"Academy Award nominee Edward Norton stars as scientist Bruce Banner, a man who has been living in shadows, scouring the planet for an antidote to the unbridled force of rage within him: the Hulk. But when the military masterminds who dream of exploiting his powers force him back to civilization, he finds himself coming face to face with his most formidable foe: the Abomination - a nightmarish beast of pure aggression whose powers match the Hulk's own!"

Did The Incredible Hulk make up for all of the fanboy fury directed at Ang Lee’s 2003 big screen version of Hulk? Sure. But the most eye-opening aspect of both projects is that all of the online haters of Ang Lee’s version are the clear minority. Think back to the first movie after watching the 2008 version, I did some checking on the numbers between both films given my cinematic curiosity.

And with that said, I have to get something off my chest...

Look, the 2003 version of Hulk wasn’t a great translation of Hulk, but it wasn’t the worst either. After years of listening to people bitch about how bad it was, the funny thing is that on BoxOfficeMojo readers have given it a "B" to "C" range grade while users on Rotten Tomatoes have given it a 61%. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out they’re both passing grades. So when you hear someone say how bad Ang Lee’s 2003 Hulk was, or how much they hated it, think back to this review and mentally question whether they’re 61% full of sh*t or 39% on the money, and then ask them to explain the online majority’s passing grade. As for my opinion, that’s easy - The Incredible Hulk is a better movie.

The second interesting thing is that after five years apart from each other, there’s only a $2 million dollar difference at the box-office since Hulk pulled in $132,177,234 while The Incredible Hulk topped out at $134,533,885. Does that indicate Bruce Banner and his alter-ego have a ceiling on the big screen? It looks like it. If we see another movie in the franchise, at least Marvel will know how much they’ll make in a best-case scenario. Still, with $261,894,722 in worldwide sales, you can call The Incredible Hulk a hit.

So what else do the box-office numbers mean? They mean that Hulk has his place among the big screen super heroes, just not at the very top of the heap. Incredible Hulk director Louis Leterrier’s translation injected new life into Bruce Banner and certainly tapped into the lore of both the TV series and comic book, with Hulk’s famous clap and "Smash", an appearance from Lou Ferrigno and the incorporation of the TV theme from the ‘70s. In fact, there are a lot of closely tied comic book references that create a much better and more accurate Hulk tone than the 2003 film. Throw in a cameo by Iron Man Tony Stark and the much talked about snowy imprint of Captain America in the "Alternate Opening" in the extras and it’s clear Leterrier knew exactly where to go in appealing to fans.

Still, after so much anger directed at Ang Lee’s version of Hulk, you wouldhave thought more people might have turned out since the franchise wasrebooted with a cast that includes Ed Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, WilliamHurt, and Tim Blake Nelson. And it’s Ed Norton's portrayal of Hulk thatmakes the 2008 reboot worthwhile, as he goes on the run in Brazil to evadethe military and General Thunderbolt Ross (William Hurt) who is hell bent onacquiring the secret behind Bruce Banner’s alter-ego. And while Bannerattempts to cure himself on the run, trying to control his anger, it’s theimmediate jeopardy that allows us to not only care for Banner’s predicamentbut also his suppressed love for Liv Tyler’s Betty Ross.

The new reboot isn’t without its flaws, as the movie suffers from its own comic book identity in that it sometimes dances into the ridiculous and unbelievable when turned over to the supporting cast. The movie works well when centered on Banner’s flight but loses credibility when it fails to provide logical reasoning to specifics, namely in how Betty is so close to Samson. Also, and possibly the major element still plaguing the franchise is a CGI Hulk that doesn’t quite look as perfected as he should on the big screen. Although I let myself go to have some fun, the big green guy still takes me out of the movie. But when the pacing ramps up to turn Tim Roth’s mercenary Blonsky into a formidable opponent named The Abomination, The Incredible Hulk gives fans an awesome and thunderous action packed showdown. It’s how a Hulk movie should end.

Special Features:

Disc 1:

Disc 2:

Disc 3:

* Digital Copy Of The Film

Overall:

Like I mentioned above, The Incredible Hulk makes up for the so-called fury that many online fans directed at Ang Lee’s Hulk. Among the big three comic-to-film adaptations of 2008, it’s obviously and organically the weakest of the trio. Still, it delivers on several fronts, namely in acting and action. As DVD, the best bang for your buck is the "Alternate Opening" where Banner travels north to a glacier where we see a hidden Captain America sign encased in ice. Also, the Leterrier and Roth commentary provides a wealth of geeky and informative insight into the film while the rest of the extras provide a solid and stable foundation -front to back, creatively, on-set, and technologically - that will gratify Hulk geeks as much as the movie. Although it would have been cool to hear a commentary track from Ed Norton, we might never get one given the reported on-set friction between Norton and Louis Leterrier. Even still, go get it, smash it open and have some fun.