When Ang Lee made his “Hulk” film back in 2003, he attempted to do something unusual for the comic-book genre that led to his film getting bashed to no end. He tried to instil emotional and interpersonal relationship dynamics in the characters, and in a sense, he managed to create a poetic, uneven and often tedious look at “The Hulk” in a manner that no one wanted to see – one that required a great deal of patience to understand. You do not go see a comic book adaptation for its emotional resonance, and it was for that reason that this easily disposable, yet well-balanced, do over was given the go ahead. So, for the sake of getting on the same mental level as the filmmakers, I’m going to pretend that Lee’s misunderstood experiment doesn’t exist either.

For a film that supposedly has a lot to make up for, “The Incredible Hulk” manages to sidestep the arduous origin tale, and instead packs it neatly into an efficient montage sequence under the opening credits in which we are introduced to the new actors and actresses, being Edward Norton, William Hurt and Liv Tyler. In other words, the film caters mostly for viewers who know who the Hulk is and how he became his florescent green self, and if not, you get a crash course before you are swiftly thrown into the energetic and mildly entertaining action, that manages to fit somewhere in the vein of “Iron Man’s” success, but to a lesser degree.

The film picks up with Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) hiding from authority in a bottling plant in South America, and he is already trying to suppress his anger and find a cure to counteract the gamma radiation experiment gone awry that leads to his unfortunate transformation into the ultimate bad guy when his heart rate goes above 200. General Ross (William Hurt) and the rest of the US army are desperate to find Banner and manipulate his excessive superpowers into a super-army. When Ross succeeds in transforming Emile Blonsky (Tim Roth) into a creature, Abomination, with enough power that he could outfight Hulk in a heartbeat – until Banner’s anger issues get the better of him and he gets the chance to end Blonsky’s annihilation of pretty much everything in his path.

More focus is obviously put into the so-so CGI action-sequences than say, thoughtful exanimations of an internally tormented man who wants nothing more than to escape the being that he has involuntarily become. One sequence in particular sticks with the viewer, and it is the colossal battle between Hulk and Abomination in front of the Apollo Theatre. Perhaps the only thing that does not allow one to call the visual aspects of the film “flawless” is because of the creation of creatures themselves. As in Lee’s “Hulk,” the powerful creatures still come across as plastic, cold shiny plastic – which does hinder ones reaction to them. However, what the filmmakers did get right was in their showing of life beneath the eyes of Hulk and Abomination, something hinting at a not-so-lifeless set of main attractions.

The casting of the film is interesting, because it seems as though each actor was hired for their individual assets and not because of how the cast would react chemistry wise when put in the film together, playing off each other’s strengths and weaknesses. However, Edward Norton is fantastic in the way that Eric Bana never was, he shows the realistic sorrow and torment of his character and Tim Roth balances his every move. Liv Tyler is barely interesting to watch but she offers a pure distraction from all the raging testosterone. Tim Blake Nelson manages to be the most entertaining actor in the film as madcap professor Samuel Sterns with hints of villainous undercurrents brewing underneath his surface.

The screenplay by Zak Penn (”X-Men: The Last Stand,” “X2″) and an unaccredited Edward Norton is not too bad, but it is obvious that any attempt to lessen the action and in-jokes in order to attain a darker, more dramatic tone was completely ignored – and that is what makes it just the same as all those mediocre science-fiction depictions of the greater evils of society, in a fashion that should appeal to comic fan boys as well as more evolved viewers who are merely looking for an entertaining distraction that takes no time whatsoever trying to get the audience to think. Moments of poignancy and genuine emotional gravity are few and far between all the roaring, hulking and smashing, but you’ll be glad when they do come along, they are immensely satisfying, and add a layer of human intrigue over the superficial layer of computer generated characters.

There are smart touches in the film, such as the references to the comic book creators and television star himself – and these refreshing details add to an overall solid action movie that will definitely rake in the green and solidifies Marvel’s current obsession with pleasing the crowds and the overly critical comic-freaks. As film that fulfils its promise of being a thoughtless action packed explosion of CGI-splendour and leaves absolutely no hint at resonance after the credits roll, Louis Leterrier’s “The Incredible Hulk” will fail at the one thing that Ang Lee’s “Hulk” did managed to do; create a lasting impression, albeit a negative one, at least the passion, positive or negative, was there. “The Incredible Hulk” is just another exhausting comic-adaptation that entertains for a while, and lingers for less than a second when the action dies down. Enjoy accordingly.

Fatac Rating: ***

The Incredible Hulk. Directed by Louis Leterrier. Written by Edward Norton and Zak Penn. Cinematography by Peter Menzies. Music by Craig Armstrong. Starring: Edward Norton, Tim Roth, John Hurt, Liv Tyler, Tim Blake Nelson. Running Time: 127 minutes. Age Restriction: 13 V. Year: 2008. Rating out of five stars.