A pity that the better Hulk movie should come out second.

Rating: 7/10 (21 June 2008)

The Incredible Hulk - A reboot of the franchise after the Abomination that was "The Hulk", Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) evades the military after a mixture of Super Soldier serum and gamma radiation turns him into the jolly Green Giant we all love.
I didn't like the first movie, for several reasons. It was slow. It was boring. Nick Nolte's heinous over-acting, and Eric Bana's aversion to acting. Oh, and the Poodle. Did I mention the Poodle? Who hasn't? It's become synonymous with the Bat-nipples at this point. While Incredible Hulk is no Batman Begins to Batman and Robin, it stays truer to the roots of the character than it's predecessor, and acknowledges the TV show, a wise move.
This film gives the fanbase a little more of what they expect and deserve from a movie about a monster that destroys property. There aren't the Banner-father issues that the first film had and didn't need. There're also more explosions, noise (Jesus is it loud), action, humor and movement. It unfortunately retreads a little too much familiar ground. I've seen the Hulk get chased by the military. I've already seen this love/hate triangle between Ross, Banner and Betty, though it's actually interesting here I read there's a scene where Bruce travels to the North pole and contemplates suicide. Now there's a scene I haven't seen before, and would like to see.
The trouble with the Incredible Hulk is unless you're a very very creative writer, The Hulk is a rather two dimensional character. He gets angry and then smashes crap up. The only memorable villain he ever has was The Abomination because the other secret to The Hulk is that he's a better villain (it's taken most of the Marvel universe to bring him down at varying points) than a hero. I applaud Norton for his creativity and the depth he brings to Banner. He also adds vitality and intelligence, whilst Eric Bana was having difficulty grasping the American accent. Liv Tyler adds a sweet sadness to the romantic interest. She is Banner's only connection to humanity when he transforms. Tim Roth plays the heavy pretty well, though I caught him overacting blatantly a couple times. The effects are pretty good and I enjoyed the action sequences.
It's unfortunate that the better Hulk movie should come out second (and behind Iron Man no less) which should be a lesson to Hollywood. Put your butts in gear and get it right the first time. Good, not "Incredible", The Incredible Hulk gets a B.