Film Reviews

The Incredible Hulk

• Rating:
• Director: Louis Leterrier
• Starring: Edward Norton
• Details: USA / 114 mins (12A)

Marvel rolls the dice once again on The Hulk, after Ang Lee's brave, but tonally ambiguous effort a few years back failed to find an audience. This time the newbie studio have sidestepped the ponderous pitch and gone straight for the jugular, offering up an arrow-straight action film. The plot sees Bruce Banner (Norton) hiding in Brazil after an opening credits montage reveals how he became the perennially pissed-off green geezer, and ended up on the run. Working in a factory, his cover is rumbled when General Ross (Hurt) shows up looking to use his body for some military experiments. Banner, searching desperately for a cure, ends up in the arms of former love Betty (Tyler), while being hotly pursued by an overzealous solider (Roth) willing to try anything to match our hero's burly alter-ego. It was always going to be difficult matching the success of Iron Man, as audiences are invariably likely to compare the two comic book adaptations and lean more towards the tin-man - but that doesn't mean that fun isn't to be had here. Norton is always watchable; loneliness is painfully apparent in the pensive star's face, even if it isn't fully explored. The action, too - despite being repetitive - will keep you entertained, but never enthrall you the way it could have. Apparently Norton and Leterrier had a longer, slightly more character-driven cut rejected by Marvel, who wanted a Wham Bam production, ready to roll and please the masses. The studio obviously won, as it really does feel like some scenes may have fallen between the cracks. With the exception of Norton and Tyler, the casting is off, too. Roth looks completely out of place, and phones in a performance with minimal effort, while Hurt has very little opportunity to impress. Still, fans will go along here looking to see The Hulk smash, and he won't disappoint. Not the out-and-out home run it could have been, but a solid enough addition to the Marvel universe.

Review by Mike Sheridan