Hidden Remote’s ultimate Marvel Cinematic Universe movie rankings
#20 The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Main Cast: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt, Tim Blake Nelson, Ty Burrell, Christina Cabot, Peter Mensah and Lou Ferrigno.
A lot can be said about The Incredible Hulk and its legacy in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Surely, it’s the one film among the Marvel archive that is the least talked about but it’s still a movie that has a lot of great qualities that are grossly overlooked. When watching the film the viewer can see the creative push and pull between Edward Norton and Marvel and while this may have affected the overall final product of the story, it’s still an admirable effort from a studio that was reaching for high ambitions in its early days.
Part of what makes The Incredible Hulk such an interesting piece in the Marvel pantheon is that it was during a time the studio did not know how to use Hulk in a film. One might even argue that the company still doesn’t know how to use him. Until Joss Whedon and Mark Ruffalo, he just seemed like a weapon no one knew how to fire. The overall result from the 2008 film wasn’t bad but it was clear not everyone on this project shared the same vision. Edward Norton wanted to make a serious take on the character and 10 years later we see that tone would never have panned out for the future of Marvel.
I still find a lot to enjoy about The Incredible Hulk despite all its missteps. It’s a fun action film with a great cast, as well as a lot of great set pieces. The finale is a bit clumsy and the overall film doesn’t quite mesh well with the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. All that said, on its own, it’s still a fun piece of entertainment and a worthy effort from a studio that during its time was trying to find a voice.