Plot: Bruce Banner is trying to remain hidden, living a quiet and stress-free life. Banner becoming angry works in no one’s favours. The effects of being injected and exposed to gamma radiation has had rather an usual effect on Banner: it hasn’t killed him, but instead turns him into an almost-invincible Hulk that is driven by fury alone.
But the past cannot remain buried, not if Banner wants answers and a chance at a normal life. With the army after him and not knowing who he can trust, Banner has to fight not for his life, but for his humanity.
Quote: “Me in a metal tube, deep underground with hundreds of people in the most aggressive city in the world?”
“Right. Let’s get a cab.”
Opinion: Being the only Avengers film I hadn’t seen meant I felt I should give this one a go, despite hearing negative views on it. Having read bad reviews meant my expectations were low and to my delight, it actually proved to be better than I hoped. By no means is this the best film out there, but it also wasn’t the worst I’ve ever seen.
The plot was extremely predictable and the pacing slow. Not only was it obvious Banner was going to end up going back and getting caught in the cross-fire – what’s the point of having an Incredible Hulk film if there is no Hulk? – it was also clear how his relationship with Betty would progress and how events would unfold to lead to the creation of a monster worse than him. The lack of thrills and twists in the plot left me feeling like I had seen it all before.
A slow plot restricts an actor, and I felt they didn’t have the chance to showcase themselves here. Edward Norton was perfectly adequate as Banner, but there was nothing about his performance that shone for me, nothing that made me fall for the character and want him to succeed. The predictability of the relationship between Banner and Betty (Liv Tyler) meant there was no spark and Betty’s initial love interest – who could have created an interesting type of conflict for the Hulk – simply vanished once he had done his role.
The film was action-heavy – aren’t they all? But the sequences dragged on for too long. The initial chase at the beginning seemed to go on for an age, all just building up to the Hulk being released. I felt that could have easily been shortened and the suspense increased and the whole film would have been a lot better.
When it came to connecting the Hulk to the Avengers, it felt forced and as if they just tagged it onto the end because they had to. The other films weave seamlessly together with S.H.I.E.L.D and their interconnecting plots, whereas this was more throwing Tony Stark into the final scene just to connect it up.
I’m glad to have seen it, but don’t think I would watch it again in a hurry.
A Rambling Reviewer 