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The story of Bruce Banner, better known as the Incredible Hulk, isn’t new. The 1970s television series starring Lou Ferrigno first propelled the Marvel superhero into the spotlight. And aside from a lively run on the comic book circuit, director Ang Lee brought the big green guy to the big screen in 2003’s “Hulk.” And director Louis Leterrier takes the reigns in 2008 Marvel Studios production “The Incredible Hulk.” Leterrier’s iteration takes features plenty of throwbacks to Hulk lore while offering a somewhat fresh vision and loads of excitement, although ultimately giving way to convention.
Biochemist and nuclear physicist Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) receives a blast of gamma radiation during an experiment gone awry. Five years after the incident, Banner maintains a low profile while working at a bottling facility in Rio de Janerio, Brazil. Meanwhile, he searches for a cure, communicating with an anonymous scientist who goes by the name “Mr. Blue.” But when an accident in the bottling plant causes Banner’s gamma-infected blood to end up in a pack of soda, General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (William Hurt) suspects Bruce may be hiding in Brazil. General Ross dispatches a special forces team led by Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) to bring Banner in alive. While Blonsky’s team manages to locate Bruce, the big green guy has other plans. During a debrief, Blonsky confronts Ross about the monster, and the General explains that Banner was transformed into the Hulk while experimenting on a super-soldier serum.
With his cover blown, Banner travels to Culver University in Virginia where he retrieves his research and rendezvous with Betty Ross (Liv Tyler), his former girlfriend and General Ross’s daughter. Bruce decides it’s time to meet with Mr. Blue, cellular biologist Dr. Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson) in New York City. Meanwhile, Blonsky begins taking doses of an experimental super-soldier serum.
2008’s “The Incredible Hulk” has a lot going for it. Although it’s an origin story, the lab accident which afforded mild-mannered scientist Bruce Banner his Dr. Jekyll-esque alter ego Hulk is told entirely through the opening credits. It’s a unique take that cuts straight to the aftermath. The whole film remains taut throughout, with mounting tension that crescendos during the epic third act where Blonsky and Banner battle as Hulk and Abomination, a Hulk-like super-villain.
Acting is generally strong. Norton plays a likable, down-to-earth Bruce Banner, with Liv Tyler portraying cellular biologist Betty Ross in an enjoyable, understated way. Mustached William Hurt is chiseled out to play Gen. Ross, while Tim Roth delights as rough and tumble elite soldier Blonsky. And it’s always a treat seeing Tim Blake Nelson who disappointingly doesn’t get nearly enough screen time in “Incredible Hulk.” The effects are top-notch with masterful use of computer-generated imagery for Hulk. Craig Armstrong’s score complements on-screen visuals with appropriate musical cues that enhance the action. And rather than ignore previous Hulk adaptations, “The Incredible Hulk” embraces them with a cameo by former Hulk actor Lou Ferrigno, and a reference to the character’s oft-recognizable purple pants.
But “The Incredible Hulk” ultimately fails to deliver much beyond a solid superhero film. It relies too much on the action and, though successfully engaging, it lacks the emotional depth, wit, or charm to transform the movie from good to great. As is, “The Incredible Hulk” remains fun, but doesn’t go much beyond that. The multi-talented Norton, a master of portraying nuanced characters as shown in his “Fight Club,” and “American History X,” performances, doesn’t lend Banner much personality. Likewise, Liv Tyler as Betty Ross is understated to a fault. Considering the prowess of both thespians, it’s likely an issue of poor writing. In spite of its failure to innovate, “The Incredible Hulk,” is nonetheless entertaining, though it doesn’t nearly exhibit the shrewdness of 2008’s “Iron Man.”
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