“Incredible Hulk” takes the hard-charging action approach

Strange to recall that The Incredible Hulk, a flagship title in the emergence of Marvel Comics’ line of magazines during the early 1960s, started out as something of a flop. Its first few issues emerged as a contender for the title of “worst comic book” in a poll by a fan-driven magazine called Alter Ego. And by comparison with such Marvel kingpins as Spider-Man and The Fantastic Four, that long first stretch suggested a desultory afterthought from such energetic talents as writer Stan Lee and artists Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko.

The nature of the Hulk, as an atom-age Mr. Hyde to a mild-mannered Jekyll named Bruce Banner, seemed inconsistent from tale to tale. Stan Lee forgot the character’s name at one point, rechristening him amidships as Bob Banner — then catching the gaffe and suggesting that the correct identity might be Robert Bruce Banner. It took a while for a sharper consistency to settle in. Marvel was spreading its creative energies thin in those days, with an ambitious line-up of heroic characters ranging from the minuscule Ant-Man to the robotic Iron Man to the revival of such WWII-era personalities as Captain America and the amphibious Sub-Mariner.

If the dawning adventures of Iron Man represented a distraction from the Hulk in those proto-Marvel days, then history must be repeating itself at the present-day box office with the close-in-time arrival of Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk as Marvel-movie contenders. The first Iron Man feature-lengther is a smartly conceived military-industrial melodrama — with an antiwar stance and a notably sympathetic attitude toward Afghan civilians besieged by warfare — that has proved a sturdy ticket-seller since its May 2 opening.

Though hardly the first movie adaptation of a Marvel property, Iron Man is the first such entry from Marvel Studios per se. That credential signifies a greater emphasis upon the Marvel brand of super-heroism than upon star-player marquee value.

The newly opened Incredible Hulk is the second production from Marvel Studios. The film must overcome the unfortunate reputation of a 2003 Hulk movie by director Ang Lee, who overloaded his version with so much art-film self-consciousness and psychological/philosophical gibberish as to doom its word-of-mouth prospects with the action-picture audience.

The new Hulk’s director, Louis Leterrier, leans more rewardingly toward hard-charging action — perhaps too much so, given the inevitable comparisons with director Jon Favreau’s smart-and-actionful Iron Man. But Leterrier also encourages soulful performances from Edward Norton, as Bruce Banner; William Hurt, as the Hulk’s military-chief nemesis; Liv Tyler, as a troubled romantic interest; and Tim Roth, as a monstrous adversary.

The new Hulk also excels at the special-effects depiction of the Hulk himself — an expressive and lifelike presence. Zak Penn’s collaborative screenplay (with contributions from star player Norton) sacrifices a great deal of plotting savvy and deeper motivation in order to anchor itself in two thrilling chase sequences — but the excitement runs deep and brisk. The overall effect is pure popcorn-thriller pleasure, with the distinguishing benefit of persuasive performances. The narrative thrust and overall pacing recall the fondly remembered Hulk television series of the 1970s. (That series’ Lou Ferrigno has two roles in the new film, as both a security guard and the voice of the Hulk.)

This general-release version — Norton has described a lengthier cut, more dramatically fleshed-out, that was shelved in favor of a streamlining — moves almost too rapidly, dwelling upon violent action at the sacrifice of military intrigues and a tense romantic attraction between Norton’s Banner and Liv Tyler’s Betty Ross.

There is just enough of Gen. Thunderbolt Ross to suggest that a great deal of William Hurt’s signature intensity was left on the cutting-room floor. Tim Roth is so effective as a seething bad guy that one longs to see more of his humanity — and less of his transformation into a tougher-than-the-Hulk creature.

Leterrier is a master of breakneck pacing, which can become exhausting in such concentrations. The flaws seem more evident in the editing than in the writing or the directing. In any event, the visual pleasures of The Incredible Hulk have less to do with the special-effects pageantry than with a splendid job of cinematography by Peter Menzies. The Incredible Hulk moves along with nary a lull, even at times when a lull might be welcome.

The Marvel Studios corporate identity suggests the possibility of greater crossover potential among characters — beyond merely the likelihood of sequels. Just as Iron Man closes with a hint of developments in store for the super-spy agency known as SHIELD, so The Incredible Hulk drops the suggestion of a long-term teaming of heroic and/or antiheroic characters. Not to give away too much, y’know. (PG-13)

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