The Hulk, take 2...

Enjoy this guest review by Nathan Koch.

Now I know that I am not in accord with the rest of civilized America in saying that the 2003 version of "Hulk" was awesome, but in my humble opinion it was. It was an excellent origin story that was also cinematically appealing. One of the things that I do hear from just about everyone, is that it really made you feel like you were watching a comic book. Now, being that I may be the only one that liked the 2003 movie, I wasn't too excited to hear that they were remaking it - especially since it was only 5 year later. However, once I understood what Marvel's overall plan was it made since.
For those of you who may not know the overarching plan, to my understanding, Marvel is releasing 2 films a year with them eventually culminating in an Avengers movie. Check out the Wikipedia page on Marvel Movies for more info. Part of the reason for the new Hulk movie was to give all of the Marvel movies a similar look, which the 2003 incarnation certainly didn't have.
With all of that in mind, I decided to go into the movie with an open mind and an expectation to be disappointed. This method seems to work for most movies - when you plan on being disappointed, you are usually pleasantly surprised (this method worked well with Ghost Rider). Anyways, I did like the movie.
Acting -
Edward Norton is a great actor, although not necessarily my idea of Bruce Banner, he pulled it off. Liv Tyler is her usual beautiful self, although I miss Jennifer Connelly. One thing I really liked was the fact that the Hulk was appropriately sized (my one complaint on the 2003 movie was his GINORMOUS size). I do wish that Sam Elliot was The General since I feel that he did a far better job than William Hurt, but that's just my opinion.
Special FX - I feel that the movie was great as far as the special fx goes. Nothing super spectacular, but up to snuff. With extensive use of Special FX these days, it really is hard to "Wow" me.
Plot - a pretty good storyline. Nothing I can complain about except the lack of background story - but if you think of this movie as a sequel to the 2003 movie with just some slight storyline discrepancies, then that shouldn't be a problem. The action was great. It did lack the comedy of Ironman, but then Bruce Banner isn't Tony Stark. Speaking of, there are some definite connections to Stark Industries, SHIELD, Nick Fury, and (SPOILER ALERT!) Tony Stark does make a quick appearance. I also like the fact that they brought in some characteristic Hulk moves like the Hulk Smash, Hulk Clap, Hulk Stomp, etc (Yeah Marvel Alliance!).
Overall, I liked the movie and loved the action and the drama. It left me wanting to be the Hulk. My props to Marvel for putting out another excellent movie.