The Incredible Hulk...

Like with Ironman, I was never a huge fan of The Incredible Hulk comics. Which is why I was hoping to have the same reaction to this movie that I had with Ironman. I didn't. Not to say it's not a fun ride, it is. It just lacked heart.

The first Hulk movie by Ang Lee was considered by most to be long and too thick to muddle through. I have not seen that one, so I can't make any comparisons. And, as I stated before, I don't know the character that well. So, reviewing this purely as a stand-alone movie, it didn't do it for me.

Overall, it just lacked momentum. The story line was moved along purely because it had to be. I honestly didn't care if Bruce Banner and Betty Ross got together. Blonsky, as the bad guy, didn't come across as intimidating. He was like a twelve year old who wasn't getting his way. At some point you just wanted to say "ya know what, I'm tired of hearing you complain. Go to your room!"

Really, it comes down to two things. Action and acting. Action good, acting bad. The chase seen at the beginning and subsequent fight in the factory is good. The fight between Hulk and Abomination at the end, good. The fight in the middle was okay, but nothing to write home about. The acting was bad. It pains me to say that, because Edward Norton is a great actor. Liv Tyler used to be, and I don't know what went wrong. William Hurt played it too big, Tim Roth was phoning it in. The special effects were also less than special. The Hulk himself looked too much like a cartoon. I don't understand it. Terminator 2 and Jurassic Park were made well over ten or fifteen years ago and their effects still stand up. Let's get on the ball, guys.

A side note is that Edward Norton, who helped craft the script, and the director Louis Leterrier have both voiced dissent towards the final studio cut. Mr. Norton even went so far as to not participate in the publicity of the movie. If there is ever a directors cut, I'll check it out.

I would say, if you are a fan of The Hulk, you should see this movie. If you are not a fan of the Hulk, I would say maybe rent it on a Saturday night. The action scenes make it worth seeing it at least once. I liked it as a comic book movie, not as a movie.