Universal Pictures and Marvel's new film branch have made cinematic history with the release of The Incredible Hulk, the second big-screen adaptation of one of the comic book industry's most popular and greenest creations. Rather than wait until the body of Ang Lee's 2003 Hulk was cold and forgotten, 2008's stripped down, leaner model may be the quickest franchise reboot in history and a testament to the enduring popularity of Marvel's Green Meanie. While Lee's creation has its fans (myself included), the director of such films as The Ice Harvest and Sense and Sensibility should've indicated where that one would end up. Helming the new version is French director and Luc Besson student Louise Leterrier, who's resume includes Transporter 1 & 2 and Unleashed. If history is the best indicator of future success, than you can probably guess where this is headed.

While Lee's Hulk was a grand, operatic vision that dared explore the psychology and meaning behind the tragic duality of Bruce Banner, Leterrier's The Incredible Hulk smashes things up good - Hulk Smash!! More Monster and less Movie, this film largely eschews the weighty introspective shackles and firmly resets the film series back to zero, or more appropriately draws its spiritual inspiration from the beloved Bill Bixby/Lou Ferrigno television series. As such, the story as explained here is largely a chase film, with Banner (Edward Nortan) constantly evading the military might led by Gen. Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross (William Hurt). With help from the Russian-born, British raised Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth), the results are a battle royal of Monster Mash-Ups that owes more to Godzilla than Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

I've spoken to a few comic book friends who raved over this reboot's adherence to Hulk canon, and it was only after they expertly explained to me the dozens of hidden Easter Eggs sprinkled throughout that I'm inclined to agree - The Incredible Hulk is truly the film that fans will eat up and has serious repeatability. For those less inclined to turn the inky pages of the thousands of comics, the film will most likely still entertain, although perhaps not as successfully as other comic book adaptations. The dreaded long stretches of Hulk-less story (which many found a detractor in even Lee's Hulk) are back, and will most likely be as yawn-inducing as ever. People will come to see Hulk Smash, and when he does its a glorious thing (even the clap makes an appearance!), but the bulk of the film is a stark reminder that Hulk's origins are less interesting than the character himself. Speaking of Stark, Robert Downey, Jr's brief appearance as the Iron Man alter-ego drew the longest applaud of the film. We love the Hulk, but we love him more when he's smashing stuff up. At least there's no crying here.

In size and scope, The Incredible Hulk is a tighter, leaner beast than its predecessor. Don't take that to mean this work is any less big-budget extravaganza, but thanks to some smart choices to contain the action within smaller, tighter confines (an epic tank battler here takes place on a college campus, as opposed to the original's desert) the film feels smaller. This completely works as even The Hulk himself is smaller, jumps lower, and seems affected more by outside sources. A smarter critic than myself might suggest this feeling of closeness was intentional, perhaps to reflect its television inspirations, but here the choice works remarkably well. Using some of the most realistic CG I've ever seen, the battles between Hulk + Anything (tanks, buildings, Abomination) look and feel great, with plenty of collateral damage to go around. If effects create the body, then the smaller hints and pokes make up the soul here. Look for many, many nods to Hulk culture throughout, including glimpses to The Leader, Captain America, and possibly The Avengers. It helps to be a fan, but not necessarily required.

As a first time director of big-budget action, Leterrier does great work here that won't disappoint his millions of Transporter fans. While there's sadly no trace of Jason Statham, substituting finely is the always enjoyable Edward Norton as Banner and Liv Tyler as Betty Ross. It's nice to see the both of them in less serious work and Norton, a true comic fan through and through, actually helped flesh out the film's straightforward script with a few flourishes of his own (although uncredited). William Hurt as General Ross plays it safe and is just trippy enough to believe than an army of Hulk Soldiers is a swell idea. Tim Roth is having too much fun as Emil Blonsky/Abomination, proving yet again when you need a demented psychopath in your movie, it doesn't get much better than Roth. Look for some truly great cameos by Stan Lee and Lou Ferrigno, who proving the television connection once again and is beyond cool, voices The Hulk once more. Even Bill Bixby shows up in a smart moment (although blink and you'll miss it), which is impressive considering he's been dead for quite some time.

Marvel intending to leave their footprint on the cinematic world should be enough to make comic geeks around the world stand up and cheer, but I'd like to offer a caution. Movies typically aren't multi-tiered, and should succeed on their own merits. The world of comic books, particularly superhero ones, are of a completely different nature. While Marvel Comics maintains what could arguably be called the most cohesive and structured of the bunch, to fully enjoy and exploit the pleasures of their lineup requires a working knowledge of comic book minutia and history that's well beyond the average person - including comic book fans. This can be traced and may help explain the declining sales and interest within the comic book industry, which often resorts to scandal headlines and shocking storylines (think Death of Superman) to bring back fans who've lost interest or without time and expenses to enjoy the hobby. With both Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk hinting at a larger film universe to come, let's hope Marvel doesn't forget that absurd complexity nearly ran their own company into extinction not so long ago and (some would say) was only rescued by renewed interest in the movies.

Whether The Incredible Hulk is the ultimate cinematic telling of Marvel's character (no pun intended) will be up to those watching, as there's much here for diehard fans to eat up and enjoy. The small army of fans of Ang Lee's original will most likely lament the lack of philosophical inquiry to the character, and shout from the heavens that their film is the superior version. Whichever camp you fall into, there's absolutely no denying that its always fun to see Hulk Smash, which he does here again and again. Perhaps too much for those seeking a bit more nuance in their film fare, but at a trim 114 minutes, its one that never drags too long. A fun, feisty reinvention of a popular character that should please those disappointed with the original.