by Tim Gordon
The big green guy is back — and this time, he’s got a little more control and a lot more emotion.
The Incredible Hulk, Marvel Studios’ second film effort following the sleek debut of Iron Man, is a lean, action-driven reboot that largely avoids the pitfalls of its 2003 predecessor. This time around, the story dials into the core tension of the Hulk mythos: Bruce Banner as a man on the run from the monster inside — and from those who want to exploit it.
Edward Norton brings a brooding intelligence to Bruce Banner, portraying him as a haunted, determined fugitive who just wants to be left alone. When we first meet him, Banner is hiding out in Brazil, perfecting yoga techniques and working in a soda factory, desperate to keep the Hulk buried beneath the surface. But after a drop of his blood contaminates a bottle and leads the military straight to him, Banner is forced back into a world of pursuit, transformation, and destruction.
Director Louis Leterrier (The Transporter) keeps the pace brisk, delivering plenty of high-octane action scenes that make the most of the Hulk’s sheer size and brute force. From favelas to university campuses, the set pieces are large-scale and destructive, just what you’d expect from a film built around a rage monster. The visual effects are an improvement over the previous iteration, and while the Hulk himself still occasionally looks like a computer-generated tank with green skin, the action has impact.
The plot, while straightforward, benefits from its clear structure. General Ross (a scenery-chomping William Hurt) is obsessed with capturing Banner and weaponizing the Hulk, while Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) slowly transforms into a monster of his own after being injected with a version of the Super Soldier serum. It all leads to a final showdown in Harlem between two unstoppable forces, which delivers on scale if not nuance.
Liv Tyler plays Betty Ross with a gentler touch than past love interests in superhero films, and she shares believable chemistry with Norton. Their relationship grounds the chaos and gives the film its emotional throughline. Tyler’s Betty isn’t given much agency in the narrative, but she adds warmth and humanity where she can.
Norton, for his part, is a solid choice for Banner. He underplays the role effectively, bringing an inner tension and sadness that suggests how close Banner is to losing control at any moment. There’s a quieter tragedy to this portrayal, which works in the film’s quieter moments, though it doesn’t always mesh with the CG-fueled mayhem around him.
What The Incredible Hulk lacks in personality and charm (especially compared to Iron Man), it makes up for in pure, forward-driving momentum. It doesn’t try to reinvent the character; it just tries to get him right. And for the most part, it does.
The film doesn’t quite soar, and the villain arc is thin, the dialogue clunky at times, and the pacing occasionally too eager to jump to the next explosion. But it’s a clear step forward for Marvel’s big-screen ambitions, offering a cleaner, more action-centric Hulk tale with a welcome sense of restraint.
And if you stay after the credits? Let’s just say there’s a tantalizing hint that Marvel may be planning something much, much bigger.
Grade: B-
