A Wholly Unnecessary Reboot

Rating: 6/10 (28 September 2015)

Whilst 'Hulk' focused on character relationships, Louis Leterrier's 'The Incredible Hulk' puts the action upfront, almost outright ignoring any traces of character depth. The reboot as a result feels too numb and empty to enjoy on its own mindless B-movie monster terms.
Scientist Bruce Banner is in hiding in South America, trying to find a cure for his condition, whilst evading the US military who believe him to be a potential threat. But soon Banner is forced into changing into his alter ego, in order to stop a powerful enemy.
To be fair to 'The Incredible Hulk', it was already at a disadvantage, released between two of the best super-hero films of all time; 'Iron Man' and 'The Dark Knight'. Where those films pushed the boundaries of the genre and shattered audience expectations, 'The Incredible Hulk' feels far too complacent and worried to take risks, which would benefit the overall quality of the film.
Edward Norton as Bruce Banner fails to generate enough interest in his character. He is too calm and never appears to have a darker side to his personality. Liv Tyler does not fare any better as Betty Ross, her lines whispered and lacking any chemistry or spark between Norton. This is unfortunate because we begin to care less about the characters as a result. They cannot go beyond their stereotypes, Banner the nerdy scientist and Ross the emotional, ever loving girlfriend. Tim Roth as the villainous Emil Blonsky is thankfully as deranged and unhinged as possible, so his scenes come as a breath of fresh air, as one of the few things that the film does right.
A significant improvement in this instalment though is the CGI. In 'Hulk' the effects looked unnatural and off-putting; whereas in 'The Incredible Hulk', the effect of the raging green monster looks seamless. The Hulk blends in with the environment and never looks out of place for a second. If only the director had applied as much thought for the story and characters as he did for the CGI.
Considering that the main appeal of a film that revolves around the Hulk is the fight scenes, it is astonishing that none of them remain in my memory for long. Perhaps, it is the fact that they are undistinguishable from one another and lack the thrills of the better structured 'Iron Man' in comparison.
As the second film in Marvel's Cinematic Universe, it's astonishing that 'The Incredible Hulk' did not lay waste to Marvel's plans for the future. It remains a severe misjudgement that rests far too heavily on action and explosions, than ideas and characters. We as an audience deserve more, if the super hero genre is to stay fresh and thriving. No doubt it will, but films with the same mentalities as 'The Incredible Hulk' can't be helping.
Leterrier's reboot will please Marvel die hards, but those that crave substance amongst ongoing chaos and destruction, will be feeling that this Hulk is anything but incredible.