The Incredible Hulk

I missed this when it came out, and then I avoided it. I'd heard enough about it from friends and trusted critics that I didn't think it was worth watching for three reasons. One, it didn't anything to the overall MCU saga. Two, the recasting of Bruce Banner in future movies, making this feel anachronistic. And three, this being a somewhat more muted, dull movie. Y'all were wrong on all three. I really, really like this movie. Going back to this now over 15 years later highlighted something the MCU could use more of: movies that don't fit the Marvel template. The Incredible Hulk is unique, both in the MCU's Phase One slate of movies and the overall catalog, by being a darker, moody, character-driven piece. Yes, there are action sequences and CGI. But Bruce Banner and The Hulk are never heroes on a mission. Banner is a normal man burdened with a terrible curse that is a danger to the world. He has isolated himself from the world as best he can until it comes knocking on his door and he's forced to confront it. He does not make wise-cracks or quips. He's trying to be noble and do the right thing, but not because he needs to atone for his sins (Iron Man) or because he's just that good of a person (Captain America). He's doing it because of the cost if he doesn't. The movie is crafted to be a more thoughtful, sorrowful film of a man yanked out of isolation and trying to cope with things he can't control. Not only is it heavily dramatic, sometimes it's presented as a horror movie; the first encounter with The Hulk rips a page from Jaws' playbook and obscures him in shadow or only seeing part of him from a distance, letting the imagination run wild with what this monster is. The three men at the center of this story put in great performances. I always enjoy seeing Tim Roth, but he can usually be depended upon when in a villain role to be rather obvious. Here, he isn't. Emil Blonsky is a soldier, and an excellent one; in the beginning, he's used by Thunderbolt Ross and almost set up to fail. Even when he's given some advantage with a modified version of the Super Soldier serum, he's still not a bad guy. He's doing his job, one for which he isn't told all the facts. It isn't only until his thirst for revenge (after almost being killed by Hulk) outweighs his duty that he tips over into being the antagonist, but the viewer can at least see how he's gotten from A to B. William Hurt's Thunderbolt Ross is a cold, officious bastard of a general. He's easy to hate because we know what he's all about from the way he approaches the mission of capturing the Hulk (and why the military wants him); he loves the fight. He wants weapons because he loves war, even more than he loves his own daughter. And of course, Ed Norton, who I think is woefully under-appreciated in this role. I get why they pivoted to Mark Ruffalo, who brings more warmth and humanity to Bruce Banner, but that's not what was needed here. This Bruce, at the beginning of his journey, needed desperation and the feeling that he was walking a temperamental tightrope and was constantly fighting for balance. I love Ruffalo as an actor, but the version of Banner here makes more sense with Norton. The only hang-up I have in the acting department here is Liv Tyler. I've never found her anything more than average, and frequently below that, and that's no different here. Her line delivery is acting-class-at-a-community-college awkward, her chemistry with Norton is non-existent, and her emoting is broad and unnatural. I'll be fair and also admit that the script doesn't give her much to do -- Betty Ross mostly stands, stares, cries, and yells -- but she barely seems able to do that believably. The CGI ... look, if you're gonna watch a 16 year old movie and get mad at the quality of the CGI, that's on you. Yes, it does occasionally look a bit cartoony (the cave scene, for instance) when stacked up against Iron Man which came out the same year ... but when the Nightmare On Elm Street remake came out two years after this and has CGI that looks less realistic than a Tom & Jerry cartoon, I can't get mad at this. It was never so bad it took me out of the moment. And as for the movie's overall impact on the MCU? Well, I was prepared to defend it for its upcoming ties to two movies, but here's the thing: isn't the interconnectivity in the MCU something we're all a little fatigued by? To know what was happening in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse Of Madness, a person needed to have watched at least two movies (Avengers: Age Of Ultron and Doctor Strange) and one Disney+ show (WandaVision) to understand what was going on. The Marvels required a movie and two D+ shows at minimum. It was refreshing to be able to come into this movie and NOT think about its ties to other properties or what homework I needed to do to understand this. I sat down and watched a Marvel movie and enjoyed it without the weight of remembering three movies and two TV shows. It was relieving. So, yeah, I enjoyed this quite a bit. It was nice to watch a Marvel movie and feel that sense of escapism again without the baggage that the MCU has created for itself. I liked the darker story, driven more by the characters and their decisions than Evil Character Has An Evil Plan And We're The Only Ones Who Can Stop Him. I don't understand the complaints I see so often levied against this, and I don't understand my own apprehension towards this. This was, start to finish, a great movie. Anybody who is an MCU fan and skipped over this should rectify that error immediately.