The Incredible Hulk

Our Review

The forgotten middle child of Phase One. Edward Norton plays Bruce Banner as a wired fugitive hiding out in Brazil, learning to control his pulse rate while searching for a cure, and the performance is more interesting than the movie around it. Louis Leterrier directs like a rental tenant: competent, workmanlike, no personal stamp on anything.

The first act is the best stretch. The favela chase and the factory showdown understand that the Hulk works best as a storm you can see coming. Tim Roth’s Emil Blonsky is a solid portrait of a soldier addicted to war right up until the CG turns him into the Abomination, and then the Harlem climax becomes the standard buildings and pavement noise every Hulk story falls back on.

Liv Tyler and William Hurt do what they can with a romance and a general both written on autopilot. Norton famously fought the studio over the edit and left the role after one shot at it, and the seams of that fight are visible in the pacing. Mark Ruffalo’s arrival two movies later made this one a footnote.

Worth one watch for the completists. Everyone else can read a summary and skip to The Avengers. Our score: 5/10.