REVIEW: The Incredible Hulk (Road to Infinity War)
Alright, let us continue The Papi Chulo RADIO Road to Infinity War (RTIW for short) review event with the second movie in the lineup, The Incredible Hulk
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This one has mostly been forgotten but is still in canon with the MCU. Is the second movie in the MCU a hulk smash or a pass?
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Before we get into it, it should be said that there will be spoilers if you haven’t seen it yet (Although since it’s 10 years old, you should have seen it already).
The story is about Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) on the run from the government and looking to cure his Gamma sickness (AKA The Hulk). When he is discovered by the Military lead by Thunderbolt Ross (William Hurt) and is forced to flee his house and avoid getting captured. When he is cornered in the same factory he worked at, he turns into the Hulk and goes on a rampage. After nearly escaping, Bruce is once again lost and on the run when he is picked up and travels back to the USA to try and finally get a cure. However, while back in the US, he comes across his old lover Elizabeth Ross (Liv Tyler), she wants to help Bruce by any means possible. This leads the couple to New York where when they make the cure but all is lost when a Super Soldier went wrong Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) uses Bruce’s blood to gain more power and become the Abomination. This leads to a final showdown in New York when Hulk and Abomination clash with Hulk winning and saving the day (Of Course). In Conclusion, Bruce leaves to go to BC and Thunderbolt Ross gets an unexcepted visitor which turns out to be Tony Stark (Robert Downey JR.) who wants to talk about the Avengers Initiative.
Right off the bat, I want to say that this film comes across as dull and boring at times. Sure it has plenty of action but it’s done in such a way that it feels more like white noise than anything exciting. The only good part of the film is the last 30 mins with the fight between Hulk and Abomination and the RDJ cameo at the end. This is really bad when this is supposed to be a continuation of the fresh MCU.
The acting in this movie is also dull as well, everyone in this movie looks like they don’t want to be there and they are only doing this because they got better things to do. The performances are also bland with everyone in the cast trying too little or not even trying at all. The worst has to be Liv Tyler, she basically whispers all of her lines and comes off as annoying as well. The best performance in this film is from Tim Roth, sure he looks bored as well but, you can tell he is having fun playing the proto super soldier.
For all the negative I have been giving the film, the CGI still holds up after 10 years. The Hulk and Abomination look visually pleasing and are awesome to see on screen. It feels like more work and effort was put into the CGI then the rest of the movie itself.
The Verdict:
Before watching this movie, I kept thinking, “Why is this movie so forgotten by most MCU fans?”. Well, now I finally have the answer, it’s because this movie is dull. The story is simple but the execution is what falls apart. The acting is also dull and no one seems to be trying in this movie. When the only good thing about the movie is the end and the CGI, you really done screwed it up. I can only recommend you watch the last 30 mins of this film. Other then that, this is most definitely a hulk pass.
5/10
Next up on the list, we look at the sequel to the excellent Iron Man, Iron Man 2. Is Iron Man 2 a worthy sequel or will it derail the franchise?