- Film Review
- Reviewed By Stella Papamichael
-
4 out of 5
Director Louis Leterrier pumps some adrenaline back into the Marvel character after the mixed reception that greeted Ang Lee's brooding Hulk in 2003. A typically intense Edward Norton replaces Eric Bana as Dr Bruce Banner, the scientist whose exposure to gamma rays has made him a danger to his girlfriend Betty (Liv Tyler) and a target for her dad, military honcho General Ross (a steely William Hurt). As in his earlier film The Transporter, Leterrier indulges his passion for Parkour (a form of street running), as the Hulk bounds across the rooftops to escape his new genetically modified adversary Emil Blonsky, aka the Abomination (played by Tim Roth). Banner is prodded into "hulking out" with satisfying frequency, but as well as delivering thumping action, the giant is sympathetic. The romantic elements are also shrewdly handled, in a manner that's strongly redolent of King Kong. Yes, it's bigger and brasher, but unlike Lee's film, there is a real sense that Banner and the beast inhabit the same tortured mind, making it easier to stick with him through to the earth-shaking finale.
Plot Summary
Science-fiction action adventure based on the Marvel comic, starring Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, William Hurt and Tim Roth. Army physicist Bruce Banner is exposed to gamma radiation during an experiment that turns him into an incredibly strong green giant in moments of emotional stress. He flees to Brazil in the hope of finding a cure, but ruthless general Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross is keen to exploit Banner's condition for the military and sends a soldier of fortune to apprehend him.
Cast and crew
Cast
- Bruce Banner / The Hulk
- Edward Norton
- Betty Ross
- Liv Tyler
- General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross
- William Hurt
- Emil Blonsky / The Abomination
- Tim Roth
- Samuel Sterns
- Tim Blake Nelson
- Major Kathleen "Kat" Sparr
- Christina Cabot
- Dr Leonard Samson
- Ty Burrell
- Tony Stark
- Robert Downey Jr
- Security guard / Voice of the Hulk
- Lou Ferrigno
- Old man
- Stan Lee
Crew
- Director
- Louis Leterrier
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