I do agree with the majority of movie reviews that The Incredible Hulk was good, not great and that Iron Man was better. Both are good summer popcorn movies. What concerns or rather, what I fear might disappoint, is Marvel's complete control over all future productions.
Don't get me wrong- it was beyond travesty that just about everyone was cashing in on this California comic gold rush except the very people that created these characters i.e. Stan Lee or Jack Kirby. But I worry that the two first movies- bubble gum, family friendly, fun-but-slightly shallow movies will continue to be the standard in the Marvel Universe.
The Incredible invokes such classics as Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Frankenstein, but especially Prometheus with extremely relevant themes, both culturally and cinematically i.e. power vs. friendship (Gen. Ross as Zeus?), neo-Luddism vs. dehumanism, etc.

I'm surprised at Edward Norton- known for rewriting scripts of the movies he's involved in, and starring in movies like Fight Club and 25th Hour, wouldn't have more to say regarding repressed anger, social alienation, and the torment created by self-imprisonment.

This is where Ang Lee was much stronger than Leterrier (not surprisingly- if anyone wants debate whether Transporter or The Ice Storm offers a more complex narrative, be my guest) and I'm shocked at how dismissive critics have been to his flop. Aside from horrible pacing and a confusing final enemy/final fight, the characters were far superior. I thought that critics were first and foremost with weighing character development...maybe I'm wrong.

Honestly, if Lee and Leterrier got together, I think it would've been a superior movie. I was very impressed with Leterrier's direction with cgi action, which is no easy feat, since one's suspension of disbelief naturally lessons. There was a lot going on between two giant cgi monsters and the camera aggressively and reluctantly kept up. I could actually tell what was going on the whole time- unlike Michael Bay's horrible close-ups of autobots which felt like watching a car commercial through a kaleidoscope.

Regardless, I was fascinated with these comic book heroes as a kid and even though I have left them behind, I've always defended them for their allegorical and symbolic undertones while thoroughly enjoying the action playing out onscreen as an adult. I know that Marvel wants to enlist an entirely new generation of kids to the their universe but they have to grow up one day too. The reason why people like me are guaranteed tickets is not to keep our reps up on some comicon blog but to leave the theater feeling vindicated for retaining our fondness for these comics as adults.