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In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

In a few decades, cinema-goers will look back and dub these times the golden age of superhero movies. Of course, they are still going strong, but 2008 was the year it all really kicked off, with three key movies in the genre, two of which helped kick off Marvel's Cinematic Universe. The year saw one of the very best superhero films, The Dark Knight, although for a comic book adaptation it keeps its feet very much grounded. Nolan's movie will always be loved, and so it should, but elsewhere Marvel were planning on doing something never before achieved by a major studio: to truly bring a comic-book universe to life. Iron Man came first, and was a bigger hit than anybody expected, propelling Robert Downey Jr. from a risk with heavy personal baggage to one of the highest paid actors in the business. This was followed up by The Incredible Hulk, a film now with a reputation as Marvel's runt of the litter. Yet, despite the fact that Edward Norton was eventually replaced by Mark Ruffalo as mild-mannered scientist Bruce Banner, the black sheep label is incredibly unfair.The origin of Banner and his alter-ego the Incredible Hulk was attempted back in 2003 by acclaimed director Ang Lee, and while his desire to literally bring the panels of a comic-book to life was admirable, Hulk was an absolute bore, failing to add any dimension to its central character and struggling to bring the Jade Giant convincingly to life with special effects that simply weren't advanced enough at the time. Director Louis Leterrier's 2008 semi-reboot sort-of accepts Lee's introduction, and starts its life with Banner already living with the unexpected effects of his exposure to gamma radiation. Hiding out in Brazil away from the clutches of General 'Thunderbolt' Ross (William Hurt), Banner is searching for a cure, spending his downtime working in a bottle factory and keeping his heart-rate below 200 beats per minute to keep the angry brute inside of him at bay. Ross views Banner and his powers as property of the U.S. government, and wants him captured in order to harness his abilities to create an army of unstoppable soldiers.It's a simple premise, but one that compliments the character. Ang Lee tried to find deeper themes in Banner's story, but it just didn't work, and when Hulk finally smashed, it either came far too late or was shot in darkness. It doesn't take long for the transformation to take place in Leterrier's movie, and when notorious Royal Marine Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) shows up with his army pals, the special effects don't disappoint (although they are dated by today's standards), allowing Hulk to smash and batter with coherency. It isn't all brainless action however. When Bruce inevitably leaves his hideaway to return home, he reconnects with his former flame Betty Ross (Liv Tyler), who also happens to be the General's daughter and dating nice guy Leonard (Ty Burrell). It's here Banner hopes to connect with his contact 'Mr. Blue' and cure his affliction, while side-stepping various attacks by General Ross and an increasingly powered-up Blonsky. While I prefer Ruffalo, Norton is an excellent Bruce Banner, and it's fun to wonder what could have been had he stayed in the role, although it's difficult to imagine him trading quips with Chris Hemsworth on an alien planet. The Marvel universe seemed to go on ignoring its existence before Hurt's Ross turned up again 8 years later in Captain America: Civil War, but its importance in the creation of this now-massive world shouldn't be underestimated. I still remember the goose-pimples as Tony Stark swaggered into that mid-credit sequence

Wow. Just wow. I never thought I could fall asleep during an MCU movie, but now I have. What was Marvel thinking, casting Edward Norton as Bruce? He was terrible. I'm glad Mark Ruffalo plays him now. All in all, stay away from this film.

While this movie definitely ties in with the other MCU movies, it has always felt the most distant from the universe, and even on a rewatch I still feel that way. While most of the movies in this universe are action packed with a bit of humor, this movie takes itself very serious. My biggest complaints are the visual effects and the way the Hulk looks. His mouth is so weird looking! I also didn't care much for Liv Tyler's performance. This movie opens up a can of worms to things that are never answered, such as what ever happened to Betty in future Marvel films? I understand that this is only the 2nd MCU movie, so it makes complete sense that they didn't know for sure what direction they were going in yet. It's a fun movie, just pretty dated and the least like any other MCU movie. But at lease it's better than the 2003 movie!

The Edward Norton version of The Incredible Hulk is a lost nugget in the MCU. As a stand-alone film, it does more to connect the universe than any Avengers film when you consider all the references to the Avengers, yet it's one of the more forgettable films in the MCU. And it's not because it's a bad film-because it's not. It's because this isn't the Hulk that Mark Ruffalo embodied and turned into the fun-loving brute with anger management problems that we've all come to love. This is The Incredible Hulk as envisioned by a producer at DC, not Marvel-dark, brooding, yet competently executed. It's entertaining, just not memorable.The film starts in South America, with Banner in hiding, mastering breathing techniques from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighters and working at a bottle factory. He works with a band of scummy warehouse workers who sexually harass their co-workers and taunt him. Of course, they're just props for the Hulk to justifiably smash in between social messaging a scientist who is supposed to help him find a cure. Of course, Banner can't take a leak without the government tracking his scent, and the mad dog sent to track him is Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth), an angry Black-Ops guy with age insecurities. Luckily, the government just happens to have some of that handy Captain America super-soldier serum to give him, and unlike Rogers, the serum amplifies Blonsky's worst attributes. When Blonsky attempts to go one-on-one with the green one, and it ends with nearly catastrophic results for Blonsky. So note to Cap, don't fight don't Hulk. Leave that to Thor. Liv Tyler stars as Banner's estranged lover, Betty Ross, the daughter of the stone-faced general Admiral Ross, that's hunting the Hulk. She's completely wasted as a whispery and dotting ex who seems to serve the male gaze and not explore Liv's talents as an actress.The film boasts some thrilling action sequences, so it has that going for it. The first battle between the military and the Hulk is fast, hard-hitting and badass. It's a huge improvement over the Ang Lee version that lulled audiences to sleep with psychedelic colors, mutant dogs, and real-life comic book frames that played out simultaneously to confuse everyone. No, this film doesn't make that mistake; it makes new mistakes. Instead of building off of Blonsky as a human super soldier threat, they decide the only way he can battle the Hulk, is as a Hulk, or as comic book fans know him-Abomination. I wouldn't have a problem with that if the creation of Abomination happened earlier and presented an increasingly difficult challenge for the Hulk. At no point do you ever feel like the Hulk might lose? Abomination is literally a throw-away character that even Marvel chooses to forget about when it comes to the MCU. Toss in the dark and muddy tone of the film, and you have yourself just a run of the mill smash 'em up film in New York. But if that's what you came for, then this is a smashing good time.