The Incredible Hulk

This seems to be the summer of the superhero blockbuster. Iron Man has already dazzled audiences and critics alike. Coming up are Will Smith's action comedy Hancock, Guillermo del Toro's Hellboy II: The Golden Army, and of course, the highly-anticipated Batman sequel The Dark Knight. And in between those that have already satisfied and those that are bound to satisfy, we have The Incredible Hulk - a quasi-sequel to Ang Lee's 2003 effort Hulk, but more of a retelling of the original story from the ground up than anything.

The film's opening and subsequent re-introduction of the main characters help to completely eliminate the 2003 version from memory. Within the span of a few minutes, we learn how Dr. Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) went from brilliant scientist to not-so-jolly green giant. Shortly thereafter, we learn that Banner is now in Brazil, living in the ghetto and working in a bottling plant. A superimposed text provides us with a count of "Days Without Incident." And all the while, Banner takes breathing lessons and anger management sessions to control his heart rate (presumably to prevent him from transforming into the titular monster).

Then, there is an accident in the bottling factory, which alerts General Ross (William Hurt) to Banner's location. The General recruits Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) to head to South America with a team of military folks in order to find and capture Banner. Which they do not. Following a chase scene, we get our first glimpse of the Hulk, who quickly disposes of the bothersome tactical team and disappears. Heading north, Banner finds Betty Ross (Liv Tyler), the scientist who helped create the body-changing serum that produced his alter ego. From there, the plot speeds up. General Ross (yes, Betty's father) injects Blonsky with a performance-enhancing chemical that will supposedly make him a better match for the Hulk. It does. Blonsky eventually becomes the Abomination. And then...battle time.

I suppose the only big problem I have with The Incredible Hulk (helmed by French director Louis Leterrier...of The Transporter fame) is its somewhat weak CGI. I guess it's good enough, but the final battle in particular looks downright silly at times. Still, though, this film is very action-oriented, and will no doubt please the fans of the comic books. Taking place in the same universe as Iron Man, this will be the second film in Marvel's arsenal to kick off a successful franchise. I have no reservations saying that.

The Incredible Hulk is certainly not as good as some of the other comic book adaptations of recent years, but then again, the first film in this kind of franchise is nearly always the weakest. It's like a TV show - the first season sets up the characters, establishes the personalities, provides a few good plot details, and the viewer eventually becomes comfortable with the situations and feels like it knows the people. Following the first season, the writers no longer worry about the establishing aspect and can move on to the good stuff. The Incredible Hulk 2 or, more likely, The Incredible Hulk Returns or The Incredible Hulk Forever will be better-paced with a better villain and improved special effects. Audience reaction will let the producers know where they went wrong with this film, so by the time the sequel rolls around, those problems will have been erased.

Don't get me wrong, though. This film entertains. It is a popcorn flick of the first order. Like Spider-Man, X-Men, Superman Returns, and Batman Begins before it, The Incredible Hulk mixes the right amount of setup-setup-action scene-setup-action scene-setup-action scene to keep your interest. And the final scene (with a cameo that will bring down the house) is clever enough to leave you begging for more.

VERDICT:
The Incredible Hulk is a fanboy's fantasy. It's a good mix of the action and emotion that audiences have come to expect from this genre. And even though it's not one of the best, it's still fairly enticing. Although the Hulk is not necessarily a "superhero" of the traditional order, he's certainly an intriguing character. A very angry, intriguing character. And when you hear him growl "Hulk Smash!", your heart rate will probably raise to a dangerously high level. Probably not high enough, though, to transform you into a raging, grayish-green, 10-foot tall beast.

So should you spend your money? If you're a diehard fan of the Hulk, yes. If you're looking for an interesting action movie and/or anything other than The Happening, sure. If you're hoping for a movie on the level of Iron Man, no. 8/10