The Incredible Hulk

The original 2003 Hulk was bogged down by melodrama, too long a running time, and the fact that Nick Nolte had more time on-screen than the actual Hulk. This fixes everything where the original went wrong. It tosses out the director and the entire cast, and makes one of the best actors around into the Hulk. It runs a half-hour less than the original, and it's character driven AND action-packed at the same time.

Dr. Bruce Banner is experimenting with gamma rays and it goes horribly awry, but the side effects only occur when he's angry. Unfortunately, when he's angry, he turns into a 9-foot tall green hulk who has no control over what he does. He goes on the run, and his girlfriend Betty is deeply saddened.

Five years later, he's a fugitive from the US Army and has been trying to find a cure for years. The Army finds him in Brazil, and Bruce flees back to America to find a cure. But Emil Blonsky, a soldier hot on Hulk's tail is exposed to Hulk's gamma rays and becomes The Abdomination, a giant beast bent on killing Hulk!!

Yes, that's quite a back-story, but it's also quite a movie. It's not nearly as good as Iron Man, but it doesn't have to be. It's much better than about 9 out of 10 of the recent superhero movies out there, and also has a heart. The true problem is that it's all essentially just a set-up, but I will say what I will never say for the original - it's one awesome action movie. B