But let's stop for a second and admit that Ross is the most obviously awful general in the world. Completely ignoring that his life's work is a super-sketchy series of experiments that almost certainly are not legal or government approved, the guy is an idiot. He doesn't seem to get that the Hulk cannot be captured. Bullets bounce off him, and yet he sends squad after squad of army men after him. Oh sure, rockets and such are used, too - they explode all around the Hulk, and when the smoke clears, he's still standing there, not a scratch on him. And yet Ross continues to throw massive amounts of military resources at him. In the middle, by the way, of an open college campus. His higher-ups cannot be too pleased with him.

But hey, I'm thinking too much, right? Time to just throw rational thoughts like that to the wind and get caught up in the story, which soon sees Banner taking Betty on the run with him as they try to meet up with a mysterious man working on a cure while spending their spare time contemplating the more humorous aspects of being the Hulk. Banner's constantly on the lookout for "stretchy pants," a sly nod to the constant question of why the Hulk keeps his pants on, and in one brutally honest scene, Banner realizes he can't even hit second base without "getting too excited." Nice touch.

The action culminates in New York City - hey, why not - as Banner tries to be cured by Tim Blake Nelson in an amusingly off-putting performance. It seems like the cure works, but I guess I missed something, because he then transforms to fight Blonsky, who shows up with the General and finally gets pumped full of too many gamma rays, turning into his own version of the Hulk - a slightly more powerful creature called Abomination. Their climactic fight is a glorified cartoon, yes, but it's technically proficient enough to keep you hooked.

The film has two buttons on the end. The first is a random scene that sees Banner, with no explanation, in a cabin in a snowy forest, doing something or other. It didn't make sense at all, but then again, I recently read some internet rumors that there's up to seventy minutes of footage that didn't make it into the film, so perhaps that would clarify matters.

The second button...well, it was supposed to be a surprise, but now they're showing part of it in the TV ads. It's a great way to end the movie though, and unlike Iron Man, you don't have to wait until the end of the credits for it.

Movie Grade: B

Synopsis:

"The Incredible Hulk" kicks off an all-new, explosive and action-packed epic of one of the most popular superheroes of all time. In ...