Bruce Banner is a closed off and distant scientist who is about to have the biggest life altering change happen to him. Part of the reasons he is so closed off is that his past is not so glorious and there are many secrets there that are both dangerous and painful. Bruce has created a wall around himself and around his memories shutting everyone out even the woman he most likely loves Betty Ross. His father was also a scientist whom most considered mad, and had been experimenting with genetic improvements in healing and genetic regrowth. But he was also so far gone that he was willing to do experiments on himself creating mutations not only in himself but also in his son. Now unbeknownst to Bruce he is following in his father’s footsteps working in the same field and trying to make the same genetic abnormalities possible. But when a horrible accident befalls Bruce in his lab he throws himself on a machine that produce gamma radiation to protect a coworker and takes in a mega dosage of the highly dangerous element. Through the exposure of the radiation and his mutated genetics a monster is released, The Hulk. The Hulk is a 12 foot green behemoth that’s rage only makes him more powerful and unstoppable. But Bruce’s father is not done with him and soon he will not be the only one out to get Bruce and the monster within as Betty’s father General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross is about to start a personal manhunt of the monster using the entire military’s support.

Now this is more like how a comic book can be adapted to the screen and should be adapted. It doesn’t have Spiderman’s sappiness, nor does it have Daredevil’s forced appeal and sub par acting. Instead it tells a compelling story about the anti superhero who is not really out to protect justice but instead his only motivation is destroying his enemies. The movie was almost like two movies in one, the first movie dealt with all the drama and issues like man playing god and the man who unwillingly got caught in the middle. The second part of the movie was the madcap fun of The Hulk destroying and rampaging. Also the movie does itself an incredible injustice with its mediocre trailers showing The Hulk in an unfavorable light of visual and special effects. The movie was vastly improved on from the CGI Hulk of the trailers with a much more believable and less cartoonish Hulk in the movie. Granted the CGI wasn’t perfect and at times the Hulk looked gangly and not totally real but for the most part the Hulk will entrance you and compel you. I busted up in laughter at many of the scenes of the Hulk as the character was played with the fun and wonderment that is the Hulk. This is the excitement you got when you were a kid and read the comic books or saw the TV show, the Hulk is much like a child himself and they did a wonderful job of bringing that to the big screen. The only thing missing was a few of my favorite lines that they did not use like Hulk Smash, and a sympathetic Hulk lo0oking after Betty. The acting all around was superb from Eric Bana as Bruce to Jennifer Connelly as Betty and even Nick Nolte as Bruce’s father. I have to say one thing about Nick Nolte and that is he has become one of the scariest looking human beings on the planet and that combined with his over the top part made him the highlight of the films at times. The only thing that seemed to detract from the movie was some of the directing techniques Ang Lee chose to employ. I am dumbfounded at his use of multi camera angles that made no sense and added nothing to the movie. There has been a movie recently Phonebooth that used these techniques to perfection and I am wondering if Mister Lee saw that movie and said to himself I gotta try that. It detracts from the story and distracts the audience. All in all though this was a wonderful movie and very well done. Hulk Smash.
4.5 stars out of 5