The Incredible Ed

Rating: 10/10 (1 July 2008)

Edward Norton has always been my favorite actor, and here is one of the reason why: he can take crap and make it look good. Case in point: The Incredible Hulk. After the 2003 Ang Lee disaster, Norton stars and writes this superhero epic, which is just as good as its companion Iron Man, which I also loved. Norton makes us care about the Bruce Banner character. We actually want him to find a cure for his "illness" and not just break out into a Hulk fit at any random time.
Instead of boring us with a dull backstory like Eric Bana's Hulk did, director Louis Lerterier (The Transporter) opts to show us the backstory in an opening montage during the credits. That way, we get right to the action. Bruce Banner (Norton) is living in Brazil, seeking a cure for his "incident". However, he is tracked down by General Thunderbolt Ross (William Hurt) and Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) who want to use Banner's substances to create "supersoldiers". Eventually, Blonsky takes some of the supersoldier serum and becomes like Banner, only evil. Banner teams up with girlfriend Betty Ross (Liv Tyler) and Dr. Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson) to find a cure for his rage.
In addition to Norton, it was nice to see Tim Roth finally get a starring role in a film not directed by Quentin Tarantino. Tyler portrays Betty well, and she and Norton have good chemistry on screen. Hurt's Ross was a huge improvement over Sam Elliot's, and Nelson is a fun character who comes off likable.
Fans will love the cameos in this film as well. Tony Stark, aka The Invincible Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) shows up at the end, and Lou Ferrigno makes a cameo. But the real star is Norton and his big bad green self. A Perfect 10, and I cannot wait for The Avengers Movie.