Bruce Banner (Bana ? yes, I'm aware of the similarities of the names, so there) is a mild-mannered scientist who suffers a terrible lab accident. Suddenly, whenever he expresses rage, he turns into an uncontrollable 15-foot tall green behemoth. With the army after him, led by General Ross (Elliot), Bruce hunts for a cure, with the help of his girlfriend, General Ross' daughter, Betty (Connelly). Does this summary sound kinda silly? Well, yes. But then again, so does Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon if you boil it down to 'two women who can fly fight for possession of a sword'. Since this hasn't been released in Australia at the time of writing, I can't guarantee anything, but the directorial hand of Ang Lee will hopefully be able to present that rare beast: a comic-book movie with a heart and a soul.

The liquid core of the earth has stopped dead. This means the earth will be in the Stone Age in three months and a cinder in a year. The Core is basically about a journey to the centre of the earth as a 'terranaut' crew races underground to jump-start the core with a barrage of nuclear weaponry.

The Core mainly works because the characters are idiosyncratic enough to seem authentic. The characters interact like strangers cooped up together who have been forced to forge a makeshift familiarity. The genuineness of their rapport goes a long way toward making what is essentially a science fantasy come off like science fiction. And, of course, there are the special effects, particularly the scenes taking place on the earth's surface as cities bear the destructive brunt of the sun's rays. Although it is strange how natural disasters have a way of focusing on the best cities and on the famous landmarks within those cities.

The Core is not exactly good, but it knows what a movie is. It has energy and daring and isn't afraid to make fun of itself. It's one of those films that your frontal lobe tells you to dismiss, and your endorphins tell you to relish. It's the best kind of bad there is