THERE'S nothing wrong with making a superhero movie that's dark with adult themes. And nor is there anything wrong with making one that's cartoon-like, with bold colours, obviously animated characters and some tongue-in-cheek self-references.

But there is something wrong with trying to do both these things in one film, and this is where Ang Lee's The Hulk comes unstuck.

It's hard to know what audience this film is aimed at. At two-and-a-quarter-hours long, it's way too lengthy for most kids and is so slow-paced that many adults will find themselves nodding off. But kitsch comic-book style editing and a frankly terrible computer generated Hulk, which would look more at home on a kids' Saturday morning show aren't likely to appeal to the majority of non-comic fan adults.

This film would have benefited from taking itself a lot less seriously. When you're saying 'this is all a bit of a joke' you can get away with a multitude of sins, but when you're saying 'this is a deep study of a man's troubled relationship with his father, which has left him emotionally scarred' you lose some of the pathos when the next scene has a giant green cartoon man in little purple shorts bouncing across a desert.

Another downside of the movie is that the fight scenes - usually pivotal and exciting in superhero movies - are badly paced and lame, thanks again to extremely dodgy computer generated imaginery foes and a confusing climax in which a baddie seems to turn into a giant bubble for no particular reason.

If you spent your youth reading Marvel comics under your sheets by torchlight, you're sure to love this movie, but otherwise, steer clear.

I give it: 3/10