Less Ang Lee, more angry: "The Incredible Hulk"

Yep, got out to another movie not long ago. As is my custom, anything I see on the big screen during these limited windows needs to be something of a spectacle. So it was that "Iron Man" gave way to "The Incredible Hulk." Still want to squeeze in "Indiana Jones" and "Wanted," and "Hancock" and "The Dark Knight" are right around the corner. (Maybe "Tropic Thunder," too. We'll see what the reviews are like.)

You know the story here: After apparently everyone was bummed out about Mr. Sensitive Brokeback Guy's attempt at telling the Hulk story five years ago, Marvel moved ahead with this version. The idea, I heard, was more action and less thinky-think. Of course, that didn't keep star Edward Norton from pushing for a longer cut with more introspection. He lost that battle, and it's probably a good thing.

Our plot: After a military experiment goes wrong -- namely by turning Bruce Banner into a green monster -- our hero flees to the Brazil, where he hides out, lays low ... whatever it takes to keep from getting his Hulk on. Unfortunately, a tiny mistake allows the military -- led by William Hurt with the wrong color of hair -- to track down Banner. Heading the assault is Tim Roth, a Brit on loan to the U.S. and intrigued when Banner disappears and the Hulk shows up. Hey, I would be, too.

Banner makes his way back to the states, where his love, Liv Tyler -- a fellow scientist(!) -- lives. More hijinks ensue, with Roth wanting to get some of Hulk's mojo inside his own body. You know what that means: Showdown!

In all, not too bad a story. I liked the overview of how Eddie N. went bad during the credits. That saved some time and threw us into the "present day." True, it took a while for some of the action to get going, and we don't get a good look at the Hulk until about an hour into the movie. I know, because I checked my watch. By and large, though, there was probably enough boom-boom -- the clash on the college campus was the best -- for the allotted time, which was about right at less than two hours.

There's also a fair amount to harp on, though. First, the BIG SHOWDOWN is pretty much the same type of thing as in "Iron Man" ... and almost every other comic-book movie. I was definitely left wanting there. Before that, it's safe to say nobody is doing their best acting here. Tyler isn't horrible, but ... c'mon, a scientist? No. She makes Jennifer Connelley look like Robert Oppenheimer. Hurt also wasn't right for his part. Didn't help that his hair and mustache kept making me think of Sam Elliott, his counterpart in the '03 version.

Roth is OK, I guess, although there were a couple of scenes of him in uniform that made me think, "No way that guy's a soldier." Unbalanced? Sure. A soldier? No. As for Norton, he's fine. Can't say he dazzled me more than Eric Bana, and he kind of came across as a twitchy teen at times. That's his schtick in general, I know, and it was a little off here. Not a problem, but not great.

In the end, I'd really like to see the '03 "Hulk" again to see if it's that bad. I didn't think so then, and I suspect it simply has gotten a bad rap. As such, people probably are praising this one a little more than they should. It's merely OK -- worth watching on the big screen but no match for the recent "Spider-Man" movies (well, except for "3") or the reimagined Batman. There's a nice little twist or "a-ha" at the end, but I'm guessing Norton was scarier in "American History X," or at least "Death to Smoochy."