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Sometimes if you want something done, you have to do it yourself. Marvel Studios takes it upon themselves to relaunch the Hulk into the super hero movie market, and this time they hit the mark with a movie that fans of the Hulk will appreciate.

The Incredible Hulk tells the ongoing story of scientist Bruce Banner (played by Edward Norton), who, after being exposed to a large dosage of gamma radiation, must deal with his condition of transforming into a rampaging, green giant whenever he becomes sufficiently distressed. Banner searches for a cure to his condition while evading the military, specifically General Ross (played by William Hurt), who wants Banner incarcerated in order to gain his secrets for weapons research.

Aiding General Ross is the mercenary, Emil Blonsky. Blonsky (played by Tim Roth) is a soldier through and through. He lives for the mission and is the consummate professional. If Blonsky has a weakness, it is that he does not like to lose. After experiencing the flip-side of Banner's personality first hand, Blonsky is intrigued; he wants to be able to defeat the Hulk, and General Ross is willing to oblige him by giving him a "Super Soldier" serum to do it. This increases Blonky's physical ability, but in an attempt to contain the Hulk, he is still no match and is nearly killed.

Banner seeks help from Elizabeth "Betty" Ross (played by Liv Tyler), the daughter of General Ross and Banner's lost love. Betty has been lead to believe that Bruce Banner was dead and is shocked to find that he is still alive. She is also unaware of Bruce's alter ego, the Hulk.

As Banner plays cat and mouse with the military, he is also in contact with a mysterious scientist who is trying to help him. As Banner meets with this scientist to try and reverse his transformations and get rid of the Hulk once and for all, Blonsky and the military arrive and subdue Bruce and take him captive.

Blonsky, obsessed with the power that embodies the Hulk, wants what Banner has and takes the final step to get it. This creates the monster, the Abomination. Now that he has the great power that he has been seeking, the Abomination wreaks havoc with nobody to stand in his way. This leads to the climatic battle of the behemoths as only the Hulk can stand up to the Abomination.

Like the Marvel film, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk features a great cast. While none of the characters are really featured more than the others, Edward Norton and Liv Tyler play their characters pretty straight forward, but William Hurt's General Ross and Tim Roth's Emil Blonsky really get to chew up the scenery.

This movie firmly establishes the Hulk in the Marvel stable, something that the Ang Lee Hulk film from 2003 couldn't do. Where that movie was more like Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, this new Hulk is exactly what the comic book world was asking for: action surrounded by a quick and easy story line. Nothing too intricate because that isn't what was needed, and that is what makes this movie successful.

The special effects are a bit of a mix; while the Abomination fits into the action well, the Hulk seems a bit unreal. It still is not enough to drag the film down and only requires a little suspension of disbelief.

There are also tie-ins to other Marvel characters as names are mentioned and a cameo appears at the end, laying the groundwork for what will truly be an astounding ensemble piece in the future.

The Marvel universe is starting to form right before our eyes and now the grass is a little greener with the Hulk right where the fans want him. With each film staying true to the comic book form, we should enjoy the ride because it's not showing any signs of ending soon.

Learn more about this author, Chuck Hoodak.
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