The seemingly most difficult character for Marvel Studios to get just right in our contemporary era of filmmaking is Bruce Banner and his rage-induced alter ego the Hulk. They’ve tried and tried, and only recently in The Avengers seemed to make him work when he only needed to be on the screen for a sixth of the time.
The Incredible Hulk was released in 2008 to many reactions of “hey, didn’t they just make this movie?” Initially intended as a sequel to Ang Lee’s underrated and non-canonical 2003 film Hulk starring Eric Bana, director Louis Leterrier ended up carrying out Marvel head Kevin Feige’s wishes for a true beginning to Hulk’s story in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This one would star Edward Norton, who is pretty much outstanding in everything he does, and lives up to his usual standards here. The only problem is that he doesn’t have a lot to work with, and the film seems to occupy itself primarily with the admittedly riveting action sequences to the detriment of demanding much audience investment in their outcomes.
The ideal would likely be the character-focus of Ang Lee’s approach combined with the Leterrier sensibilities when it comes to action, but Mark Ruffalo’s portrayal in The Avengers will do just fine.
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