The Incredible Hulk
2008
**
Director: Louis Leterrier
Cast: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, Tim Blake Nelson, Ty Burrell, William Hurt
Many people found Ang Lee’s Hulk (2003) either too brainy or too silly, and it was considered a flop. Now Marvel reboots the franchise with a new director and leading man (by the time of The Avengers (2012) Edward Norton was replaced with Mark Ruffalo). This one dispenses with the origin story in the title scene, and as the story kicks in, Bruce Banner is hiding in Brazil, trying to avoid another rage attack and desperate to find a cure for his condition. Back home, General Ross wants to capture him and harness Hulk’s superhuman abilities to military use. Action hack Louis Leterrier delivers a nuts and bolts superhero action movie which is as dumb as a bag of hammers. When the soldiers, scene after scene, shoot at Hulk with no discernible effect, military intelligence definitely seems like a contradiction in terms. In the meanwhile, Banner’s love interest Betty Ross does her utmost to get in harm’s way. Like Iron Man, another Marvel picture, the film ends with an overlong finale in which the hero and the replica villain bash each other for 20-30 minutes until the audience is beaten into submission.