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The Incredible Hulk Movie Review

The Incredible Hulk is a 2008 superhero film directed by Louis Leterrier starring Edward Norton in the title role and it is the second feature film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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“Help the green one, dammit!

Which one do you think?

Cut the other one in half!“

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It follows the Hulk as he attempts to cure himself while he also has to fight one soldier who becomes somewhat of a similar creature later on. The plot in this movie is so by-the-numbers and incredibly typical and predictable. It has a somewhat stupendous first act but it later progressively got worse with a rushed villain origin story as well as annoying and pretty weak fight sequences in the last act. However, the appearance of Tony Stark in the ending scene is a nice touch and an excellent introduction to ‘The Avengers’. But overall, this story seems too ordinary, too standard and it never rises above that level unfortunately.

As for the characters, they are mostly solid, but again rather forgettable. Bruce Banner is a passable protagonist, but you never quite get to know/care for him in spite of some solid romantic sequences with him and Betty. Speaking of Betty, she is a typical damsel in distress and a typical superhero’s girlfriend, never managing to move away from that distinction. The Abomination has a rushed plot arc, but he is quite strong physically and he posed a bigger threat to the main character than most of the other Marvel villains which is ridiculous when you think about it but that is how it goes.

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The acting is okay and everyone does his or her job with fine performances, but there is a reason why Marvel replaced Edward Norton with Mark Ruffalo and it is evident when you watch The Incredible Hulk. He just never has his moment to shine, he gave a respectable but a forgettable performance and he never quite fits into this role. As for the other actors, they are all fine, but again nothing too remarkable and not worth higher praise.

The action in this movie is solidly executed, especially in the first half, but it gets too much like a comic-book in the second half and it is overwhelming. There is way too much action and nowhere near enough story or character development in here. But surprisingly the directing is quite good here and stupendous to say the least definitely helping the movie rise above the average status. The pacing is also good, but the score is forgettable and the visual effects are nothing spectacular. The cinematography is a big problem as it is rather poor and always of course too dark to see a thing which can get super frustrating.

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Comparing the movie to other MCU films, it is one of their worst definitely, but it is not bad for sure and it is certainly better than ‘Iron Man 2‘. It is the worst MCU film after ‘Iron Man 2’, but it is not bad because whatever you think of Marvel, they have yet to make a totally bad movie.

With so-so special effects, poor cinematography, too much action and not enough story, The Incredible Hulk is very flawed indeed but it does have solid characters, entertaining plot, some very good sequences,  a fairly good direction and a pretty good villain. It is one of the worst Marvel movies, but it is not bad, it is passable and it is definitely better than ‘Iron Man 2’.

My Rating – 3

You can get The Incredible Hulk on Amazon.