''The Incredible Hulk.'' He’s mean. He’s green. He’s back. (Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures)

By Bob Polunsky
Guest Columnist

“The Incredible Hulk” makes comic book heroes look credible.

It’s sort of a sequel since it repeats some plot points from other versions and other movies, but it has an all-new cast of veteran actors. Their acting ability makes a big difference, so this version is more credible than the TV series.

Edward Norton stars as Bruce Banner a.k.a. The Hulk.  When he turns green and becomes muscle-bound, his voice changes into the husky-throated Hulk (voiced by Lou Ferrigno). The story is a familiar one: Banner is still searching for a cure for his double identity, a situation reminiscent of those long ago “Wolf Man” movies.

He also has a private life that urges him to go back to normalcy because he is hopelessly in love with Betty Ross (Liv Tyler). His relentless search for a cure is virtually worldwide.  It’s on one of those trips that the sneaky villain, Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth), gets involved. His mission is to destroy the Hulk, and the chase begins.

Blonsky is a soldier, and, along with Betty Ross’s father, Gen. Thaddeus Ross (William Hurt), leads the army unit pursuing The Hulk. Blonsky (the same character was called The Abomination in the comic book version) is really an undercover KGB agent charged with a mission to destroy The Hulk.

He voluntarily gets an injection of a formula that gives him the same power The Hulk has, making their pending fight a war between two monsters with similar strengths.

“Superman” never had a fight like that in his movies. Neither did “Batman,” but “Spiderman” did fight a bad guy disguised as an animal-like monster (played by Willem Dafoe) in the second “Spiderman” movie. Their clash didn’t have the same momentum, and that’s one reason why “Spiderman” is considered more of a kid’s movie than “The Incredible Hulk”.

Actuality, both are kid’s movies, but The Incredible Hulk redeems himself through Ed Norton’s acting skill as well as his more mature personality. As a result, his performance has adult appeal.

Flashbacks reveal the origin of The Hulk and are modified to match Ed Norton’s personality and thereby give the film a different direction. They add fresh interest in the character to keep the movie from being just another sequel.

It also takes The Hulk to a new level, one elevated from comic book heroes like Superman, Batman and Spiderman. He is more involved with himself and his unusual identity dilemma so it’s easier to identify with his persona of Dr. Bruce Banner as well as the troubled Hulk. We can sympathize with him and his predicament because he really wants to get rid of the Hulk curse.

Putting a character with that curse in the context of a comic book makes “The Incredible Hulk” different. Putting good actors like Ed Norton, Oscar winner William Hurt and all-purpose actor Tim Roth in a movie based on comic book characters gives “The Incredible Hulk” class.

Studio rating: PG-13
Bob says: “A comic book movie for both kids and adults” ***