HULK SMASH!!!

Great movie. I mean it, I'm serious. I really, really loved The Incredible Hulk.

Several things you should know about this film if you haven't heard already. First, it wasn't Hulk, the 2003 disaster that convinced everyone that making a Hulk movie was a terrible, terrible mistake. And it wasn't that movie's sequel. Or prequel. Or anything. The Incredible Hulk was it's own wonderful film, and it worked on pretty much every level it occupied.

Also, Edward Norton plays Bruce Banner (who becomes a lovable Hulk when angered...or hungered--don't ask, just watch.) Edward Norton is a brilliant actor, and he puts a life and spirit into this part that I can't imagine anyone else pulling off quite as well.

And as for the rest of the performances...no one was lagging. In fact, I would say that the acting was more solid, overall, in this film than it was in Iron Man. Don't get me wrong, Iron Man was the better film, and Robert Downey Jr. blew my brains out with his spectacular performance, but Hulk was more consistent when it came to all of the supporting roles.

But let's be honest. I loved it because it made me want to tear cars apart and throw giant green men through brick walls when it was over. It made me feel like a little boy again.

Why did this film succeed at doing that when Transformers did NOT? Because it takes great filmmaking to put a hyper-critical member of the audience (such as myself) into those shoes, that's why. Transformers was fast, colorful, loud, and extremely large, but Michael Bay's a bit of a hack. He'll even admit it if you corner him. The guys behind Hulk knew what they were doing. They were working with a strong script, strong actors, and an obviously strong affection for the material. What resulted was a little bit like magic.

And, oh yeah, Tony Stark showed up at the end and made everyone giggle like schoolchildren in his presence. Promises of things to come. Let's hope they're not as empty as the minds of the studio executives. Really...let's hope pretty hard.