She Likes to Watch

Prepare to shout Hulk’s praises …

It’s a good time to be a comic-book fan.

“Iron Man,” a sharp, hard-hitting action flick, is still rocking the box office. “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” opens July 11, followed by “The Dark Knight,” “Whiteout” and “The Punisher: War Zone.” There’s a big-screen adaptation of “Wanted,” and a few movies that just sound like comic books, such as the shaggy-dog superhero tale “Hancock.”

With “The Incredible Hulk,” the unstoppable juggernaut that is Marvel serves up another hit.

Having watched Ang Lee’s “The Hulk” with a mixture of disappointment and boredom, I was prepared for another mopey, dopey drama. Not so.

“The Incredible Hulk” kicks butt.

As the movie opens, Dr. Bruce Banner is in hiding out in a Brazilian shantytown, working at a bottling plant and keeping a low profile.

Constantly vigilant for signs of his dangerous alter-ego, Banner practices yoga and breathing exercises. He talks to his pet dog. He pines after his old girlfriend, Betty Ross. And, daily, he searches for a cure.

When the outside world enters Banner’s sanctuary, however, the gloves come off.

“Incredible Hulk” is full of clever touches — from the on-screen tally that keeps track of “days without incident” to the plethora of inside jokes.

(In one nod to the original TV series, Betty purchases purple stretch pants for the on-the-run scientist. “What?” she says innocently, as he looks incredulous. “They were the stretchiest pair I could find.”)

Much of the credit goes to Edward Norton, who plays Banner’s Jekyll-and-Hyde dilemma to the hilt. In one aspect, he’s a principled scientist who longs for a normal life; in the other, he’s a literal monster capable of tremendous violence.

The movie also benefits from capable directing by Louis Leterrier (”Unleashed,” “The Transporter”) and a decent script from Zak Penn, who wrote two of the two X-Men movies.

Where “Incredible Hulk” trumps its predecessors, however, is action.

There are fight scenes and plenty of them, including a final, bone-jarring bout between the Hulk and Tim Roth’s snarling Abomination. Visual effects look crisp and seamless. Blows land on targets with thundering fury.

Even CGI shots of the Hulk at rest are stunning.

Action. Pathos. A cameo by another Marvel superhero.

It’s going to be a good summer for comic-book fans.

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“The Incredible Hulk” is currently playing at The Fremont movie theater and Sunset Drive-In in San Luis Obispo, Fair Oaks Theatre in Arroyo Grande, and Park Cinemas in Paso Robles.