I was one of the many people who did not like the 2003 movie Hulk from Brokeback Mountain director Ang Lee. That movie set some records for the biggest second week drop in ticket sales because many people who saw it opening weekend told everyone else that it sucked. When I heard that the series was being rebooted with Edward Norton in the lead role, I must say that I wasn’t too thrilled about a whole new bunch of people screwing it up again. When early reviews came out saying that it was actually good, I ended up going to see the movie without much expectation. As it would turn out, The Incredible Hulk is a very good movie. Forget the last one – this is the Hulk movie you really want to see.

For starters, this isn’t really a sequel to the 2003 movie, and there is no reference to it that I noticed. The opening credits go back over what used to make up the opening credits of the classic TV show where it explains that Dr. Bruce Banner subjected himself to gamma radiation and it turned him into the Hulk. After recapping the intro, it then jumps to Brazil where Dr. Banner (Edward Norton) is hiding out and trying to find a way to cure himself.

As before, the government is still looking for him, and they consider his body a weapon that is the property of the U.S. Government. William Hurt plays General Thunderbolt, who was over the original experiments and wants Dr. Banner back. When he discovers that Banner is hiding out in Brazil, he assembles a team of mercenaries lead by Tim Roth. From there on out, Dr. Banner is on the run and it eventually leads back to the United States where Banner makes contact with his old love, played by Liv Tyler.

I think the biggest complaint people had about the 2003 movie was that the Hulk looked stupid. He was too big and too bright green and could fly. In this movie, the Hulk is only about 9 feet tall and his face looks a lot more realistic. He can still run fast and toss cars around, but it isn’t anywhere near as over the top as the last movie. In short, I thought he looked pretty good. I still prefer seeing a big guy painted green over a CGI character. Coincidentally, actor Lou Ferigno (the Hulk from the TV series) makes a cameo in this movie. The late Bill Bixby, who played the original Dr. Banner, also makes a cameo when it shows Norton watching an old re-run of The Courtship of Eddie’s Father.

The action scenes in this movie are way better than anything from the 2003 movie. This one was director by Frenchman Louis Leterrier, who previously directed Danny the Dog and The Transporter 2. Those two movies have great fight sequences and carry on with a frenetic pace, so that style definitely carried over into this movie. The final fight sequence was a little uninspired in how it basically copied The Transformers by having Hulk and his nemesis fight it out in a city street. The same kind of action sequence took place in Iron Man. I’m a little over it.

This movie was produced by Marvel, and they are working on tying many of these storylines together. For example, it is explained that the military program that resulted in the Hulk was based on the program used to create Captain America during World War II. There’s also mention of Stark Industries, which is the weapons company owned by Tony Stark, who is Iron Man. From what I’ve read online, all of this is leading up to doing an Avengers movie featuring all of these characters. A Captain America movie is due out in the next couple of years, as well as one based on Thor.

The Incredible Hulk is already looking to be a bigger hit than the 2003 movie misfire. If you like comic book movies, this is definitely one of the better ones. The cast all turn in excellent performances and the story is very well crafted. There are also a couple of little surprises, though no extra scenes after the end credits.


Recommended: Yes