Great action flick, but ultimately predictable

Rating: 6/10 (2 August 2008)

When the first modern Hulk adaptation came out in 2003, most people were disappointed. This wasn't the Hulk they expected; this was a deep character with an interesting story, a movie with fantastic screenplay and great actors, but few and barely mediocre action scenes. And action scenes was what the fans wanted.
So the movie was seen as a failure, and plans were made to relaunch the franchise, giving people the movie they wanted in the first place; a movie that can be summarized in two words: "Hulk Smash!"
The Incredible Hulk is out, and it's a great movie. It's quite the fan service: it has the typical Hulk lines, it has tons of action scenes, it has incredible CGI, and it has the obligatory even stronger villain who ultimately must lose because he does not have the power of good on his side, and it has purple underwear. On the minus side, The Abomination looks nothing like the comic version, and some of the acting is ridiculously bad, with actors standing there staring into nothingness as if they were waiting for instructions from the director. Some actions scenes are cut too quickly, which makes it hard to figure out what exactly is going on, but since that has become the norm for Hollywood movies, it may be a bit unfair to blame The Incredible Hulk for it.
Still, it's a great movie, but because it's exactly what people wanted, it's ultimately incredibly predictable. Ang Lee's Hulk was fascinating, challenging and innovative. Leterrier's Hulk is cookie cutter. When people will talk about "the Hulk movie" in a decade or so, they will talk about Ang Lee's Hulk, not Leterrier's Hulk.
As a mindless summer popcorn action flick, The Incredible Hulk is a winner. As a work of art, as a contribution to the Hulk mythology, as something that challenges its viewers, it's a failure.