'The Incredible Hulk' (PG-13): Just as green and a lot more lean, there's no question that "The Incredible Hulk," the reboot of Marvel Comics' movie franchise, is a muscular improvement over the 2003 version of "The Hulk" -- director Ang Lee's ambitious and admirable but ultimately underwhelming action-adventure.

Starring Edward Norton as scientist-on-the-run Bruce Banner, "The Incredible Hulk" is the type of Hulk movie that fans wanted in the first place: a smartly written and slickly acted visual effects spectacle that not only honors the character's roots, but redefines him as a superhero to be reckoned with.

Backed by a whole new cast, director Louis Leterrier all but dispenses with an origin story (part of the reason the first "Hulk" ran so long) by tracing Banner's harrowing trek from scientist to gamma-ray-infected monster in the film's opening credits. We then find Banner trying to live life on an even keel on the lam in Central America (an on-screen counter appears time and again to reflect the number of days "without incident") as he communicates with a mysterious U.S.-based researcher trying to cure him of his gamma-ray infection.

But when a drop of Banner's contaminated blood leads to the discovery of his whereabouts, the scientist finds himself on the run again from his nemesis Gen. Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross (William Hurt), who wants Banner in custody in order to replicate his hulking abnormalities for use as a military weapon.

Complicating matters is the fact that Banner is still in love with colleague, Betty Ross (Liv Tyler), who is also the general's daughter; and Gen. Ross' new mercenary Emil Blonksy (Tim Roth), an aging Special Ops solider who is willing to undergo experimental injections to become the ultimate fighting machine.

While the first "Hulk" wasn't a bad movie, there's no question that its 2008 counterpart is superior in many ways. For anyone familiar with Leterrier's "Transporter" movies, it shouldn't come as a big surprise that "The Incredible Hulk" is decidedly different in tone: The first film's high-tech, split-screen techniques (which sometimes bordered on being pretentious) are stripped out by Leterrier in favor of heart-pounding rooftop chases involving Banner -- and serious hand-to-hand combat that pits the Hulk against the horrifying creature Blonsky eventually becomes, The Abomination.

Of course, the visual effects have also considerably improved over the past five years since the first "Hulk" movie, and thankfully to the point that the computer-generated character renderings of the creature and his enemy in "The Incredible Hulk" feel much more real. The shots are especially mind-blowing when the Hulk transforms from Banner into the creature, and when he comes face to face with the military's dazzling weaponry

Leterrie draws inspiration from the "Hulk" comic book stories and classic television series for his version of "The Incredible Hulk," not only by bringing in familiar foes like The Abomination, but giving Hulk co-creator Stan Lee and the series' star Lou Ferrigno meaningful cameos. Better yet, Leterrier uses Ferrigno to voice the computer-generated Hulk, who mostly roars in anger but occasionally throws out a line like the familiar "Hulk smash!"

This latest "Hulk" also marks the release of the second movie from Marvel Studios, following the soaring success of "Iron Man." The great thing is, even with different film distributors (Universal is behind "The Incredible Hulk," while Paramount was responsible for "Iron Man"), there are no boundaries for the characters to cross over to other Marvel movies.

In this instance, look for a fun "Iron Man"-related cameo. Given the iffy status of an "Incredible Hulk" sequel, it's hard to say if we'll ever see a sub-plot involving the Hulk and Iron Man fleshed out, but the prospect is still exciting.

DVD Features: "The Incredible Hulk" is available in three different formats: a single disc version, three-disc special edition and Blu-ray high-definition version. The latter two include an alternate opening to the film, multiple production featurettes and more. (Universal Studios Home Entertainment)

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