to support him and goes on the run with him once he returns. Emil Blonsky is the soldier leading the charge to capture Bruce, he takes the same radiation in his body turning him into a monster that can fight the Hulk. General Ross is the man trying to cover up the Hulk situation, he must deal with the idea that his daughter is also on the run too.
Performances – Edward Norton in the leading role does make for a strong Bruce Banner, he will have that scientific nature required which Edward brings to the role. Liv Tyler as the main love interest works easily enough never looking out of place. Tim Roth as the main villain shows us how a soldier can be driven for power. William Hurt shows how the government figure can easily take advantage of the situation well too.
Story – The story here follows Bruce Banner as he tries to evade capture by the government as he searches for answers to get rid of the Hulk side of him, only for the government to unleash a newer version of the experiment, one that doesn’t have an off button. For a rebooted origin story this does everything we need it too, we don’t need to see how he became the Hulk again, we need to see how he is coping with being both, we get to see how the government has been working on this type of experiment and how they want to cover them up. We of course we the big monsters fighting which is why we watch Hulk movies, to see him smash. This is the beginning to the franchise which is still going strong today.
Action/Sci-Fi – The action in this film is Hulk smashing stuff, then the showdown with Abomination which is one of the most entertaining monster fights you will see.
Settings – The film shows us the different locations Bruce tries to operate in, the hiding away in South America, to needing answers in New York, the fight and chase sequences are up there with the best uses of location.
Special Effects – The effects in the film are very strong, Hulk and Abomination are obviously CGI, which makes the fighting potentially facing trouble, but it doesn’t in anyway.
Scene of the Movie – Abomination arrives.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Just Ty Burrell’s character in general.
Final Thoughts – This is a fun entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it is the first and showed how they were planning something as big as we got.
Overall: Strong origin film.
Rating