The Incredible Hulk – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

The Incredible Hulk

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

movie2008

38%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

The MCU's forgotten middle child—a grim, forgettable Hulk movie that even Marvel fans skip on rewatch.

6.6/10

68%

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The Incredible Hulk

movie

PG-13, 2008

38%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

The MCU's forgotten middle child—a grim, forgettable Hulk movie that even Marvel fans skip on rewatch.

6.6

68%

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6.6/10

68%

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Screenwise Verdict

The Incredible Hulk is the MCU's awkward phase—released right after Iron Man but lacking all the charisma, humor, and rewatchability that made that film a phenomenon. Edward Norton's Bruce Banner is sullen and serious, the plot is a paint-by-numbers chase movie, and the whole thing feels like a setup for a franchise that never quite materialized (because they recast the lead and moved on).

The action is fine, the Abomination fight is decently staged, but there's no heart here. It's not unsafe—just loud, destructive, and forgettable. For families, this is a tough sell: too intense for younger kids, too dull for older ones who've been spoiled by the wit and spectacle of later Marvel films.

If your teen is determined to watch every MCU movie in order, fine—but don't be surprised if they're checking their phone halfway through. For everyone else, just skip to The Avengers and pretend this one doesn't exist. Marvel basically did.

Age Fit

Common Sense Media recommends 14+, which tracks—the action is intense, the tone is heavy, and younger kids will likely be bored. Teens who are working through the MCU catalog can handle it, but honestly, they might want to skip it and just watch a recap on YouTube.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

Bruce Banner's struggle with anger and self-control offers a decent emotional anchor, but the film leans heavily into destruction and combat. The tone is darker than most MCU entries, with Banner portrayed as a fugitive and the military as aggressive pursuers. Minimal character warmth or cooperative relationships—mostly just smashing and running.

Imaginative

Standard superhero origin story beats with a scientist-on-the-run premise. The Hulk transformation is visually interesting but not particularly inventive compared to other Marvel films. The gamma radiation science is surface-level, and the film doesn't invite much curiosity or creative thinking—it's mostly a chase movie with big green rage monster fights.

Safe

Typical MCU action violence—buildings get smashed, military helicopters crash, people get thrown around. No gore, no blood, no sexual content. The Abomination fight at the end is intense but cartoonish enough. Common Sense Media rates it 14+, which feels about right. It's safe in the Marvel sense: loud, destructive, but sanitized. No surprise trauma or inappropriate content for a superhero flick.

Enriching

Offers a basic exploration of anger management and the consequences of unchecked emotion, but doesn't dig deep. Banner's quest for a cure is somewhat scientific, but the film prioritizes action over character growth. Limited empathy-building or meaningful takeaways. It's entertainment-first, and even then, it's not particularly memorable or thought-provoking within the MCU catalog.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Bruce Banner's anger-control struggle offers a surface-level lesson about managing emotions under pressure
Action sequences are competently staged, with the Harlem showdown delivering some decent superhero spectacle
It's MCU canon, so completists can check it off the list before diving into the Avengers saga
Shorter runtime (under 2 hours) means it doesn't overstay its welcome

⚠

What to Watch For

Lots of destruction and military combat—helicopters, guns, explosions, and the Hulk throwing tanks around
The tone is darker and grimmer than most MCU films, with less humor and warmth
Edward Norton's Banner was recast (Mark Ruffalo takes over in later films), so this feels disconnected from the rest of the franchise
Honestly? It's just kind of boring. Kids who love the Avengers might find this one a slog

Conversation Starters

"Why do you think Bruce is so scared of turning into the Hulk? Would you want that kind of power if you couldn't control it?"
"The military sees the Hulk as a weapon, but Bruce sees it as a curse. Who's right?"
"How do you think Bruce could learn to manage his anger better? What do you do when you feel really mad?"

Deep Dive

The fugitive-style identity crisis

Released in 2008, The Incredible Hulk feels like a relic from a different era of filmmaking, even though it’s technically the second entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While Iron Man was busy inventing the breezy, quippy tone we now associate with superheroes, this movie was trying to be a gritty chase thriller. It spends a lot of time in shadows, Brazilian favelas, and rainy forests.

The movie is essentially The Fugitive but with more property damage. If your teen is used to the bright colors and cosmic jokes of later Marvel entries, the relentless sullenness of this version might be a shock. It’s a movie that takes itself very seriously, which is a gamble when the climax involves two giant CGI monsters punching each other through a Harlem soda shop. Critics were lukewarm, landing it a 61 on Metacritic and a 68% on Rotten Tomatoes, and that middle-of-the-road energy is exactly what you get.

The recast elephant in the room

The biggest hurdle for a family marathon is the lead actor. Edward Norton plays Bruce Banner as a twitchy, desperate man on the run. He’s good, but he’s not Mark Ruffalo. Because the role was recast for The Avengers, this entire movie feels like a footnote.

If you are following The Complete MCU Watch Order: Release vs. Chronological for Families, you’ll notice that almost nothing from this film carries over into the rest of the franchise for nearly a decade. Characters disappear, the tone shifts, and the Hulk himself gets a total face-lift. For kids who crave continuity, this can be confusing. It’s the only chapter of the saga that you can skip entirely without losing the plot of the larger series. If you’re looking to save time, check out our guide on which MCU movies are safe for your kids—or just plain skippable.

Anger, adrenaline, and the "5" scale

While the movie is mostly a loud smash-fest, it does offer a very literal look at physiological responses to stress. Bruce Banner wears a heart rate monitor to ensure he doesn't "green out." In a world where we're often talking to kids about emotional regulation, there’s a weirdly useful parallel here.

Bruce isn't just "mad"; he’s dealing with a loss of control that has massive consequences. If you’ve ever used tools like the "5-point scale" to talk about social boundaries or behavior, the Hulk is the ultimate extreme of that scale. You could easily pivot from the Harlem showdown to a conversation about teaching the 'weird vs. illegal' line and how Bruce struggles to keep his "5" from destroying a city block.

Is it worth the Disney Plus data?

If your kid is a completionist who needs to see every frame of the Marvel movies in order, then sure, put it on. The action is competent, and the final fight against the Abomination has some heft to it.

But if you’re just looking for a great Saturday night movie, there are better ways to spend two hours. The 2.5 score on Letterboxd tells the real story: it’s a movie that fans respect for its place in history but rarely love. It lacks the heart of Captain America and the spectacle of Thor. It’s a loud, somewhat depressing military drama that happens to have a green guy in it. Unless someone in the house is a die-hard Hulk fan, you’re better off heading straight to the 2012 team-up.

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