The Hulk re-imagined

Rating: 8/10 (16 June 2008)

This re-imagining of the green Goliath works far better than Ang Lee's 2003 outing, that's for sure. Being an avid admirer of the Bixby/Ferrigno series in the late seventies and early eighties I found this film to be closer in spirit to the series and I definitely liked that.
The Hulk's origins are played out at the very beginning and once that's over and done with audiences are in for a fast paced and enjoyable ride. The film attempts to keep people who liked the series happy as well as the crowd who want it firmly rooted in Marvel tradition. The Hulk battles a foe called The Abomination in the final third, and by the way that fight is pretty awesome, and I gather that that's a person to be found in the original comics.
While some aspects from the film can be linked to the original series, the characters here are from the comics. Here are General Ross and his daughter, who were also present in Ang Lee's version. The Hulk not only battles The Abomination but also the U.S. Army and that wasn't the case with the series. Banner did get captured by the army at one point but that was never a recurring thing.
But a big thumbs up for the homages to the old series. Only a few minutes in we're greeted with a small tribute to the late Bill Bixby, as Norton switches channels in Brazil and watches for a few seconds an episode from "The Courtship of Eddie's Father". Lou Ferrigno gets a small speaking part that comes off very well, a journalist named Jack McGee is mentioned and that envelope with "David B." was a nice touch. I think all the fans of the original series appreciated these little touches.
While Eric Bana was one of the few things that was positive about Hulk (2003), Norton betters him here. He's such a natural performer and he can convey so much with mere expressions. He was the perfect choice to play Banner, in some ways he reminded me of Bixby. Tim Roth is one of those actors who's always good and he doesn't falter here. But William Hurt really surprised me. I've always thought he was good but I'd have to say this is his finest performance in many years. General Ross is a much better written character here than in the 2003 version and Hurt simply excels in the part.
As for the CGI, they work really well. The Hulk looks extremely cool and far better here. He doesn't continue to grow as he gets angrier and while that may annoy some I actually found it a plus. And those huge leaps are history as well, he jumps far enough but nothing compared to Ang Lee's version.
The Incredible Hulk does well what it intends to do which is entertain. It's full of action, very well acted and fairly well written overall.