Nah, nah, nah nah, nah!
From the flashback sequence that swiftly retconned the dismal 2003 attempt at bringing Bruce Banner's alter ego to the big screen to the much-anticipated Robert Downey Jr. cameo at the end of the film, The Incredible Hulk breaths life into the big green walking anger management issue. Edward Norton's portrayal of a man who must constantly ration his emotions is both enjoyable and saddening, as we see the effect that desperation and isolationism has on someone whose genius would otherwise likely garner him everything in life that he could want. The fact that Norton also had creative liscense with the film proves that he's not only one of the best actors in Hollywood, but also one of the best imaginations.
As for Liv Tyler, gone are the days of Empire Records. Instead, she's at a point in her life and her career where she can do just about anything she puts her creative mind to, as evidenced by the way she surpasses Jennifer Connelly's take on Dr. Betty Ross by leaps and bounds. Tyler shows the audience that Bruce Banner isn't the only tragic character in this story; a woman who believes the man she loves is dead, only to be reintroduced to him as a fugitive that she must risk everything to reunite with. Where Edward Norton brings his fair share of action and drama, Liv Tyler brings something that's sorely lacking in female love interests in cinema today: heart.
As for William Hurt playing General Ross, I'm not really sure what he brings. Granted, the man's made a name for himself as a stoic personality, and the military strives to convince the world that stoicism is it's stock in trade, Hurt's performance brings little to the story but someone to hate for being a tool of his own ambition and distorted sense of patriotic duty. The only scene where he shows any sign of life is his meeting with Tony Stark, and I'm not entirely convinced that the positive impression I gleamed from their interaction wasn't due to Downey Jr.'s unfailing presence in the billionaire industrialist turned superhero's shoes.
Tim Roth as The Abomination. Need I say more? Now, first of all, I enjoyed Ted the Bellboy as much as anyone, but the man was born to be a villain. There's something about that cockney intensity that just screams "You need to be afraid of me, even though I weigh about as much as a fourteen year-old Asian girl." From start to finish, the man oozes that sort of unassuming tough-as-nails hard-ass persona. If anything, his mutation actually makes him seem like less of a threat. There's something about a gigantic freak with skeletal protrusions that will never have a chance at combating a soldier who's out of ammunition and still walks up to The Hulk and says "Is that all you got?", knowing full well that the latter juggernaut could grind him into the asphalt.
The rest of the cast, while none of them individually noteworthy, did a terrific job of contributing to the story, with the exception of Mr. Blue (no, despite Roth's presence, Tarrantino had nothing to do with the picture to the best of my knowledge). The implications made by his character and fate were amusing, but let's face facts. An annoying scientist will always be an annoying scientist. That aside, The Incredible Hulk succeeds in every area that it's predecessor failed in. If you need any further incentive to go see it, I couldn't even force myself to sneak into another show afterward. I was that impressed.
Even though there was no Sam Jackson appearance after the credits. Damn it.
