Incredible Hulk

I confess I'm one of a minority that actually liked Ang Lee's Hulk. At first I was disappointed by the lack of the words "Hulk Smash" and other key elements of the Hulk mythos. But on a reviewing I found myself quite engrossed in the film. Bana played the emotionally stunted Banner so well and Sam Eliot was born to be General Ross. Gravelly voiced and gruff it was just so much fun. So I was not that happy to hear about a reboot of the franchise with all new actors and director. Ed Norton may be as talented as Eric Bana, but Liv Tyler doesn't hold a candle to Jennifer Connolly.

Alas and with no surprise money interested Marvel more than my objections and now we have the latest from director Louis Letterier. He directed the amusing Transporter and the mind numbing disaster Transporter 2. Norton is now Bruce Banner hiding in Brazil. A short sequence has established a new origin for Hulk but the film has jumped right into the story. General Ross (William Hurt) is still trying to find Banner and he is employing a soldier named Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) to help him do it.

Appealing to some of the themes of the tv show, the plot follows Banner on the run occasionally being caught up and transforming into the Hulk. And certainly here the fan boys will squeal with joy at seeing Hulk do what they have always wanted him to do. We are subjected to purple pants, Hulk phrases and signature moves. We even get a Captain America of sorts. It was all pretty agonizing in my opinion. The film abandons all the interesting things that Lee was trying to do with his film for more action and a big bad rogue villain in the Abomination.

Lee's film was trying to do something and maybe it failed but this new film doesn't seem to be trying to do anything at all. Its just kind of ho hums its way through until a big action sequence. Not to mention I have serious problems believing the young looking Tyler as a molecular biologist. The mediocrity of the film is made the worse by unfortunate giving in to fan expectations. And I hate anything that sets up a sequel and you can see the sequel to this film coming a mile down the road.