The Incredible Hulk (1979)

Fresh and Exciting

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

If one were to summarize the problems with most 1970s speculative fiction films, it's that they focused on their fantastical elements at a time when special effects weren't up to the task ("Star Wars" is the exception, not the rule). "The Incredible Hulk" misses that pitfall by focusing instead on the characters and the themes. Indeed, there's an artiness to this made-for-TV film. For starters, the first line of dialogue doesn't come until almost 10 minutes in.It's apparent from every aspect of this film that writer/director/executive producer Kenneth Johnson wanted the Incredible Hulk series to be taken seriously. Rather than introducing David Banner, having him accidentally transform into the Hulk, and proceeding promptly to adventures, the entire first half is devoted to showing how and why Banner became the Hulk. The seemingly absurd notion that a brilliant scientist would conduct an experiment with dangerously high levels of radiation on himself, without supervision, and then transform into an inhumanly strong monster is over the course of 40 minutes built up into a frightening reality.One of the strongest points of David's slow meltdown into the Hulk is that every step is, on one level at least, driven by the scientific method. Some pseudo-science is of course employed out of necessity, but the actual process by which Dr. Banner and his partner Dr. Elaina Marks come to their conclusions is classic scientific method. The trouble is that David's actions are, at the same time, driven at every step by his grief over his wife's death.The climactic first transformation into the Hulk is a classic scene. Bill Bixby conveys an incredibly realistic buildup of anger - you know when you're so blindly angry that you do everything with a careless, sloppy forcefulness, and when you inevitably get hurt as a result, that just makes you angrier and angrier? As a longtime reader of the Hulk comics, I knew what was coming in this scene, and that only made David's rage all the more frightening. It really feels as though growing into an enormous monster and smashing a car into debris is the inevitable result of his seething fury.The second transformation is an even more striking scene. Part of it is that the sheer power and fearfulness of the Hulk is better conveyed here than in any of the episodes I've seen so far. But the center of the scene is Elaina. The Hulk appears as she's recording an audio log, and like any good scientist, instead of fleeing, she continues recording her observations, albeit in a voice that makes clear her terror. Keeping it up, she approaches the creature and is bold enough to take a blood sample from him! It's a thoroughly convincing example of how human beings often react to dangerous situations in ways that seem bizarrely casual in hindsight.Elaina's death is a moment made especially tearful by her words, "My poor David... Who's going to look after you now?" This simple line summarizes the true core of David and Elaina's relationship: not partners, not lovers, but mother and child. Throughout the story, Elaina has been a guiding, protecting hand for the emotionally frail David. In a delicate and beautiful performance, Lou Ferrigno displays the confusion and subsequent anguish of a child discovering that he has become an orphan.As well-crafted an emotional journey as "The Incredible Hulk" is, its epilogue (which is the lead up to the series proper) is decidedly flawed. David allows the world to think he is dead, while McGee tells police that the Hulk killed both him and Elaina, resulting in a warrant being put out for his arrest. This is all an excuse for the TV series to follow the Fugitive formula, but while the formula is fine, the excuse is not. Even if the police are nutty enough to put out a warrant for a big green monster, why should David flee? It's just McGee's word against David's that he killed Elaina, and that's assuming there isn't evidence showing that an accidental explosion was to blame.That aside, this is an excellently done film on every front which eloquently captures the tragic nature of the Hulk.

David Banner, a research scientist who is haunted bye death the death of his wife whom he couldn't save in a car accident is researching how to tap the hidden reserves of incredible strength all humans have. While investigating episodes of people who have displayed such strength under times of great stress, he discovers that each one coincided with a solar flare spike of gamma radiation. Convinced by the link,Banner decides to put it to the test when he deliberately does himself with gamma radiation. Unknown to him however, the maoeschine was modified to give a far higher dose than he anticipated.While there was no immediate effect,that soon changes when on the way home,he forced to change a tire in the rain.

The 70's was a year of concepts. When they did the TV version of "The Incredible Hulk", all I can say is it was flawed in a few ways. They made a few changes so it would cause total confusion with the comics. Dr.David Bruce Banner(Bill Bixby) was a very brilliant scientist who lost his wife in a fiery car crash. Then he was curious to learn more about super-human strength. The source, gamma radiation. Several other cases came up, and he was more than eager to try it out. He tested it out, unwittingly overdosing himself with it. The results: One big muscular man, aka The Incredible Hulk(Lou Ferrigno). Trashing the car, smashing everything in his sight. The Hulk was a menace to society. To me the real menace to society is that report Jack Mcgee(Jack Colvin). He works for a tabloid newspaper company, which nobody reads. He should be charged with slander. This show was only a concept. they were a lot of changes and a lot of flaws. This hulk was more human than super human, he looked to caveman like, even though Lou Ferrigno was a competitor in the Strongman contest. To me, he is the real deal that the show became a hit! Rating 3 out of 5 stars!

THIS MAY CONTAIN MAJOR SPOILERSThe Incredible Hulk will always be my number one, all time favorite TV series. The pilot movie is to me, perfect 10 rated material that I feel was meant for the big screen. I know that in England, this was released theatrically. Oddly enough, I never saw the pilot movie in full until it was on in syndication in two part format and then on VHS in the video rental stores during my early to mid teen years. When you first hear about the Incredible Hulk, you might easily prejudge it and might hate it. The pilot movie is something you would have to see for yourself to truly see the sheer brilliance of this film. In order for Dr. Banner to carry the weight of the show, it would take the right person to play the part. That actor was my idol, the late great Bill Bixby. You could really feel for Dr. David Banner, losing his wife Laura in the car crash, his obsession with finding the ability to harness the power of that inner reserve of hidden strength within us all. That story from Mrs. Jessie Mayer about the identical car crash, and how she saved her son, and finally, losing Elaina Marks at the end of the movie. Bill Bixby and Susan Sullivan were excellent together as Doctors David Banner and Elaina Marks. They were best of friends and as David guesses too late at the end of the movie, they could have been potential lovers. Elaina confesses her love to him while he is the Hulk. Lou Ferrigno was born to play the Hulk. I can only imagine what it was like for him to play the hero of his childhood, but yet I can also feel for him after all the hell he went through with the make up process and the injuries sustained in the stunts. Perosnally, I loved the fright wig and makeup of this movie. The Hulk truly looked his best (the scariest) The very first Hulkout in the rain storm with the car and the flat tire is to me, one of the all time best ever Hulkouts ever filmed, along with the second Hulkout from 747 while flying the airplane. Finally, Jack Colvin is truly a master of his craft as intrepid reporter Jack McGee, who truly meant it when he said "All right Dr. Banner, but I don't give up easily." after being turned down for an interview. Oddly enough, actor Willem Dafoe, who was the Green Goblin in SpiderMan subconsciously reminded me of Jack Colvin and would have been a great Jack McGee had this version of the Hulk had been redone. Although the special FX may be considered cheesy for its standards of today, I love it!!! Call me a product of my time, but that's what I am. The Incredible Hulk pilot movie is high on the recommendation list. I say "Don't knock it till you've tried it." I rate this movie a perfect 10!!!