The superhero franchise has entertained fans in movies, comics, books and cartoons for more than 40 years. With each new film heading to the big screen the anticipation spawns a plethora of verbal and written exchanges about whether or not "this one" will stand up to its predecessors. For the most part, fans of The Incredible Hulk will not be disappointed with this new adventure. And, happily, Edward Norton doesn’t let down his fans by taking on the role of the mammoth man with a loud roar.

Anyone who’s lost or new to the green-man story gets to catch up in the visual update of the past that runs through the opening credits. Then we land in Brazil, where Bruce Banner (Norton), a molecular-research scientist, is trying to cope with being accidentally irradiated in a lab accident. He finds works at a bottling company while hiding out from those who want to use him for the wrong purpose. In his off time he's learning what makes him turn into the Hulk (a high pulse rate), and working with an unknown entity -- through the computer -- who advises him what he should and should not do to figure out a way back to normalcy.

Bruce misses the love of his life, Betty Ross (Liv Tyler). She's a biologist and also the daughter of Gen. Thunderbolt Ross (William Hurt). Unfortunately, Ross wants Banner to remain the powerful and brutal Hulk so he can harvest Banner's DNA and create Super Soldiers. When Banner finally returns back to the U.S. Culver University Campus, he and Betty reconnect and head to the lab of Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson) hoping he can fix Banner.

After that doesn’t happen, Banner gets into a confrontation which unleashes the Hulk, who must do battle with the General's forces. They're no match for the Hulk, but watching in awe from the sidelines is one of those soldiers, Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth). Blonsky supports the elimination of Banner and convinces the General to make him into the super soldier. The Hulk and Blonsky (The Abomination) face off in a climactic battle worthy of two bags of popcorn.

Some Marvel fans have dismissed The Incredible Hulk as one of the more uninteresting super heroes, but the current buzz about the newest movie both before -- and after by those who have seen it -- says otherwise. The Marvel Comics series was created in 1962 by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. Lee, who had just finished the first of the Marvel line of books with a then unknown team called the Fantastic Four, was looking for a hero who wasn’t handsome or pretty.

"I had always loved the old movie Frankenstein. And it seemed to me that the monster, played by Boris Karloff, wasn’t really a bad guy. He was the good guy. He didn’t want to hurt anybody. It’s just those idiots with torches kept running up and down the mountains, chasing him and getting him angry. And I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be fun to create a monster and make him the good guy?’"

Speaking of good, what better actor could be found to portray the Hulk than two-time Academy Award-nominated actor Edward Norton who has played every thing from a turn-of-the-century magician (The Illusionist) to a neo-nazi skinhead (American History X).  Norton has a broad canvas of emotions to project with this character -- rage, loneliness, frustration, love, mistrust -- and he handles them all with proficiency.

"When Edward came on board, it totally upped the ante; we knew he’d be able to bring a whole new dimension to the character. He’s one of the most exciting actors of his generation. His immense talent and his ability to transform into a particular role made him the ideal choice to take on the character of Bruce Banner/The Hulk," said producer Kevin Feige.

Norton understood fans' fascination with the Hulk. "There’s something in the story of a lonely, moral guy in this self-imposed exile, trying to protect the world from this terrible thing inside himself that I think people relate to," he said. "They like the story of the oppressed, chased, hunted man who has this righteous bite-back when you push him too hard."

French director Louis Leterrier earns far more respect for the action and rapid camerawork in this film than he did in The Transporter, mostly because the story seems real and the cast is exceptional. Tyler and Hurt invest their talents into father and daughter characters who share a love/hate relationship, one that could pit lovers against each other. Hulk fans will be amused to see shots of the 1978 TV series with Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno here -- as well as a scene with Ferrigno.

A great mix of CGI action and real cinematography plus terrific-looking foreign locales keeps The Incredible Hulk fun and exciting. It’s perfect for another superhero summer film.

(Released by Universal Studios and Marvel Studios; rated "PG-13" for sequences of intense action violence, some frightening sci-fi images, and brief suggestive content.)

Review also posted at www.reviewexpress.com.