Move over, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde — Marvel comics' version of the split personality dilemma comes roaring back to life.

CRITIQUE

It would be no exaggeration (and an irresistible opportunity for a pun) to state that 2008 was a banner year for comic book action films. Comfortably nestled between the summer releases of Iron Man (5/2) and The Dark Knight, (7/18) The Incredible Hulk (6/13) proved to be both a popular and critical success.

Essentially a reboot of the franchise, the new improved Hulk avoids Angst Lee's psychological approach for a more immediate — and intense — experience. They players have changed, but the premise remains the same: Bruce Banner (Ed Norton) is still the gamma-irradiated doctor who, when his blood pressure rises, develops a humongous case of 'roid rage. General Ross (William Hurt) is still a militiaman out to destroy the not-so-jolly green giant.* Ross' daughter Betty (Liv Tyler) is still Banner's well-meaning love interest.

This time around, the villain is quite literally an abomination created by General Ross... as the first of a new genetically-pumped up army. As said Abomination, (Tim Roth aka Emil Blonsky) the super soldier undergoes a physical transformation that mirrors his twisted soul.** Though sort of a Special Ops character, the dude is basically just a killer with an official USDA seal of approval.

Taking a major cue from the Hulk TV series, here we find Banner much like David Jansen's Fugitive — an innocent man constantly on the run from an authority figure who goes by the “guilty until proved otherwise” theory of law. (Think Les Miserables on steroids.)

The opener is a real corker as we find Banner working for dirt wages in a Portugal bottling plant. Away from the stress of 21st century life in the USA, Banner meditates to keep his anger from overtaking him. E-mail correspondence with another scientist seems like it's on the verge of might bearing fruit to their collaborative efforts of curing Banner's illness. Then all hell breaks loose.

Having tracked Banner down, Ross wants his prize (“consider Banner's body to be property of the United States!”) so he sends in his attack dog Blonsky and crew. A heart-stopping chase sequence through narrow alleys and over roofs leads Banner to warehouse where he can catch his breath — or not.

Pulse racing, he “Hulks out” in the shadows and takes out the soldiers one by one. Furtive glimpses of the green behemoth engender more naked suspense than showing the total effect of the transformation, (which will appear in all its ripped and sinewy glory soon enough in Act Two.) Basically these early scenes set up Blonsky's compulsion and Ross' determination to get their target.

And it's a damn big target, too! When Banner's scientificus-interruptus leads him back to America, another transformation (on a college campus in full public view) reveals not only the Hulk's rage but some germinal cleverness as it/he rips apart a jeep, uses the carriage for a shield... and ultimately as a discus to take out an Apache helicopter! Resulting explosions compel Hulk to protect Betty from the carnage by encasing her inside his massive grip, thus kick-starting both the secondary love story and the General's dissolving relationship with is daughter.

To say much more would spoil the fun, and there's fun galore in The Incredible Hulk. By Act Three there's more collateral damage than can be found in a typical Schwarzenegger flick, leading up to a Godzilla-like finale as the fully-transformed, pissed-off Abomination dukes it out with Hulk on the streets of Harlem.

Hulk hits all the right notes during its character scenes. Pathos and dry comedy are packed between the action like a green layer cake. Eye-popping CGI FX are the frosting that binds it together. Norton (who also contributed an uncredited script rewrite) is note-perfect as Banner, bringing gravitas to a role that might just as easily careened off the edge of believability.

As General Ross, Hurt — always a dependable performer, even in stinkers — provides the necessary gruffness, with a touch of father-rejection syndrome to root his character. Roth does go over the top, but how does one underplay a pathologically obsessive hunter running amok, high on spiked super-soldier serum? If one actor falters here, it's Tyler. The girl can manage a decent Elven princess, but reality-based roles still elude her basic skill set. (Then again Betty never did squat in the comic book, either.)

Best described, The Incredible Hulk melds all the best elements from the comic, the TV show and even the Ang Lee film (which might've been extraordinary had the villain been different and the angst tamped way down). It's not a perfect comic book film — both Iron Man and Dark Knight lead the way — but it's certainly a step in the right direction for a new franchise that will, if Marvel has its way,  ultimately culminate in an Avengers extravaganza.

Kudos to Norton and director Louis Leterrier, whose punchy visual style perfectly compliments big-scale material without sacrificing impact from intimate scenes. “Hulk smash!” And The Incredible Hulk entertains.

*Actually, Hulk's no longer the oversized 15 foot tall behemoth from the first film; just a menacing nine feet.

**Mark my words, this soldier “super serum” will tie in heavily with Marvel's Captain America flick.

(future undetermined). See the Extras for more info.

THE VIDEO

Universal presents the film in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. Technicians are the new magicians. These days there's less and less to gripe about when it comes to transfers of contemporary films. (Older films are another story.) Just within the past few years between Hulk movies, the leaps taken in CGI are improving at such an exponential rate that they're making the Ang Lee version look almost crude. Seeing the Hulk so ripped — sinews stretching, muscles bulging — is one thing, but the action/interaction scenes are awash in the kind of details that truly sell the material. This transfer's almost flawless.

THE AUDIO

Universal presents the film in DTS-HD 5.1, Dolby Digital 2.0, Spanish and French 5.1. Subtitles are available in English, Spanish and French. Copy and paste the previous comments, sub “audio” for “video” and there ya go! A truly bone-shaking mix and Craig Armstrong's memorable soundtrack notch up the excitement.

THE EXTRAS

Alternate Scenes: The opening was much different, taking place on a wintry mountaintop.

Deleted Scenes: Here's a case where a few more character moments could've improved the overall film.

Feature Commentary: Louis Leterrier and Tim Roth. Not precisely insightful, but worth a listen by viewers who make such efforts a regular practice.

4 Documentaries: "Making of the Incredible", "Becoming the Hulk", "Becoming the Abomination" and "Anatomy of a Hulk-Out." Norton and the others do the basic PR shuffle.

The “Hulk Out” section is an FX BTS piece. (Green screen, motion capture and the like.) Though routine for the DVD collector, general audiences seem to get a kick out of BTS material. Here, the most interesting bit concerns the capture of Norton's facial expressions. Until recently this was accomplished by computer tracking hundred of dots drawn onto the key muscle groups in the actor's face. Now, luminescent spray particles are used, with literally thousands of “points of light” to map the emotions. And the technique pays off with a highly expressive Hulk, indeed.

From Comic Book to Screen: One of the scenes in the film is adapted from the comic. Here, the drawn panels are given limited movement to sort of re-interpret the paper-to-celluloid process. Basically, this section gave a few weeks of work to an After Effects animator but it's neither beast nor fowl. Interestingly, Marvel used the same idea back in the 60s with their entire Saturday morning cartoons. It didn't play very well back then, either.

A Digital Copy of the movie is also included with this set (disc 3): For masochists who'd want to witness the entire spectacle on their computer.

FINAL THOUGHT

A must-have for comic book/action fans... a rental for the rest.