Disappointing

Rating: 5/10 (15 February 2013)

I have never read "The Incredible Hulk" comic strip. I have never seen the Bill Bixby TV series. I didn't even see the 2003 movie "Hulk". In fact, the only connection I have with the Hulk, is that I owned the the famous Hulk Hands toys as a young child. I watched this movie primarily so I could become familiar with each of the individual superheros before watching the recent popular movie, "The Avengers". It started off encouraging, showing flashbacks of how the Hulk came to be. Actually one of the coolest intros I have ever seen. Too bad that can't be said about the entire film. Everything about it felt a little off. First of all, I found much of the fault to be in the characterization of Bruce Banner. He felt very distant throughout. Yes, I understand he needs to be mellow, as to show the significant difference between him as Bruce and him as the Hulk, but even so. Edward Norton was not enjoyable to watch in this role. In addition, it really didn't feel like a superhero movie. I didn't see the Hulk as a hero and the villain didn't show up until the last twenty minutes. I did enjoy the small cameo by Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark. That for me was the highlight. Another cool thing about the film is that Lou Ferrigno, the original voice of the Hulk, is still lending his voice for this role. However, I am sorry to say that this movie was predictable and overall a disappointment. After watching this, I am quite interesting in seeing the the 2003 big screen adaption as to compare the two.