You wouldn't like him when he's angry....

Rating: 8/10 (13 June 2008)

FIrst off I would like to state that I do not wish for Ang Lee to be cursed for a thousand years, and the last thing I'd want would be for his soul and the souls of his next of kin to burn in hell for millennia to come. I honestly didn't think that his vision of "The Hulk" was THAT bad. Of course, I expected more, but that doesn't mean that his movie was horrific. However, without a shadow of a doubt, Louis Leterrier's version of it was better. In many ways. First of all it picked up the action a little bit farther off than the previous movie, leaving us only with fragments of Banner's memories from when he first turned into the green beast. Instead of going into his past, Leterrier explores the present, and Banner's spiraling descent into madness, while he desperately tries to seize control and keep it.
In his search for a cure he ultimately delivers an even greater danger to the world.
In his search for control, he loses it hopelessly.
In his search for love, he finds greater obstacles than before.
But enough about that... let's move on to how the movie actually works for itself. The cast is very good, each one of the actors delivering believable roles, albeit the comic-book nature of the whole plot. Edward Norton is genuinely torn between his search for a cure and trying to save those close to him. Liv Tyler plays a good kind of damsel in distress while still maintaining a kick-ass sort of attitude at times (if you've seen the taxi scene you'll know what I mean), while William Hurt and Tim Roth provide the general antagonistic performance that one would expect.
The action is well dosed, and paused only by the dramatic or psychological moments that actually give the movie some kind of depth behind the whole "HULK SMASH!!!" routine. The special effects are top notch and a joy to watch, accompanied by a brilliant score by the brilliant Craig Armstrong, giving the film an epic feel. The sound effects are ear-blowing (literally) and only serve to emphasize the general "Ouch!!!" factor present in the action scenes.
The plot may not be so elaborate, the dialog not so engaging, but the general feel of the movie is a very good one and remains true to the iconic image of "The Hulk". The standard Stan Lee cameo is present in the form of a guy who dies after being poisoned by gamma radiation, while Robert Downey Jr. (as Tony Stark) makes a very surprising appearance towards the end of the movie, paving the way for "The Avengers" movie. If you enjoyed "The Hulk" as directed by Ang Lee, you'll love this movie. If you didn't... then chances are, if you're a Marvel fan, you'll still love this movie. I know I enjoyed it a lot, and I hope others will as well.
I sign off this review by saying.... HULK SMASH!!! :)