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THE INCREDIBLE HULK - reviewed by Denise Castillon

Movie Rating: (3 OUT OF 5 STARS)

(Running Time: 114 min; Rated PG-13)

Selecting to draw on the fast-paced direction of Louis Leterrier (the French action filmmaker of The Transporter series, Unleashed), absolutely gives life to this saga, well-known as one of Marvel Comic's beloved superheroes and from the successful 70’s TV series, “The Incredible Hulk”, (starring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno).

The opening title sequence cleverly provides the film’s prologue, where we’re quickly taken through a five-year time span, beginning with the scientist’s disastrous laboratory experiment to the fugitive’s hidden identity as a glass factory laborer in present-day Brazil. There, we find Bruce Banner (EDWARD NORTON) desperately hunting for a cure to the gamma radiation sickness that, when enraged, unleashes his 9 foot green counterpart: The Hulk.

General “Thunderbolt” Ross (WILLIAM HURT), Banner’s obsessive nemesis, tracks him to his workplace refuge, where an exciting chase scene ensues as Banner is hunted by Gen. Ross’s special assault unit through the labyrinthine Brazilian quarter. This combative confrontation triggers an “incident” of rage that Banner, until then, had managed to suppress. Banner’s subsequent transformation into “The Hulk” takes the unprepared Special Ops team leader, Emil Blonsky (TIM ROTH), by surprise.

Banner escapes across Latin America and the U.S. border to a California college campus, where there he reunites with the woman he loves, fellow research scientist Dr. Betty Ross (LIV TYLER). After her estranged father, General Ross, attempts another military attack, they both flee to New York City to find Dr. Samuel “Mr. Blue” Stern (TIM BLAKE NELSON), who has been secretly collaborating with Banner. Meanwhile, bitter and eager for a rematch against the massive green creature, Blonsky agrees to receive the General’s advanced gamma radiation treatment that will morph him into a super solider, and the Hulk’s newest enemy: The Abomination.

There’s plenty of comedic moments, terrific visual effects and pulse-pounding CGI-generated battles between “The Hulk” and “The Abomination” in this action adventure for super hero movie fans of all ages. Although, despite the French director’s claim that the love story between Bruce Banner and Betty Ross, “comes naturally to him”, their romance lacks passion that cannot be simply justified by Banner’s avoidance of extreme excitement. Then, there’s the curious casting of Roth, while great at portraying slimy villains, is unconvincing as the militant “bad ass” Blonsky. The difficulty acting with unseen CGI characters can only attempt to explain the one-dimensional performances of these otherwise exceptional lead actors.

SPOILIER ALERT! No need to wait through the end credits, as with Marvel Studio’s far superior IRON MAN, for the teaser alluding to the super hero movie franchise’s upcoming assembly of “The Avengers”. This arrives with THE INCREDIBLE HULK’s last film scene to deliver a more satisfying ending to the anti-climactic showdown between “The Hulk” and “The Abomination”.

The screen story and screenplay by ZAK PENN (X2, X-Men: The Last Stand). Directed by LOUIS LETERRIER (The Transporter series, Unleashed). Visual Effects supervised by KURT WILLIAMS, ( Fantastic Four and X-Men: The Last Stand). Director of Photography, PETER MENZIES, JR. (Shooter, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider). Executive produced by STAN LEE (Iron Man, Spider-Man series, X-Men series), and produced by DAVID MAISEL (Iron Man) and JIM VAN WYCK (Timeline, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events).