The climax is a bit of a yawn, but most of what precedes it is vigorous and sharp.

Norton makes for a wiry, curious Bruce Banner. But you can tell from the film's tedium-inducing smackdowns that a different philosophy prevailed: the artificial Zen of video-game playing.

A more satisfactory adaptation of the spirit of Stan Lee's Marvel character.

That rings true of the entire movie. Jagged edges, cut corners, missed opportunities, yet somehow still charming and, in the end, workable.