That other Hulk movie directed by Ang Lee was an ok movie but didn't really deliver much of what I would have wanted from a Hulk movie. Mainly having the Hulk destroy stuff in a hugely spectacular way.

This version does a bit better in this regard but it still has problems in it story much like the other film. There are elements that simply do not make sense.

This version, thankfully, skips the origin story by just giving you a brief series of clips in a montage to explain how things got started. If you had any idea of Hulk's origins then this was enough. If you aren't a fan then it's enough to know it was some kind of experiment gone wrong but may not understand what actually happened to him. In a way it sorta just pretends the other film didn't happen.

We start with Bruce Banner working as a laborer in a soda bottling factory in South America. He's clearly trying to stay off the grid because his boss offered him a salary since he can fix the machines that most of the workers barely understand how they work. He declines, opting for a cash only situation.

During the years that the military, particularly General Ross, has been looking for Bruce he's been learning to control his anger, researching a cure and traveling around to avoid being found.

In an attempt to learn to control his anger he trains in martial arts, mostly in grappling it appears. His teacher seems to know that Bruce is aiming to control his anger but doesn't understand the reasons for it as part of the training is slapping Bruce around as he meditates. By itself this training makes sense but something comes up later that destroys the point of it. I'll get to that.

His research is being assisted by someone he calls Mr. Blue that he only communicates with via the Internet. He apparently does this with a satellite dish transmitter that he points out the window. There's no explanation as to how he affords such a thing nor why he feels this is safer than a normal Internet connection. He does use some kind of encryption for the communications but this creates another problem later in the movie. So far Bruce's research has not gotten him closer to a cure.

Bruce makes a mistake at work and some of his blood accidentally falls into a bottle of soda. This gives us the required cameo of Stan Lee who was unfortunately the guy who got the tainted bottle. No explanation as to what actually happened to him though. Ross finds out the source of the bottle and they now know where Bruce is.

Part of the military team that will invade a friendly country to capture a wayward scientist is a British soldier that's there as part of some strange foreign exchange soldier program. Bruce manages to deduce they're almost on him based on a noise or something while he was asleep. He runs and they chase. They end up at the factory where Bruce works and he is attacked by the factory bullies that happened to come across him while he was running. They rough him up which of course makes him mad. He then turns into the Hulk and trashes the place.

This scene has much the same problems that the Hulk dog scene did in the first film. For some reason, it is felt that the true appearance of the Hulk must be hidden by the dark scene. Throughout we barely get any glimpses as to what the Hulk looks like. It's as if they wish to keep it a secret and then spring the surprise on us later. Now, if you have no idea what the Hulk looked like then this might actually work. But since the poster on the wall outside the door to the theater has a nice easy to see shot of the Hulk on it then it was pointless to do so in the first place. Really, it was stupid. The first movie did this and I just don't understand the point. We're there to see the Hulk, show us the Hulk already. At least we didn't have to wait as long as the other movie to see the Hulk the first time.

So Bruce gets away and the British guy, Blonsky, starts asking questions about what he saw. So Ross fills him in and explains the efforts of the super soldier program. Ross wishes to capture Bruce so he can study him and try to recreate what Bruce did to make his super soldier. This is where a really silly thing is done that just destroys the point of chasing after Bruce in the first place. Ross decides to inject Blonsky with a lower dose of the super soldier formula. It's a painful procedure that Blonsky readily agrees to because he is told it will make him a better soldier, which fighting is his big thing. He's old at 39 and needs an edge to continue his career.

Bruce has made his way North back into the US to get back to the city where everything started for him. Yep, on the run from the military and he goes back to where all his friends are as if no one is watching them. Bruce runs into Betty Ross, who happens to be his one true love, who happens to be the daughter of the guy chasing him. Ah, life. Anyway, they decide to track down Mr. Blue that's been helping him. So he uses the campus Internet connection, where he worked before no less, to contact Mr. Blue using the same exact encryption he was using in South America. Somehow, this time the military was able to track his communications. There was nothing done to indicate that this was Bruce but somehow they knew. There was no indication as to why this time the connection was different but somehow it was. We're just supposed to believe this time was different for, some reason.

