movie review--the incredible hulk

There is a question I've asked, a bit of a humorous one, in regards to the two Hulk movies.

What do the two main actors in the Hulk movies, Bana and now Norton, have in common?

They've each played characters that have beaten up by Brad Pitt (Fight Club and Troy).

Well, not that it has anything to do the movie itself, but it's a bit of something. Not much.

Anyway, back to the movie...

It's not really a sequel to the movie that came out 4 or 5 years ago. The intro to the current movie gives a very brief telling of the Hulk's origins, different then the one from the first movie. It's as if they didn't want to retell the origin story of the first movie, but still wanted to have that story out of the way.

In many ways, the movie seemed based mostly on the old tv series, and it gives several hints to it. There is the brief appearance on Banner's tv of a movie or series with Bixby in it. Some of the music in the movie was taken from the series. And, in common with the first movie, there was Ferrigno (sp) who made a cameo as a guard.

As in the series, Banner is a wanderer, though it seems in foreign lands.

Norton as Banner seems to have been a good choice. Like Bixby, he's of average or even below-average build. He's also a very good actor, and does well with Banner in this movie.

One difference I didn't like was with General Ross. The one in this movie was a bit extreme.

The Hulk was different in this movie then in the last, too. Not as cartoonish, and while still much larger then human, he's not as huge as he was a few times in the first movie. Nor as polished. Although he didn't speak except one time, to say the obligatory "Hulk smash!!", he seems more intelligent.

The Abomination gives the movie something the first one lacked, which was needed--an enemy. The one in the first movie was undefined, not very specific, and I'm still not sure how it was defeated, while the Abomination was rather clearly an evil version of the Hulk.

And as an added point of interest was the last few scenes, where Banner seems to be gaining control of his transformations, and Stark from the 'Iron Man' movie shows up telling General Ross about the team 'they' are forming. One thing that connects with is the "Super-soldier" project mentioned before in the movie, which would lead up to Captain America and, one would say eventually, the Avengers, mentioned in 'Iron Man'.

What wasn't clear, though, was if and how the Hulk fits into it. I had thought it likely the Hulk would be part of the Avengers, but since Stark was talking to Ross, it may also mean the Hulk could be part of the problems. Or maybe he won't be in the Avengers' story at all.

At any rate, 'The Incredible Hulk' is a good movie, with lots of action and a good story. It's one I recommended.