I don't understand your problem. You like comics but you can't deal with the fact that being bombarded with gamma radiation can turn someone into a super hero?
My question is, what went wrong? Banner was exposing himself to radiation, so there was no accident..that we are aware of. Which is what I hope the DVD shows us.
I like to think myself, and even audiences in general are more sophistocated than in the 60's when radiation is all it took. Even when I read the comics, it was after it had become established that Bruce's father had been exposed to radiation, which perhaps created some sort of anomoly that was passed to Bruce on the genetic level and thus allowed him to survive being hit with the Gamma. (sound familiar?)
Instead, they went with a " blink or you'll miss" re-origin which in my eyes didn't serve the story in any way, other than allowing it to jump to the action...but ya know what? If it would have been a sequel jumping to the action would not have been a problem anyway, right? Plus we would have an explanation already built in why Banner's personality fades when Hulk comes out (something that doesn't happen with Blonsky). We also would have carried over the "angrier he gets, the stronger he gets", which wasn't expressed in this movie, but the '03 film made very clear also.
Look, I like the movie. I even think it is a less flawed Hulk film than Ang's. Is it more engaging? Probably not. Two completely different approaches with completely different strengths and weaknesses. I'm just saying I think a better approach would have been if they could be considered linked because it would have molded a story with more resonance, and given greater strength to the more action driven TIH. It would have brought the best of both worlds together.
Like I said, I liked it. The title of this thread was "Why restart?" and I was only discussing what kept the movie from kicking up another level for me. I've explained all of this so many times, I know I sound like a broken record, so I promise I won't do it again.
