Going back to what I mentioned earlier about this film paying homage in many ways to the TV show, I really liked the first part of the movie that showed Banner on the run, looking to get away from anyone he might hurt, anyone who might want to use him to hurt others, and trying to find a way to get rid of the beast within him.

Truth is, there's a monster lurking within all of us. We know its there, we feel its urges. We try to supress it in numerous ways, and yet it never seems to go away. We see that monster emerge in others as we read the headlines about all the horrific and terrible things that people can do to other people, and we think to ourselves, "at least I'm not that bad." But deep down we know that we're capable of doing the exact same horrific things. We'd rather not face the monster, and perhaps we try different ways to cure ourselves; but nothing seems to work.

While the end of The Incredible Hulk suggests that Banner decides the best solution is to control the monster rather than get rid of monster (and it even looks like he enjoys doing so), I have a better solution for the rest of us. Two thousand years ago, on an old rugged cross, God in the flesh died on a cross and then rose from the dead in order to free us from the monster within: that monster known as sin. Jesus Christ's sacrifice paid the price for our sin, a price we could never pay, and in his blood the cure is available. We don't have to live as a slave to that monster, nor do we to live in fear of what that monster may do when it takes over, when we can no longer resist its urges.

There is forgiveness, there is freedom, and most importantly, there is the loving comfort of a God who cares about you and wants to see you cured from the monster within. So you see, there is hope. We don't just have to learn to live with it. And may I just say that even though you may think that living with the monster isn't so bad, that perhaps you can control the monster and reap the benefits of the power it lends you and that at teams it may even be very enjoyable, that path will only end in your destruction. The monster always wins in the end; that's why we need a cure. That's why Jesus gave us the cure.

The Incredible Hulk is another solid comics adaptation from Marvel Studios, and its clear that taking control of their own properties was the right move to make. It's not the best movie ever, and it probably won't do as well as Iron Man due to the radically different natures of these two heroes (if you consider the Hulk a hero in the first place). Like Ang Lee's version, this new Hulk has some flaws but still delivers with some spectacular action and some great lines (yes, he does say "Hulk smash!", and it's awsome). This isn't an origin story like Iron Man, but a reboot of a franchise with a quick recap of the origin (although a few might get a little confused with this recap at the start). I'd say it's pretty successful at what it sets out to do. Whether or not it will be a successful franchise remains to be seen. Still, it rare thing to see a "re-quel" that's actually pretty good and is also lots of fun

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