50 - The Incredible Hulk

    Bruce Banner is on the run from the military, led by General Ross, who wants to weaponize the Hulk.  Bruce wants to cure himself and keep himself calm.
    One of the least-loved of the Marvel Cinematic Universe titles, I like this movie.  But I’m starting to understand why it isn’t well-liked.
    One of the strongest things this title has going for it is that it isn’t an origin story.  It glosses over the origin in a montage early in the picture, but it helps that the first half of this movie isn’t devoted to a story we already know.  Edward Norton is likable as Banner, and there’s something very enjoyable about watching him trying to learn more to keep the Hulk in check.  Seeing him existing as an outsider in a foreign country is a perfect choice.  He’s choosing a life of isolation in a city.
    I like the development that the movie takes with revealing the Hulk.  We get teases of it earlier, and even his first appearances are short and shot to place him in shadow.  They progress, leading to the big, sunlit military encounter on a field.  That scene is excellent.  The action is easy to follow, and it isn’t clear how the confrontation is going to end, even as the Hulk maintains a strong upper hand.
    The main problem that I can see is that the last act isn’t handled as well.  I like the idea of the Hulk fighting Abomination in the city.  But the sequence is shot at night, and the editing is more frantic.  It’s harder to trace the action.  The result is that the last half-hour of the movie feels pretty boring.
    It’s not as fun as Iron Man was, but that’s probably because Banner isn’t a really fun character.
    I did feel a little more sympathy for the Hulk than I usually do.

    There’s one thing that did feel wrong to me.  The Hulk’s head seemed rounder, and the hair somehow made him look less dangerous, and more childlike.  This doesn’t square with the version of the Hulk that appears in The Avengers.