The Incredilbe Hulk Does Justice To The Character

Rating: 8/10 (30 May 2009)

The Incredible Hulk does justice to the popular comic book character giving audiences what they expect from one of these movies. Ang Lee's version of the Hulk wasn't that bad with some cool action sequences but it was long and a bit of a disappointment. This reboot gets it right and this is the one they should have done first. With a whole new cast and director The Hulk is back. It may not be as good as the Dark Knight or Iron Man but it's still an entertaining comic book brought to the big screen. Director Louis Leterrier does an excellent job at keeping the story moving at a steady pace with just the right amount of Hulk action throw in that fans of these type of films crave. This time around Edward Norton plays brilliant scientist Bruce Banner. Eric Bana played him in the film by Ang Lee who did a decent job with that role. But Norton inhabits the role of Banner and becomes that character. Norton's Banner is a cursed man desperately looking for a cure of the rage that lies within him waiting to be unleashed. With films like Primal Fear, Fight Club, and Pride and Glory, Edward Norton continues to establish as an extremely gifted actor. Liv Tyler steps into the role of Bruce's love Betty Ross taking over for Jennifer Connelly who did a good job with that role. Tyler's Betty is a beautiful smart scientist who loves Bruce and hates what her father has done to him. She proves to be another effective actress in the talented cast. Well done. The rest of the cast are admirable in their roles including Tim Roth as Emil Blonsky a soldier with a thirst for power who will go through a similar experiment like Bruce that transforms him into a nightmarish beast known as the Abomination. Roth makes for an effective villain but his role in the movie unfortunately is cut short because for the last twenty minutes or so he lets his CGI counterpart take over. Other then that Roth is great at playing a villain with a lust for power. William Hurt takes over for Sam Elliot (who was good in the other one) as General Thunderbolt Ross who just happens to be Betty's father and Bruce's rival. Hurt doesn't really have much to do in the movie but he does an admirable job with the role. Hurt's Ross is a man obsessed to create a super soldier who's willing to bend the rules in order to protect his country and get what he wants. Tim Blake Nelson has a small role as Samuel Sterns. He brings some comic relief to the film and does a great job with his brief appearance in the movie. The special effects are much better than the first one, the Hulk and the Abomination looked realistic, even though you know it's CGI. All the action is intense and well choreographed I especially enjoyed the first chase sequence because it felt very real and not something made up in a computer. The battle royale at the end was cool but it did feel a bit anti-climatic and didn't last very long either like the one in Iron Man. There's always a surprise cameo at the end by another popular comic book character who had his own movie that came out the same year this one did for those of you who haven't seen it. I won't tell you who it is but for those of you who have seen it you know which cameo I'm talking about. Despite its few flaws the Incredible Hulk is much better than expected and is an improvement over the first attempt to bring this popular character to the big screen. With plenty of action, chases, explosions, drama, and thrills, if this sounds like a movie you'd enjoy than go see the Incredible Hulk. It's sure to please anyone looking for an above average comic book to watch.