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I would love to be able to say something witty like "this Hulk is incredible" or "Hulk smash... as in hit," but I just can't come up with anything; so I guess I'll just say a dose of green gamma rays this summer is good fun.

The first thing everyone will want to know about The Incredible Hulk is whether or not it's better than Ang Lee's version of the Hulk. I gotta be honest, I liked Hulk and didn't think it was nearly as bad as everyone else thought, so I can't really say that this new version is better. It's certainly not any worse, but it's also a completely different type of movie, so I have a hard time comparing the two. What I can say is that Marvel has once again done a solid job of bringing one of their characters to life on the big screen and they've done so while remaining true to the source. This is another very good comic book film from Marvel, and it's obvious that they're enjoying the fruits of having direct control over their movie properties.

Like Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk moves along at a fairly quick pace, which again means that the dramatic moments lack the punch they might otherwise have had if they had more room to breathe and develop. There are a lot of nice nods to not only the comics but also the classic television show (at one point, you even hear a musical cue from the old TV show, which is a nice touch). There are some funny moments, but overall Hulk lacks the light-hearted fun that made Iron Man so enjoyable; but I think that's fairly appropriate for this character.

The cast overall does a solid job. I kept getting distracted by Liv Tyler because I still think of her as Arwen, but she does a good job as Betty Ross. Tim Roth brings an appropriate amount of menace and madness to the guy who eventually becomes Abomination. William Hurt plays the role of General Ross perfectly, and even looks a lot like his comic book counterpart. In fact, the only real weak link was Edward Norton. I know some may disagree with me on this, but I felt his Bruce Banner was... well, boring. What I'm guessing was supposed to be reluctance, reclusiveness, brooding, and worry came across as wooden, emotionless, and monotone. There are a few scenes where this isn't the case, but overall I just didn't really connect with the Bruce Banner character. But then again, Bruce gets about the same amount of screen time as his green alter ego, so I guess it doesn't really matter that much.

Speaking of the Hulk, I'm sure there'll be some debate about how he looks in this new movie as compared to the last. I say that he looks more like his comic book version, which lends a more comic-booky feeling to the film as a whole, but I thought it was fine. Abomination looked appropriately scary and weird, and when the two behemoths are on screen are some of the best parts of the movie... although at that point it feels like you're watching an amazingly-animated CG movie as opposed to a live-action one. Not that there's anything wrong with that, I just thought I'd mention it.

Going back to what I mentioned earlier about this film paying homage in many ways to the TV show, I really liked the first part of the movie that showed Banner on the run, looking to get away from anyone he might hurt, anyone who might want to use him to hurt others, and trying to find a way to get rid of the beast within him.

Truth is, there's a monster lurking within all of us. We know its there, we feel its urges. We try to supress it in numerous ways, and yet it never seems to go away. We see that monster emerge in others as we read the headlines about all the horrific and terrible things that people can do to other people, and we think to ourselves, "at least I'm not that bad." But deep down we know that we're capable of doing the exact same horrific things. We'd rather not face the monster, and perhaps we try different ways to cure ourselves; but nothing seems to work.

While the end of The Incredible Hulk suggests that Banner decides the best solution is to control the monster rather than get rid of monster (and it even looks like he enjoys doing so), I have a better solution for the rest of us. Two thousand years ago, on an old rugged cross, God in the flesh died on a cross and then rose from the dead in order to free us from the monster within: that monster known as sin. Jesus Christ's sacrifice paid the price for our sin, a price we could never pay, and in his blood the cure is available. We don't have to live as a slave to that monster, nor do we to live in fear of what that monster may do when it takes over, when we can no longer resist its urges.

There is forgiveness, there is freedom, and most importantly, there is the loving comfort of a God who cares about you and wants to see you cured from the monster within. So you see, there is hope. We don't just have to learn to live with it. And may I just say that even though you may think that living with the monster isn't so bad, that perhaps you can control the monster and reap the benefits of the power it lends you and that at teams it may even be very enjoyable, that path will only end in your destruction. The monster always wins in the end; that's why we need a cure. That's why Jesus gave us the cure.

The Incredible Hulk is another solid comics adaptation from Marvel Studios, and its clear that taking control of their own properties was the right move to make. It's not the best movie ever, and it probably won't do as well as Iron Man due to the radically different natures of these two heroes (if you consider the Hulk a hero in the first place). Like Ang Lee's version, this new Hulk has some flaws but still delivers with some spectacular action and some great lines (yes, he does say "Hulk smash!", and it's awsome). This isn't an origin story like Iron Man, but a reboot of a franchise with a quick recap of the origin (although a few might get a little confused with this recap at the start). I'd say it's pretty successful at what it sets out to do. Whether or not it will be a successful franchise remains to be seen. Still, it rare thing to see a "re-quel" that's actually pretty good and is also lots of fun.