The Incredible Hulk
You’ll like him when he’s angry

Come with me, if you will, back to a more innocent time. A time before “Ghost Rider” and “Elektra.” A time before such crushing disappoints as “X-Men: The Last Stand” and “Spider-Man 3.”

The year is 2003. After successful outings with the “X-Men” and “Spider-Man” franchises, as well as “Daredevil,” Marvel has released a big screen adaptation of “The Hulk,” starring Eric Bana as scientist Bruce Banner and Jennifer Connelly as Betty Ross.

While praised for its introspective approach to the legendary franchise and Ang Lee’s direction, “The Hulk” failed to impress devoted fans of the source material. While the film’s editing made it film more like a comic book than its predecessors, it was filled with too much talking and not nearly enough smashing.

Now back to the present day, where Marvel Studios has declared independence as a production company and taken creative control back into their own hands. Earlier this summer we got the first taste of this newly-liberated Marvel’s potential with “Iron man,” an absolute box office smash that quickly got comic book geeks excited for what was to come.

After introducing “Iron Man” to the masses, Marvel’s next step toward world domination is a reboot of the Hulk franchise. “The Incredible Hulk,” starring Edward Norton and Liv Tyler, looks to bring back the true essence of the character.

During the opening credits we are treated to a series of flashbacks that establish a new origin for the character, completely severing any ties to the 2003 film. We see the gamma radiation accident that transformed Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) into the Hulk, and hospitalized his lover Betty Ross (Liv Tyler).

Now a fugitive from the United States Army and General “Thunderbolt” Ross (William Hurt), Banner goes on the run for five years. He ends up in Brazil, working at a soft drink bottling factory while trying to find a cure for his condition. Banner studies martial arts and meditative breathing techniques with a Brazilian Jujitsu expert (a cool cameo by Rickson Gracie) in an effort to control his emotions.

But eventually Banner slips up and Ross discovers his location, sending an elite team of soldiers, led by Russian-born British special operations expert Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth). Blonsky is a fighter and after chasing Banner throughout the beautiful Brazilian locale, witnesses what happens to Bruce when he gets angry.

As the Hulk, Bruce Banner escapes capture and ends up in Guatemala. After getting some new clothes that aren’t torn to shreds, Banner travels back to the United States in hopes of recovering some data on his condition from Culver University, where his gamma radiation experiment went horribly wrong.

Upon doing so, Banner runs into his old flame Betty Ross, who is eager to help him find a cure. Meanwhile, Blonsky is enrolled in a similar experimental program that will give him superhuman strength and agility. As a “super soldier” he will attempt to take on the Hulk one on one.

Blonsky and his men show up on Culver University’s campus and we have a spectacular showdown between the Hulk and his new foe – who might be his equal if it wasn’t for Hulk’s sheer height and weight advantage.

After failing to capture him again, Blonsky slowly slips into desperate derangement. Against the wishes of General Ross, Blonsky goes off on his own in an attempt to become more like his opponent. What results is a horrible abomination of a science – a creature with the shared abilities of the hulk that wishes to cause complete destruction and mayhem.

So now, as you may have guessed, Banner must fight his inner demons and fully unleash the rage of the Hulk in order to stop Blonksy’s abomination and protect the woman he loves.

What can I say? I was pleasantly surprised by how entertaining and well-done “The Incredible Hulk” was. The acting was great – Edward Norton made me care about the character of Bruce Banner and feel somewhat sorry for the Hulk, a misunderstood monstrosity – a victim of government cover-ups and experimental tampering.

Then there’s Tim Roth’s character, Emil Blonsky. Blonsky’s character was subtly layered and built upon throughout the course of the movie, eventually showing his complete downfall – his lust for powerful that transformed him into the Abomination.

It seems Marvel’s independent ventures are two for two, and with plenty of subtle hints to S.H.I.E.L.D and Captain America, not to mention a cameo by Iron Man himself Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) – “The Incredible Hulk” is a great lead-in to the upcoming “Avengers” movie.

This Hulk is a Smash!