The Incredible Hulk Review

Ever since 2003's "Hulk", fans have been screaming out for a revamp - an angrier (anti)hero unafraid to cut loose and have some fun. Ang Lee's film, unfairly pilloried by many, feigned to give some brains to the big green lug with impressive results. Impressive but not incredible. So it falls to Louis Letterier and Ed Norton to affect the ultimate smash 'n' grab - to put the brawn back into The Hulk!

Unsurprisingly this particular beast has two faces. Ed Norton's Bruce Banner is on the lamb in Brazil having gone almost half a year without 'incident'. The reclusive scientist is trying to control his emotions and thus cage the monster inside. The only thing keeping Banner grounded is the memory of Betty (Liv Tyler), who he almost killed, along with her father General Ross (William Hurt), when the original gamma radiation experiment went somewhat awry. The General, wrestling with plenty of issues himself, is more interested in Banner's jade alter ego and wishes to tame the beast and put it to work on the frontlines. After unleashing Special Forces on Banner and coming up empty-handed, Ross decides to do some scientific tinkering of his own. Having already enlisted the help of Brit hard nut (or nut case) Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth), Ross persuades the aging soldier to undergo some 'testing'. Faster, stronger and generally more badass - the suped-up Blonsky gets a taste of power and decides he wants more.

Between Banner and Betty teaming up to purge the gamma radiation from Bruce's system and Ross trying to harvest the energy for his own gains a new threat springs forth. The Abominable Blonsky is let loose and only The Hulk can stop him.

"The Incredible Hulk" certainly ticks a few boxes. It's just a crushing shame that it doesn't tick more. Tales of infighting between Norton and…well, just about everyone who worked on the picture have dogged The Hulk for some time now. But whatever the back-story, and whatever the effect, a Hulk has been redelivered to the big screen slightly misshapen. And that's not just a cheap shot at the effects work, although, in honesty, they are below par here. The dialogue is unusually leaden for this kind of fare - Norton is clearly wrestling with his character and not looking like he's having much fun when having to reel off the comic book clichés and in-jokes. Liv Tyler's Betty is all but surplus to requirements; her tender moments with Bruce (and The Hulk) feel ill-judged and laughable. So it's up to Hurt and Roth to carry large swathes of the film, which they do admirably. Despite being lumbered with some similarly clunky dialogue all they need to do is look perpetually annoyed, which they do naturally anyway! In fact it's Roth who leaves the lasting impression as the would-be Abomination. His encounters with The Hulk are (whisper it) simply incredible.

It's during the action sequences that Letterier's CV really comes to bear. The "Transporter" helmer imbues the fight scenes (of which there are plenty) with a sense of energy and even dread. The final monster mash is a brutal collision of flesh and bone and delivers a fantastic final punch to cap things off. What we have here then is the total obverse of Lee's "Hulk". This one walks the walk but can't find its voice while the earlier effort was all brains and no substance. Oh well, third time's the charm!