New 'Hulk' stays true to comic

What do you get when you mix French director Louis Laterrier of “Transporter” and “Unleashed” with an angry, giant, green monster with a split personality? You get this summer's “The Incredible Hulk” pack full of suspense and, of course, Hulk smash.

“The Incredible Hulk” makes leaps and bounds in the opposite, but right, direction to further itself from the abomination of Ang Lee's 2003 “Hulk”. This summer’s blockbuster is not a sequel to the 2003 movie. “The Incredible Hulk” went under a complete overhaul. Unlike Lee's “Hulk” where the viewer was beaten over the head with back stories, this film quickly gives a run down in the opening credits. This move allowed the rest of the 114 minutes to escape the horror of sheer boredom.

Laterrier's “Hulk” features a new face, Edward Norton, playing the role of Bruce Banner. Norton's roles in “American History X” and “Fight Club” make him a more believable Bruce Banner/Hulk than Ang Lee's baby faced Hulk, Eric Bana. He was more known for sporting a leather skirt and dull sword in “Troy”. The character of Bruce Banner is more in line with the ‘70s TV series. He is portrayed as a lonely fugitive on the run from Gen. Ross (William Hurt) and company after a freak accident turns him into a hulking green freak with a short fuse.

The story line and plot is nothing new or amazing, but it stays true to the comic book through and through. After an experiment gone wrong, Bruce goes on the lamb in order to save himself from becoming dissected into a hundred pieces. His gamma-rich blood is sought after to create a legion of super soldiers.

The scenes in the film are almost reminiscent of the “Bourne” movies, without the shaky camera shots. This time Bruce is making his way through Latin America and back home, but more precisely to the campus of a Virginia university where his ex-girlfriend Betty Ross (Liv Tyler) teaches, hoping he can retrieve any information from his experiment that can help him find a cure for his reckless, green alter ego.

The story boils down to an epic fight between the two monstrous creatures, Hulk and his enemy Abomination (Tim Roth). This scene creates a digital spectacle that is more believable and realistic than the idea of Santa Clause to a 5 year old. The sight of the Hulk wielding two hunks of cars as he pummels the Abomination into the city streets is enough to bring a boyish gleam to even the oldest fan's eye.

The fact that Laterrier moved away from Lee's forty-foot tall Gumby-esque Hulk to a more faithful and believable nine-foot tall beast with skin as dark and muddy as his anger gives the movie that much more strength. In the end, however, the only incredibly part of this movie were the digital effects. While the action scenes were impressive, the rest of the movie seemed like filler without any importance. However, the fast pace of the movie allows the flaws to be overlooked. “The Incredible Hulk” could be the foundation needed to create a more exciting and meaningful sequel with room to expand in story and plot.