So, the military has found Bruce at the campus he just sent the message from. They find him because Betty's jealous boyfriend calls Ross to let him know about the guy that's busted up his romance. This sets up our big reveal of the Hulk since this time it's during the day. Bruce runs around the campus trying to get away and does a creative thing to hide his USB drive, he swallows it. Just think about how he'll have to retrieve it, that's desperation there my friends.

Finally the Hulk appears and starts fighting off soldiers like they're nothing but Blonsky enters the picture. He is now apparently a super soldier since he runs faster than everyone else and he doesn't think twice about fighting the Hulk up close. This is the part that makes absolutely no sense. Blonsky is now exactly what Ross claims he needs Bruce for to create. But if Blonsky is already what Ross wants then why is he chasing Bruce? Apparently what Ross really wants is an indestructible, unstoppable brute that he cannot control. Makes sense.

Also, during the fight the military used this interesting weapon that uses focused sound waves on the target. This was strong enough to actually stop the Hulk in his tracks. What I was thinking that everyone in the general area would immediately be deaf and anything behind the Hulk for a few hundred feet would have been instantly destroyed. But cool scene nonetheless.

Bruce gets away with Betty, who's almost killed, out in the woods somewhere. This is where I realized something. In this movie if a rainstorm is off on the horizon then Bruce will become the Hulk that day. And to revert to normal the Hulk must fall asleep near water, preferably near a waterfall. Plus if the Hulk is hit by lightning he will pick up a rock that weighs a ton to toss it into the sky as retribution. Never the mind the fact that a rock that size falling to Earth is bad news for someone.

This is where I explain the problem from the martial arts training scene where Bruce is learning to control his anger. As far as I can remember, it has always been that Bruce turns into the Hulk because he gets angry. That's it, no other reason for turning into the Hulk. So, Bruce and Betty start getting hot and heavy in their motel room and Bruce's heart rate increases. Now we learn that his transformation has nothing to do with his anger but his heart rate. Anything that raises his heart rate will cause him to change. Think about that. If that were the case he would be changing into the Hulk every other week as he went jogging or watched a an exciting movie or just eating his favorite meal. There was a hint of this as he's running around he has to stop to calm down but come on. That's just silly. The Hulk has always been triggered by anger and anger doesn't necessarily come with increased heart rate. I would see it as more of an adrenaline issue than heart rate.

Bruce and Betty find Mr. Blue who attempts to cure Bruce which we're not sure worked or not. It seems it did but this isn't the end of the movie so you can guess it doesn't. After the little experiment the military manages to capture Bruce and Betty. As they are being taken away Blonsky has a little chat with Mr. Blue. Even though Blonsky was kicked full force in the chest by the Hulk and survived, that's not enough. He then takes a dose of Bruce's blood to become The Abomination.

A huge fight ensues in New York where the two brutes fight each other. This was the fight that was missing from the other film. Lots of destruction and trademark moves from the Hulk. He picks up cars to use as weapons, he slaps his hands to put out a fire and yells "HULK SMASH!". Although it takes place at night. I'm wondering if the special effects guys use night to cover up mistakes so they don't have to try so hard. Oh well.

Bruce gets away after stopping the big bad and ends up in Canada. We are treated to a scene that suggests Bruce is learning to control his transformation. Ross gets drunk in a bar and Tony Stark (from Iron Man) tells him he always thought hardware was a safer choice. But Stark is putting together a team that might help him with his Hulk. Nice connection with other Marvel movies that has always been missing. All the Marvel movies always seem to be disconnected from each other for no good reason. Nice to see they are trying to connect them at last for the buildup to an Avengers movie.

All in all, not a bad movie. Not as good as Iron Man which the advertisements claim. I wouldn't rate it as one of the best comic book movies but it is far better than the other Hulk film. As for choices in actors I think I actually liked the actors in Ang Lee's version better but I liked the story in this one better despite the silliness. If you're a comic book fan it's worth seeing.