I was somewhat curious about the Incredible Hulk even though I was never a Hulk a fan. I didn't hate the last Hulk film by Ang Lee as much as many people but I find the character pretty limiting. He fights the army, throws a tank and then his girlfriend calms him down and he remains calm until the army comes after him again. Well this film follows that formula but it works pretty well. It's not quite as good as Iron Man which had a little better balance and more humor.
This Hulk is not a sequel to the last Hulk film but a new start. The new origin of the Hulk is told via a montage during the credits. It starts with Banner living in Brazil, working in a factory, learning calming techniques and searching for a cure (same as every Hulk story). The army comes and there's a fun chase that's a little reminiscent of the Bourne Ultimatum. Then the real story unfolds. Banners experiment was part of an army research program to develop a super soldier. One of the solders who survives a Hulk encounter wants to volunteer and become a super soldier (this is foreshadowing Captain America), which leads to a worthy opponent for the Hulk.
Edward Norton makes a fine Banner. Liv Tyler is good and William Hurt plays the one note General. Tim Roth seemed a little miscast as the villain but did fine. The effects are good and the Hulk looks sufficiently huge and mostly real. There are fun cameos by Bill Bixby, Lou Ferrigno and of course Stan Lee. There's also a Tony Stark appearance at the end just before the credits and there's nothing after the credits to stick around for. If you're into the comics there is more foreshadowing of future characters.
This is a pretty good summer action film and a competent Hulk story. If that's interesting to you you'll enjoy the film, if not, skip it. My understanding is that there are plenty of deleted scenes, so the DVD might be more interesting.
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