This time around, Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) is attempting to replicate the Super Soldier serum used back in during the Manhattan project - as mentioned in the earlier Iron Man - using gamma radiation, and in true Hollywood style decides to test her theory on himself with the aide of General Ross (William Hurt) and his daughter Betty (Liv Tyler). As expected, it goes horribly wrong, causing Banner to instead become this mighty creature known only as the Hulk. General Ross is impressed by this though, and wishes to weaponise the process, leading Banner to turn fugitive and go on the run, hiding himself in remote areas whilst learning how to avoid setting off his Hulk side. He looks for possible methods to get past his radiation poisoning, gaining help from a scientist known as Mr Blue (Tim Blake Nelson) whilst staying in hiding. But of course, he occasionally gets discovered and has to hide elsewhere. But a mightier foe is on the horizon, as Royal Marine Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) takes an interest in the power Banner harnesses - opening himself up to processes to help tackle the creature.
The Incredible Hulk is a film with a clear three-part structure: area set up, action sequence, consequence. You first have it with the Brazil scenes, with Banner solo against a SWAT team before turning into the Hulk when he loses control of his heart rate. It does help that the film opens not only with a swift retelling of the origins through the opening credits - a breath of fresh air by comparison of its contemporaries - but by showing how Banner adapts to his new adopted lifestyle with him learning Portuguese through redubs of Sesame Street and helping out at a bottling factory. Following the fast entry into the film it allows a brief moment of relaxation before the action kicks in once again, making those sequences all the more satisfying. The second time round, it's more evident, instead showing Banner find a new habitat before being enforced to Hulk out in a mighty battle against the better-equipped SWAT team and a more agile Blonsky, which shows off the Hulk in full in typical bombastic nature. The run up is less enjoyable, opting to reintroduce love interest Tyler and a quest to find Mr Blue, but the setup towards the grand finale is likable to say the least. The third act has a bigger stumbling block though by adding Tyler's Betty Ross on the run, which causes a bit of a stop in the story to teach her how to be on the run, but does work in the end with an even bigger battle between an 'evolved' Blonsky and the titular beast. But despite these apparent splits between acts, it works better than other evidently-split films like Mr Peabody and Sherman by weaving the acts together rather well instead of pausing the pace every time, so kudos to screenwriter Zak Penn (who would later pen the story for Marvel's Avengers Assemble), Edward Norton and director Louis Leterrier for bringing the acts together well.
Edward Norton is an interesting choice for the role of Bruce Banner. A self-proclaimed fan of the source material, he gives the film a bit of added class by giving it his all. It's unfortunate however that he doesn't get to play the Hulk side also (who's made entirely of CGI) as his presence in that area would have sold the character a whole lot more - see Mark Ruffalo's later performance as both characters. It's also a pity that things fell through for him to continue in the role, although that's more due to his apparent egotistical nature than his performance. By his side is love interest Liv Tyler, who does does a fine job if it weren't for how much she whispers in the role. She does well as the typical love interest, but doesn't add anything insightful to the role - likely explaining why the love angle has since been scrapped to make way for a Bruce Banner/Natasha Romanoff relationship for Avengers: Age of Ultron. On the side of the antagonists lie William Hurt and Tim Roth, who both relish their roles with enthusiasm. Hurt's shouty soldier rarely breaks out of the cliché, whilst there is some character growth for Roth to sink his teeth into. Again, he falters as an actual beast because he turns into a CGI creation, but his character is menacing nonetheless. Tim Blake Nelson is an interesting choice as super scientist Samuel Sterns - a character meant to go into major villain The Leader which is hinted at near the end - as he plays it in a comedic way. He does a passable job but leaves plenty of room to grow, which at this stage is unlikely.
The Incredible Hulk is something of a lost gem within the confines of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. By no means a masterpiece, it is a film which doesn't deserve to be pushed to one side whilst its allies grow in sequel numbers, thanks to a pleasing storyline and some great acting by lead Norton and enemy Roth. Everyone else does a good job too but is left in the dust by their co-stars, whilst Leterrier does a better job than predecessor Ang Lee at bringing the brute to life. Controversially, it's better than Iron Man in overall quality, however it lacks the great visual effects that Iron Man is blessed with. 8/10.
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