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The MPAA has rated The Incredible Hulk PG-13 for sequences of intense action violence, some frightening sci-fi images, and brief suggestive content.

Admittedly there are days when driving through rush hour traffic has me feeling a little hot under the collar. Fortunately, it's never resulted in any kind of alteration to my body structure or skin tone.

But for Bruce Banner (Edward Norton), getting upset is a big deal… a really big deal.

While working on gamma ray research with his coworker Dr. Betty Ross (Liv Tyler), Banner experiences an accidental overdose of a radioactive isotope that causes a molecular change to his cell structure. The result is an uncontrollable biological reaction (read: big, green and mean) caused by emotional stress.

Fighting his way out of the laboratory, Banner flees from the institution and goes into hiding. While trying to find a cure for his condition, or at least a way to control it, he begins correspondence with a scientist (Tim Blake Nelson) who agrees to help him develop an antidote for the gamma poisoning.

Meanwhile, the cigar-chomping General Thaddeus Ross (William Hurt) is expending a surfeit of military manpower to hunt down Banner, who is now considered to be a fugitive from the law. Secretly intending to use Banner as a prototype for making an army of ultimate fighting personnel, he engages Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) to help him corner and capture the mutant. A Russian mercenary-style soldier, Blonsky leads Ross's men in the attack on Banner who they've tracked down in the slums of Brazil. However when Blonsky glimpses the awesome strength of the enraged Hulk, he gains a new interest in the biological tampering that has been happening in the secret weapon's development lab overseen by Ross.

Compared to the 2003 release of The Hulk, this story is better paced, more engaging and less brooding. Yet with a major retailer, convenience store and fast food provider all hawking Hulk products to young consumers, many parents may feel muscled into buying tickets to see a Marvel Comic character that isn't always child friendly.

Banner's struggle to control his tantrums is one issue. Enraged by approaching army officers, he tosses armored tanks, crushes truck-mounted cannons and kicks one man across a field and into a tree. But when the Hulk is forced to face another mutant known as The Abominator, the bloodletting, body count and destruction escalates. Soldiers and civilians alike are targeted by the dueling twosome and collateral damage includes smashed vehicles, destroyed buildings and torn-up city streets. The film also includes some precursory sexual activities between Banner and Betty, as well as the depiction of a naked man in a shower.

Dealing with internal demons, or at least character flaws, is something with which most people can relate. That may account for the Hulk's popularity as a comic book figure and his return in The Incredible Hulk even after a disappointing outing in 2003. However, despite this script's improvements, this big green mutant may still not be an incredible choice for all members of the family.

Beyond the movie ratings: What Parents need to know about The Incredible Hulk...

Before the beginning credits cease to roll, the Hulk has ripped his way out of a lab, leaving bloody bodies and injured people in his wake. Reports of further rampages continue to surface as he makes his way around the world. After tracking him down in a Brazilian slum, soldiers stage a surprise attack by shooting two dogs to silence them and blowing down his apartment door. Running through the narrow streets, they repeatedly fire shots and chase him over rooftops before cornering him in a bottling factory that they leave in shambles. Bodies are left strewn in the narrow city streets as well as the factory where they have been hit by flying machinery and tanks. During a battle on a college campus and later on New York City streets, characters are thrown, crushed, choked and caught in explosions. Bodies are tossed like dolls and cars and buildings are destroyed as two mutants fight in the middle of the city. A man is kicked viciously against a tree resulting in extensive and potentially life-threatening injuries. A man jumps from a helicopter without any parachuting gear. After a helicopter crashes, the passengers are threatened with a possible explosion. Medical procedures include injections of gamma-laden serum, blood-tampering and exposure to dangerously high levels of radiation. A couple on a bed kisses passionately. A naked man is seen in a shower. Profanities, terms of deity and some crude terms are used. Frequent cigar use is shown along with some alcohol use.

Talk about the movie with your family...

How does General Ross's desire to develop the ultimate soldier impact his judgment? What is Blonsky's motivation for wanting to be a super warrior? If an army develops new weaponry, should they also be prepared to fight their own technology?

Do most, if not all, individuals have personality traits that need to be controlled? Do you think self-discipline is an important quality to develop? How does Banner deal with his emotional rages?

Video alternatives...

In addition to his role as an overzealous warmonger in this film, William Hurt plays a U.S. president who is shot while in Spain in the political thriller Vantage Point. He also stars as the father of a family who discovers a source to eternal life in Tuck Everlasting. In the movie, The Village, he takes on the role of a community elder who attempts to protect his people from unknown beings in the surrounding forest.

Kerry Bennett

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