This Friday, the monthly MCU review returns with Wai Ting & I reviewing “The Incredible Hulk”, starring Edward Norton & Liv Tyler from 2008.
Please post your feedback and questions for this Friday’s review, which will be available to all members of the POST Wrestling Café.
IMDB:
Mild-mannered scientist Bruce Banner has been traveling the globe in search of the antidote that will allow him to break free from his primal alter ego, but both the warmongers who long to exploit him for their own gain and a horrific creature known as The Abomination are determined to stop him from achieving his noble goal in Transporter 2 director Louis Leterrier’s take on the classic Marvel Comics superhero tale. For years, Bruce (Edward Norton) has been living in the shadows, pursued by the military and haunted by the rage within. But traveling the world in secrecy isn’t easy, and as hard as he tries Bruce can’t get Betty Ross (Liv Tyler) off his mind. The daughter of Bruce’s nemesis Gen. Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (William Hurt), Betty represents everything that is beautiful in the world to a man who lives his life on the run. Eventually, Bruce returns to civilization and faces the wrath of The Abomination. While the Hulk may be a formidable force of nature, The Abomination is decidedly more powerful, and determined to destroy Bruce Banner. Created when KGB agent Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) exposed himself to a higher dose of the same radiation that transformed Bruce into The Hulk, The Abomination is unable to change back into human form and holds Bruce accountable for his frightful condition. With time fast running out for both Bruce and The Hulk, New York City is about to become the ultimate urban battle zone as two of the most powerful creatures ever to walk the earth clash in a massive, no-holds-barred fight to the finish.
Not my favorite of the MCU films but glad yiu guys seem to be going in order. Ed Norton is a great actor but feels miscast here. I also like Abomination in the comics but Roth’s portrayal feels inauthentic.
Tonally, more action than the eric bana film and i remember getting goosebumps when tony appears at the end.
John, i would love you to review Thor at some point. So curious about your view. I tend to share Wai’s perspectives on comics stuff. Overall, a good movie, not great.
Thunderbolt Ross steals every scene and is stiil prominent in marvel movies today. Looking forward to this review guys!!!
Banner’s reaction to his blood dripping made me think of She-Hulk. They had the foresight to introduce the concept of Banner’s blood being dangerous. Too bad there was no sequel. As a fan who’s anticipating new heroes I hope this pays off. It’ll give more meaning to this scene. I also hope we’ll get insight to Nick Fury’s line “The last time I trusted someone, I lost an eye” in Captain Marvel.
Hey guys, probably rank this my least favorite marvel movie… it still feels weird and is the only one i don’t have in my hardcopy collection. A few months before iron man was a blast this one … i wasn’t sure so i am curious what John thinks about this one as he keeps delving deeper in to the marvel universe.
few quick things that were cool about the movie was that although Iron man and Hulk are from different studio’s they shared a universe. Seeing the stark-tech in this movie was pretty cool. The end credit scene was dope how they let Tony meet up with Thunderbolt Ross, i am happy they kept him. Norton was oke in this movie i do like Ruffalo more… he seems more like a Bruce Banner.
Wai & John I was curious do you think we will ever get a Solo hulk movie and maybe a bit more for Wai how should they go about it ? I know the rights are still at universal hence Thor Rangnarok planet Hulk mash-up to give us kinda a Hulk movie. The reason i ask is because i think it is really hard to make a full movie about the hulk. I kinda think he is like … well Brock Lesnar … He works really well when he shows up sometimes and starts smashing stuff up… with Braun Strowman for example i get the feeling they are starting to struggle ( or are).
It looks like you’ve arrived at the green-headed step-child of the MCU, the much-maligned “Incredible Hulk”. Since I’m sure everyone’s going to talk about out the many flaws of this film, I’ll point out some things I actually liked about this movie:
Ed Norton’s not as bad as you think. Sure he’s no Bill Bixby or Mark Ruffalo, but he’s a fine actor and I think his take on the Bruce Banner character works for THIS version of the Hulk.
The love this movie has for the lore of the source material is evident. It feels like a direct response to the Ang Lee/Eric Bana Hulk from a few years earlier. Where that film felt like it went out of it’s way to not be bound by the comics and the Hulk TV series, this film embraced it’s roots & I think that made for a film that rewarded long-time fans of the character. And the Tony Stark cameo at the end really makes this film feel more important than it ultimately ended up being.
Ty Burrell’s portrayal of Doc Samson is one of the best things about this movie. Unfortunately a lot of his work was relegated to the “deleted scenes” section of the DVD…But he’s really good in the role. I wish they’d bring him back…The MCU needs Phil Dunphy!
This film is certainly a step up from a lot of comic-based movies of that era (DareDevil, Fantastic Four, Green Lantern), but it’s main problem is that it wasn’t “iron Man”. To use a wrestling analogy, the first two films of Phase One were like the MCU version of a brand split. The “Hulk Brand” was a standard superhero film built on the back of a Main Event character featuring actors who (at the time) were stars. While the “Iron Man Brand” was infused with more wit & charm, centered around a less famous hero and an ensemble cast of talented mid-carders poised for a breakout performance. History has shown which path audiences preferred.
All in all, this is a solid movie. It’s not great, but it’s a Marvel Studios joint, and even the worst of the MCU (shout-out to “Thor II”) is better than most other films in the genre. The connections to Iron Man and the rest of what would become the MCU are important, but beyond that it’s not something that has a ton of rewatch value. I give it 5 subtle tributes to Bill Bixby out of 10!
