As the second movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and also the fact that it is over ten years old at this point. The Incredible Hulk is a movie that many people have forgotten about, ignore or put down as one of the poorer entries in the MCU, but does it deserve that reputation?
How to Stream or Download The Incredible Hulk
The movie can be streamed or it can be downloaded from iTunes. Both 4K and HD resolutions are available. To start streaming or downloading, click on the link below the review. The movie is available in several language versions with subtitles. The movie is essentially the direct follow up to Iron Man (both films were released in 2008: in April and in June) so you should download and check out that one too.
The Film Review
The movie stars Edward Norton as Bruce Banner. With how much Mark Ruffalo has made the role of Bruce Banner/The Hulk his own it is rather hard going back and watching Edward Norton play the role, but to be fair, he actually does a good job. Norton actually had a lot to do with writing and tried his best to be involved with the editing as well.
One thing that I think The Incredible Hulk does very well is the origin of The Hulk. Instead of spending a quarter or half of the movie having Bruce become The Hulk. Marvel Studios knew that people knew the basics and instead had Hulks origin story play out in the opening credits, this works wonderfully well and lets the movie start off at a quicker pace.
Bruce is trying to isolate himself from the rest of the world and those that he loves. It is pretty cool how he wears a heart rate monitor so he can tell if he is about to change.
He starts off in South America working in a juice factory. He is also trying to find a cure for himself with the help of a mysterious man over the internet. An accident happens, his blood ends up in a bottle and he is on General Ross’s radar.
William Hurt plays General Thunderbolt Ross and he is awesome, one of the more underrated characters in the MCU. This puts Bruce back on the run and he heads back to the USA to find the man on the computer who thinks he can help him. He ends up reunited with Betty Ross, who is played by Liv Tyler who does a solid job.
As well as Ross, the main villain in the movies Abomination who is played by Tim Roth. Despite the changes to his origin story, Abomination is one of the cooler and more powerful villains in the MCU and it is a shame we have not seen him since. Abomination is created by Ross so that there is an equal to The Hulk… of course Hulk has no equal!
The fighting sequence between Hulk and Abomination is truly awesome and while the CGI is clearly ten years old. On Blu-Ray I feel that the special effects hold up. Also the first time you hear “Hulk Smash!” It outs a big nerdy smile on your face. As a whole, the movie just comes and goes, but I found it to be a fun time, even after all these years.
The only problem is “the man on the internet” that was trying to help Bruce is Samuel Sterns and the movie does set it up for him to become The Leader, one of the more famous Hulk villains, but this was scrapped. Edward Norton is also not as charming in the role of Bruce Banner as Mark Ruffalo and in all honesty that is what makes watching this movie the hardest.
The Incredible Hulk was far better than I remembered it being and it is worth checking out for that amazing ending sequence between The Hulk and Abomination. The movie is pretty fun and it is one of the things that set the tone for what the MCU would become.
