Hulk returns to theatres, with more action and less introspection.

Rating: 8/10 (14 June 2008)

I just got back; all in all, I'd say pretty good. It's hard to compare it with Hulk '03 as to which is better, since they're very different types of films, but I'd say this definitely meets audience expectations a lot better.
Edward Norton was good in the lead part, although, and perhaps this is a deliberate emphasizing of his need to control himself, he rarely seems to get very emotive, even when he's supposed to be really angry.
Liv Tyler; I really like her as an actress, performance-wise here I'd say she's a bit weak in the first half and really good in the second. Admittedly, some of that could be that when we first meet her the director spends a bunch of time shooting her in slo-mo with a lot of shots of her looking uncertain/stunned. Starting with the big shootout at the university ("DAAAD!") she won me over.
Very effective use of humour; the interruptus scene in the motel room had the audience laughing hysterically.
I think they overused the "Betty calms the Hulk" routine; I count at least three instances, possibly more.
The villains, however, I didn't think much of, at least in human form. Tim Roth doesn't convey much menace as Blonsky; this is one instance where the CGI creature works a lot more than the actor (among other things, and I know this is something that can't be helped, he looks like a midget standing next to Ross (ie, pretty much all his scenes)). William Hurt as Ross wasn't nearly as good as Sam Elliot, though, to be fair, the character lacks the depth the first movie gave him. The biggest problem I have with Hurt's Ross, both in terms of writing and acting, is that there's really no sense that he gives a damn about Betty beyond one or two perfunctory expressions; the real conflict in Elliot's Ross made for a much more interesting dynamic.
One problem with writing the Hulk and villains is that he inevitably faces them as the Hulk, rather than as Banner, and it's really, really hard to convey any continuity in what the Hulk's personality thinks from transformation to transformation, especially since his expressions in battle are always very simplistic. Lee's Hulk did a really good job of investing the conflict between Banner and the remade Absorbing Man with real weight (it just fell down in the physical aspect, which this movie delivered on).
Great action; in terms of the finale, they outdid Iron Man in this respect; I think this is probably the best super-brawl that's yet been filmed in live-action, though (as Ebert pointed out in his review), the lack of any real relationship between Banner and Blonsky prior to the fight means it's mainly just a big fight.
Excellent cameo by Stan the Man, which reminded me irresistibly of "I Am Furious (Yellow)".
I give it an 8/10.