It's two strikes against The Incredible Hulk. Following Ang Lee's contemplative mess in 2003, Marvel Entertainment's attempt at reviving the green one's franchise once again falls flat. In contrast to last month's inspired and emotionally riveting Iron Man, Louis Letterier's take on The Incredible Hulk falls suprisingly flat. A hodge-podge of bombastic action sequences fused together with long stretches of tepid plot and character development (a term I use loosely), it all amounts to a bunch of noise—ultimately forgettable and unsatisfying.

One would think that the usually strong Edward Norton would bring more substance and depth to a complex character like Bruce Banner. Given the shallow material however, it is difficult to muster much sympathy or compassion for his plight. Surrounding him with a vapid love interest like Liv Tyler only compounds the audience's ambivalence.

The usual standard enemies pursuing Banner in hopes of harnessing his powers are Army General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross (a sleepwalking William Hurt) and a loose-cannon soldier named Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth). Blonsky is able to tap into Banner's secret and becomes a mutant-like creature of his own, aptly titled the Abomination. The inevitable clash of the two provides some cool action but not enough to redeem the film.

What is ultimately missing from this film is any sense of moral conflict and transformation in Banner or any other character. It was precisely this element that resonated so well in Iron Man and gave it a refreshing human element that usually tends to get lost in comic-book adaptations. The inner turmoil and struggles of Tony Stark are alarmingly absent here. The sympathy that we felt for Stark is never even hinted at in this film. Bruce Banner is reduced to just some guy who, if you get him angry enough, transforms into a 9-foot green giant who can really wreak some havoc. Other than that, there is nothing at all to engage the heart or soul.

In an amusing twist, it takes a cameo appearance to get any type of response from the audience, which literally stood and cheered at that point. That this hints at some sort of fusion of franchises bodes well for the future of the Hulk. For now though, The Incredible Hulk can only be called an incredible disappointment.