Surprisingly pretty good...

Rating: 8/10 (28 June 2008)

People told me not to see the 2003 release of "The Hulk" and so I didn't see it. I expected the same news for this release, but I was told to see it. Having not seen the '03 version, I anticipated this would be a sequel and I wouldn't like it since I missed the first one. To my surprise though, "The Incredible Hulk" was no sequel, rather its own take on the character Bruce Banner and the Hulk.
Unlike some other superhero movies that I have seen, this had a plot that I found interesting. Rather than just being about a giant, angry green man who unleashes massive destruction, it's about the real man underneath who wants to change. Such a unique idea shows that the lead actor Edward Norton, who helped wrote the script, is more than just an ordinary thespian.
Norton was a great choice for Bruce Banner/The Hulk. He's believable, engaging, and at times funny. Liv Tyler (still beautiful as ever), is another a good addition to the film as Banner's romance. Together, Norton and Tyler made the film even more intriguing. It was also nice to see Tim Roth, who later becomes the Hulk's archenemy in the movie. I've only seen him in a couple of other films, but he always played a decent villain as he does in this.
Like with all other superhero movies, there's a lot of CGI. I won't say I was impressed by it like I was with "King Kong" or even "Transformers", since it's almost in every action flick, but the fight sequence between Hulk and Abomination at the end was quite a feast for the eyes.
But there were several things that left me hanging at the end of the film. I'm not going to say what they are, but I found them rather bothersome. Then again, this leaves room for a sequel. I will say though that the last scene in the film has an appearance of Tony Stark from Iron Man. This leaves clear evidence that "The Avengers" is underway for the big screen. 8/10