Craig — With tattered clothing, a monosyllabic vocabulary and eyes that flash a violent shade of emerald, "The Incredible Hulk" returns to theatres to rip through the box office with a rage unlike any other.

Scientist Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) is on the lam from the United States military thanks to a certain type of "stolen property" of which he cannot rid himself. Because of massive exposure to gamma radiation, he has disastrous potential within himself as the Hulk - a mean, green, muscular tower of power whose chaos is unleashed whenever his meeker side gets too angry or excited.

After five months without incident, Banner finally is tracked down to his hideout in Brazil by an elite squad headed by General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross (William Hurt), who has made it his life's objective to get the Hulk under control and made useful to the Army. Banner cannot stop the inevitable transformation, and he starts heading north to seek help from Ross's daughter, Betty (Liv Tyler), who is more familiar with his condition than anybody.

However, the General does not give up easily, nor does his new number one man, Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth), a special operative who has taken his initial defeat by the Hulk personally.

In what is definitively not a sequel of the 2003 "Hulk," Norton replaces the cardboard cutout known as Eric Bana, giving Banner some actual personality before he "Hulks out." The motion-capture technology used in the film allows Norton to provide the movement for the not-so-jolly green giant, as well.

Tyler may not own an Oscar like former Betty Ross portrayer, Jennifer Connelly, but she is much more watchable in the part, as the woman who can soothe the savage beast. Hurt is on par with Sam Elliott as the dedicated Army man whose best intentions for redirecting the Hulk keep blowing up in his face.

Roth has nobody to compare with from the previous film, but he certainly would win in competition, playing the power-hungry Blonsky perfectly. Then, there is Tim Blake Nelson as Dr. Samuel Sterns, an Internet contact of Banner's who blindly changes everything for everyone involved in the story.

Much more action-driven than its melodramatic, draggy predecessor, the makers of the new film - including Norton as an uncredited screenwriter - choose not to turn their story into a character study. While Ang Lee's version of five years ago gave more intellectual credibility to the Frankenstein/Jekyll and Hyde for the atomic age, the new rework is crowd-pleasing while still keeping with the thoughtful elements of the Marvel Comics character.

The in-jokes are many, almost to the point of being wanton, but well executed nonetheless. Banner's newfound refusal of his once classic purple pants is a fine laugh, and numerous references to the comic abound in the watchful eye of the Marvel aficionado.

Comic co-creator Stan "The Man" Lee makes his usual rounds in a crucial cameo, as do the stars of the Hulk's '70s television adaptation, Bill Bixby (through clever methods) and Lou Ferrigno, who also provides the vocal intonation for that gem of a catchphrase, "Hulk smash!"

"The Incredible Hulk" picks up the slack left by Ang Lee's multifaceted but misguided interpretation with better visual effects, more plausible acting and an overall clearer grasp on the misunderstood muscle-head and his entourage. Although not as deep as it could be, it keeps the audience's attention the way a comic movie should, joining "Iron Man" in paving the way for superhero flicks down the road.