Synopsis:

The Incredible Hulk: Struggle for Control aims to fit better in the MCU. Informative exposition from the deleted scenes is added, while trimmed for pacing. It shows more of Banner and Ross' motivations, less Betty, less close-up CGI Hulk, more Doc Samson, and more SHIELD: - Several deleted scenes are added (back) in that add depth to Banner and Ross' characters and makes their motivations clearer. E.g. Banner trying to shoot himself in the opening scene, and Ross saying "He wants to get rid of it. [...] I want what's inside of him." - Betty in Hulk (2003) was a plausible scientist working with genius Bruce, who showed a strength of character consistent with the comics. Disappointingly, 2008 Betty shows neither. Betty's aspirated one-or-two word lines while staring in the middle distance, suggest that she's constantly at a loss for what to do or think. She is trimmed to look less clueless. - The CGI is frustrating. The Hulk's steroids-ripped body looks less real than Hulk 2003 and repeatedly fails to inhabit the space it's in. The close-ups look the weakest. They got trims when their bodies failed to convince. - Fleshing out Doc Samson's character helps to flesh out both Bruce and Betty's. Also, I find the perspective interesting to see how an ordinary human responds when a super-powered person enters his life. - SHIELD's presence reaffirms the continuity within the MCU. Added to their minor mention in the film is Marvel's One-Shot "The Consultant" as post-credit scene.

Intentions:

The Incredible Hulk (2008) plays like a double episode from the 1978 Hulk TV-series. In part 1 “Bottled Up” Banner searches for a cure while hiding in a Brazilian slum. The US army finds him, he Hulks out, they fight, he disappears. In part 2 “Breaking Harlem” Betty re-enters Bruce's life and a brainy scientist claims he can cure Bruce. Yet again happiness proves temporary. In a climactic battle the Hulk saves innocent lives but gets blamed for the damage. Along the way we're introduced to The Abomination, Doc Samson, and possibly The Leader. The latter two may be set-ups for future story opportunities. The producers described The Incredible Hulk (2008) as a "requel", a portmanteau of reboot and sequel that is as wrong as it sounds. It formed an flawed bridge between Hulk (2003) and subsequent MCU films. The actors changed, the CGI for the Hulk changed dramatically. As Hulk (2003) introduced us to the character of the Hulk, now we are introduced to the world of the Hulk. Between the theatrical release and 44 minutes of deleted scenes, we get world building and character development that echoes through to Avengers 1 and Captain America: Civil War. The theatrical release, while high on action, skips a lot of meaningful development. Tomahawk's Extended Edition (Universal hasn't released an official EE) includes all of that but runs 150 minutes and feels even longer. This edit incorporates the relevant narrative while keeping up the pace.

Change List:

- Throughout: trims for pacing. The theatrical + all deleted scenes is just too slow and too long. For pacing I would have preferred to cut another 5-10 minutes, but then I'd be cutting into either the meat of the story or the exciting parts of the action. - Open with the Deleted Glacier scene, creating continuity with Banner's callback in Avengers 1. - Opening titles are rescored (using music from a cut scene). Trimmed to match the new music cue. - Banner doesn't hulk out from his pulse reaching 200. It's not about heart-rate, it's about ANGER. It makes me so angry that they added this inconsistent and unnecessary gimmick to the story! I've cut the watch throughout the movie. No pulse-meter during martial arts practice, the favela chase, the factory fight, in bed with Betty, or when Bruce gets slapped by Blonsky. - Trim Bruce's flower experiment. - Add several trimmed deleted scenes of Ross' exposition explaining why he "wants what's inside of him!", including that the US military never stopped trying to replicate Captain America's super soldier serum (including testing on prisoners of war). E.g. on the plane, in the hangar, in his office. - Trim Bruce's time wandering around the university campus. For pacing and because this is a hunted man on a mission, he can be nostalgic later. - In this edit, Bruce and Betty do get it on. After all, heart rate isn't Bruce's problem, so there's no watch to start beeping like Joan Rivers' "Virgin Alarm" in Spaceballs. To keep it suggestive rather than explicit, we cut quickly to daddy Ross brooding in his office. - No taxi ride in Manhattan. This would work in an SNL spoof, but wrong kinda funny for the movie. - After the final battle, use the deleted scene of Betty answering Doc Samson's call. - Closing titles are rescored (using Craig Armstrong's original end credits theme). - The edit is rendered in 720p because of the SD deleted scenes. If Universal ever releases all deleted scenes in cleaned-up 1080p, I'll happily double-dip to re-render this edit in 1080p. - Deleted scenes have been expanded from 2.0 to 5.1.

Additional Notes:

VERSION 2: 1080p (the visual difference between the HD theatrical movie and the 480p deleted scenes is minimized through impressive upscaling in Topaz) Audio 1: 5.1 Surround Audio 2: Commentary track with Louis Leterrier & Tim Roth (complete, so not synced to the edit) both tracks: English Subtitles

Other Sources:

- Craig Armstrong's Incredible Hulk soundtrack (double-CD) - Thor 1 blu-ray (for The Consultant)

Special Thanks:

Thanks to Tomahawk for his Hulk (2008) edit. HULK-SIZED thanks to Revel911 for the trial-and-error in Topaz to find the best settings to upscale the deleted scenes. The final result is impressive and far better than the first attempts.