The Incredible Hulk

Rating: 7/10 (11 May 2009)

Odd casting makes THE INCREDIBLE HULK, in my mind, an interesting feature film, a second attempt to right the wrongs of Ang Lee's HULK. Ultimately, as others in the past have mentioned, by the end, it turns into a video game duel between two monster titans with New York City(..a setting which seems to work quite well as a place where destruction occurs to such a devastating degree)the battleground as civilians, buildings, and transport vehicles are leveled in the process.
A scrawny Ed Norton is cast as Bruce Banner, an innocent University student who thought he was testing a serum in regards to "radiation resistance", but his girlfriend Betty's(Live Tyler) military father, General Ross(William Hurt, wearing a hair piece and facial war scars) had actually tricked him..it's in fact a genetic experiment Bruce was injecting, therefore he suffers the horrifying side-effects. If Bruce's heart rate reaches a certain high point, upon excitement, he mutates into a gargantuan, muscular monster rampaging through those who dare to combat it. Tim Roth, in an unusual role, is a Russian(..raised in Britain)soldier Emil Blonsky, called in by Ross to find Bruce, soon injecting him with formulas which enhance his recuperative powers and combative skills. Blonsky embraces a difficult opponent, enjoys a challenge, and yearns for the same ability(..to become an unstoppable force like the green hulk)Bruce has. Tim Blake Nelson(..who I think steals the entire film from everyone who shares the screen with him)is a, energetic, unflappable NYC scientist, Samuel Sterns, who Bruce has contacted over the internet regarding his specific condition, looking for a cure that can kill the beast within(..he looks at it as a disease).
Actually, my favorite part of the film was the thrilling chase through Rio de Janeiro, as Bruce attempts to escape his pursuers, military men led by Blonsky and Ross, leaping across roof tops and into crowded streets..it's quite exciting like a Bourne actioner. The action sequence within a juice bottle factory as unfriendly Brazilian co-workers bring the dormant hulk out from hiding, as Blonsky's men close in, is a stunner. Norton and Tyler really have good chemistry and their characters' romance isn't overwrought. Hurt isn't as intense or angered as Sam Elliot's version in Lang's film..he's more methodical and cold-blooded. Roth is pure machismo and menace. You can see that he lives for combat against an enemy. The Abomination character is quite hideous with it's deformities(..obviously thanks to those ill-advised injections which basically fed more fuel to an adrenaline junkie who covets competition). Great cameos featuring Lou Ferrigno(..still has bulging muscles)and Stan Lee(..the unfortunate who drinks a "tainted" juice containing Bruce's blood!)..nice tribute to Bill Bixby as well. Quite a lengthly battle sequence within a college campus between Hulk and Ross' soldiers, using all the weaponry and tanks at their disposal. As expected, the film is effects-heavy at times with Bruce staying active on the run, a fugitive who gains an ally in Betty(..who sternly disagrees with her father's operation)along the way. Norton is among an interesting crop of fine multi-talented A-listers assuming the role of hero in Summer Blockbusters.