The TV Addict 

With months of bad buzz, questions of whether a reboot was necessary (or wanted) so soon, and a swirl of rumors about the bad blood between Edward Norton and Marvel Studios (if you want the full breakdown, Anne Thompson has it summed up here), coupled with my opinion that the Hulk is one of the silliest and uninteresting characters in comics, I didn’t think there was any way THE INCREDIBLE HULK could be good.

I was pleasantly proven wrong. THE INCREDIBLE HULK is exactly what a Hulk movie should be: an action packed tale that fully (and almost joyously) demonstrates the overwhelming power of the Big Green Guy. With this reboot, Marvel Studios has above all else given us a classic Hulk story straight from the comics. It’s got everything from Banner wrangling with his dual personalities, his anger, and depression over his curse, to a scientific race to find a cure while being pursued by the military who want to harness the destructive force of the Hulk for their own ends. The hunting is led by the menacing General Ross, played effectively by William Hurt, who is in turn aided by Emil Blonsky, Tim Roth a soldier who sees the Hulk and the super soldier serum as his way to reach the next level of challenge in combat. Bruce Banner who is played surprisingly well by Edward Norton (who is a great actor, but I didn’t think he’d fit this kind of role) is aided by the Betty Ross (a lovely Liv Tyler) in his Jason Bourne like attempts to stay off the grid and avoid his pursuers.

Given that we’re effectively dealing with something as inherently silly as a scrawny science nerd who turns into a giant green monster, the film succeeds in both remaining dramatically loyal to the comic roots (there are numerous fan-friendly nods, ranging from reused theme songs, guest stars, and comic allusions), but also having a little fun with it all. It helps alleviate the film from becoming too serious, or being overburdened by its action.

And oh, the action. Even if I’m not a fan of the Hulk as a character, there is no question that he makes for a great centerpiece for action scenes, and the film (and special effects) fully capitalizes on that. There are some exiting, prolonged, intense action sequences in the film that are worth the price of admission alone. That being said, its action heaviness can also be a detriment. The film – as I mentioned above – does take on a fair amount of story elements, but never in any real depth. The plot in a lot of areas is paper thin and underdeveloped or is (along with certain characters) extraneous to the action packed confrontations. There are also some romantic or talking scenes that are pretty clunky.

But here’s the thing. It is a Hulk movie. Nobody is expecting, nor wants excessive drama. The financial failure of Ang Lee’s HULK pretty much proved that. Besides, now that we’re well into June and therefore the summer blockbuster season, I find that I become much more forgiving, and these things matter less to me. As long as I’m entertained for a few hours with a story that isn’t completely brain-dead, and features plenty of exhilarating action, I’m pretty easily satisfied.

So in that sense, THE INCREDIBLE HULK is not only what I expect from a Hulk movie, but also exactly what I want from a summer blockbuster.

Overall rating: B+