Better than I expected, but still could have used improvement

Rating: 7/10 (28 June 2008)

Unlike most people, I really enjoyed Ang Lee's Hulk. Yeah, there was not nearly as much action as any other comic film at the time (or since), but the psychological undertaking that Lee envisioned for the character, to me, worked out quite well. It was boring at times, but it was a much more artistically driven attempt at a comic character that we probably will never see again.
So enter The Incredible Hulk, a sequel/reimagining of sorts. The film picks up with Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) in Brazil, searching for a cure to his "disease". The American government are still searching for him of course, and he is still trying to stay as far away as he can from them.
What is interesting about this film, is that if they had done away from the flashback sequences detailing how Banner became the Hulk, it could have easily been a flashier sequel to Lee's original film. But unfortunately (or fortunately for most), the basic skeleton of a storyline is just about the only thing that holds these two films in the same realm of contemporary comic film adaptations.
As said, this film is incredibly (no pun intended) flashier than the original. There are three huge action sequences involving the Hulk himself, and at least two other sequences where the Hulk appears not fighting others. These lengthy actions scenes are fairly well filmed, and nearly flawless in their use of CGI. The Hulk interacts with his environments excellently, and there was very little by way of him looking fake (whereas Lee's film struggled in a few scenes to make him look real). Making him smaller is an obvious help to the creators, and clearly allows for better character interactions. I was actually genuinely impressed by the action set pieces, and marvelled at how far special effects have come since Lee's film (obviously, he does not need to be hidden in shadows throughout the majority of his appearances).
What is also done well is how nostalgic the film feels. Yes, Lee had Lou Ferrigno and Stan Lee show up, but that was about it. Here, director Louis Leterrier has added the two of them back into the mix, but as more than just small cameos. They actually have parts to play in the story, and Ferrigno even gets to voice the Hulk again. Not to mention the use of the theme song from the 1970's television series.
But for anyone looking for any sort of exposition, they may be in for a bit of a disappointment.
The story is interesting (about as much as a film that is primarily dictated by being an extended chase can be), and not just a typical sequel story. But it never delves into anyone's motivations for their actions. There is never a real reason why Banner wants to be cured, other than to lead a normal life. No reason for Thunderbolt Ross (William Hurt) to get Banner back to the US, other than to retrieve what he believes to be "government property". No reason for Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) to go to the extremes he does, other than to take out the Hulk. It just seems all very one-dimensionally based, and any interactions just seem to be placed to move the film from one action piece to the next. Hell, as amazing as the actions scenes are, they seem extended simply to avoid having the characters engage in any development (outside of dropping obvious things that people who already know something about the Hulk would know).
For all the controversy leading up to the film's release, even to the naked eye, it looks like Norton is being held back in lieu of his green CGI counterpart. He never gets a real attempt to chew scenery, and never looks comfortable in any of his scenes. His brilliant repertoire of films suggest that he would have truly made something of this role, but it looks like it was either cut out, or he just failed to take the time to even try. Any character building scenes he has (especially when interacting with Liv Tyler's Betty Ross) are either cut short, or begin and end faster than they started. I will say that his emotions and body language do a lot for his character, but unfortunately, not nearly enough to make this role be on par with anything he has ever done in the past.
The supporting cast is much the same. Roth really makes at attempt at making Blonsky to truly feel villainous, but he just seems too over-the-top to make it seem like anything other than a villain straight from the pages of a Hulk comic. I liked him in the role, but he too could have done with a bit more backstory and motivations for his later actions. Hurt is great as always, but only because he has very little to do with the material he is given. His obvious relationship (or lack thereof) with Tyler's character is almost entirely missing and we never truly understand his actions outside of their obviousness. Tyler is almost entirely devoid of anything to make her character feel worthwhile at all, and Tim Blake Nelson's character feels tacked on as a mere indication of a sequel.
It may sound like I hated the film, but it was so much more enjoyable than I imagined it would be. Leterrier had a huge undertaking to make his film feel completely different than Lee's, and whether I like his alternate vision or not, it cannot be said that he did not do a hell of a job making it come to life. It does not help that the film merely feels like a piece in the grand scheme of Marvel's attempts to bring an Avengers movie to life, but the film merely makes the most of what it was given. And it only could have been better if it was given more.
7/10.