The team of director Louis Leterrier, screenwriter Zak Penn and star (ghostwriter) Edward Norton have put together a great re-launch of the Hulk franchise.  The film builds on the character and story work of the previous film, while quickly differentiating itself as a completely different movie. The Incredible Hulk also builds on the fugitive theme of the Hulk television show of the late 1970’s.

The Incredible Hulk is the story of Dr. Bruce Banner, a scientist who gets infected with Gamma radiation and becomes transformed in to a giant raging Frankenstein like monster. Banner looks to cure himself of the radiation that causes the Hulk, while General “Thunderbolt” Ross hunts Banner down to use his unique power for military applications.

Leterrier takes care of the exposition very quickly. The backstory appears in the opening credits, and by the time the film starts, the audience is caught up with the basic premise of the story. The pace of this movie is fast but it manages to make sure that the audience knows what is going on at all times.

Norton is a great casting choice as Dr. Banner. William Hurt is great as General Ross, who is more of a villain in this film. Considering that she was working with a fully cg character, Liv Tyler does a good job in her scenes with The Hulk. While Tim Blake Nelson is a good actor, I thought there was an odd comic streak to his character (Samuel Stearns - a character that hardcore Hulk fans should recognize) that was unnecessary.

The cg Hulk character is not perfect but looks a lot better in this film than in previous incarnations. He is muscular and carries some of Edward Norton’s facial features. The daytime scenes with the Hulk really look great while some of the nighttime scenes look like scenes from a video game.

After watching the trailers again it is apparent that a lot of the film was trimmed down prior to release.  Leterrier has said 70 minutes were cut to bring the film to its current 114 minute running time.

Comic fans will be happy to see a lot of small nods and Easter eggs throughout the film. SHIELD and Stark Industries are mentioned in the first five to ten minutes of the film. There are clear allusions to the Super Soldier program. Fans of the TV series will be happy to see nods to all three of the main characters. With the Tony Stark cameo showing up in a TV ad last week fans got to see a part of a scene that would have made for a good surprise, even if it leaked months ago.

The Incredible Hulk is an exciting fast paced thriller in tradition of films like “The Fugitive”. The effects are well done, particularly a spectacular daytime fight scene that looks amazing. Marvel has done a great job with this re-launch which will serve to solidify the Marvel Comics brand. The summer is here, and it is all green.

CraveOnline Rating: 8 Out of 10

All new photos from The Incredible Hulk