L'incroyable Hulk

Riding high on the success of his excellent 1976 TV creation "The Bionic Woman", writer/director Kenneth Johnson embarked on perhaps his most ambitious project ever: bringing to the screen for the first time the story of The Incredible Hulk.

The result is the best TV pilot I've ever seen in my life. Even if you're not a hulk fan, you must see this episode for its expert presentation, unparalleled acting, sublime poetry and iconic music (the "Lonely Man" piano themesong has the power to make people weep instantly).

There is not a lot of action in this episode, but it's far from boring. In the opening scene, Bill Bixby brings to life the character of David Banner in a way that no one will ever be able to touch. His portrayal brings to mind the line from Thoreau: "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation." Only David Banner gets the opportunity to be not-so-quiet. Enter Lou Ferrigno 1973-1974 Mr. Universe, who needed no cgi, special effects or prosthetics to portray the hulk: the personification of raw, primeval rage. Ferrigno's roaring mass of muscles contrasted sharply against Bixby's quiet desperation to create a perfect balance of extremes.

I love the entire series and the 3 TV movies that followed. But this 100 minute pilot is the best of the lot. It was a cut above the rest back in '77 and to this day it's still a cut above.

Joseph Harnell was the composer, and his music will burn itself into your brain. The melody of "Lonely Man" reappears in the heart-pumping action pieces as well as the heart-wrenching piano sonata. In between we have distinct themes that are equally memorable, such as Mr. McGee's theme (which is instantly recognizable by its bass drum and hi-hat rhythm). At times Harnell mixes separate themes and moods together into one piece, perfectly in tune with the bipolar nature of the story. You'll hear trombones "fighting" with violins the same way David Banner fights with the monster within him. This is one of the cases where the music brings as much to the table as the directing, cinematography & acting.

And back to the subject of acting, we get stellar performances from everyone. Not just Bixby & Ferrigno as I mentioned, but Susan Sullivan (Banner's research partner and best friend), Jack Colvin (the antagonistic reporter McGee, who is wonderfully fleshed out in subsequent episodes) and even the minor actors doing bit parts are brilliant.

In terms of directing & cinematography, there was no equal in the 1970s. Kenneth Johnson made extreme use of shadows, darkness, hazy lighting and wide camera shots to create an indescribable feeling of loneliness and isolation. Back in the 70s, TV was very bright and fast paced (think "Love Boat", "Charlie's Angels", etc). But here in "The Incredible Hulk" we get a journey into darkness for the first time I had seen on network TV. Think of the way the 2003 Battlestar Galactica remake plunged us into darkness for the first time, and that is what Kenneth Johnson did for the 1970s crowd. (By the way, the 2003 BSG is my pick for 2nd greatest TV pilot in the history of time & space, don't miss it either!) I can't speak highly enough of this show. Watch it a few times. Absorb its full spectrum of human emotion: sadness, rage, love. And tip your hat to the amazingly talented individuals, particularly the great Mr. Bixby, who made this possible for us to experience.

The original Hulk movie brings the gamma-ridden powerhouse from the pages of Marvel Comics to the screen with -gasp! - intelligence. Rather than focussing on the epic action and destruction of the comicbook, which it hasn't the budget for anyway, the movie concentrates on creating believable characters and as realistic a plot as possible. It suceeds admirably, thanks to a superb central performance from Bill Bixby and some assured direction from Kenneth Johnson. And no comic fan can argue that Lou Ferrigno isn't the Incredible Hulk. He bursts from the four-color pages with absolute fury and destroys whatever he comes across.

The cast all perform well, with none of the over-the-top clowning you get in so many comicbook adaptions. It's got some great 70's locations and a wonderful theme tune as well. Of the six Hulk movies around, this remains the best, and with another intelligent superhero flick, X-Men (2000) demolishing the box-office, hopefully people will take a look at the last good Marvel film. Yeah, Blade was a Marvel character but Blade, in reality, is complete and utter shash.

The Hulk's first incarnation on TV was this made for television movie starring Bill Bixby as the green giant. I don't know Hulk's origins in the Marvel Comics series, but here Dr. David Banner (Bixby) is experimenting with gamma rays, trying desperately to figure out how people get an incredible flow of Adrenalin when faced with utter danger. Having recently lost his wife in a car crash and not being able to save her in his attempts to lift the vehicle, Banner is nothing short of obsessed with finding out why he failed where others succeeded in saving their loved ones. Once he starts injecting gamma rays into his body he turns into the green giant whenever he gets really mad.

This is no grandiose spectacle, it's rather cheap looking really, with that oh so 70's look and feel with special effects at a very minimum. It is however a very well written and totally involving story, well acted and ultimately very tragic. The scenes involving the Hulk aren't spectacular visually speaking but they are powerful, especially his first appearance on that rainy thunderstorm night when Banner gets mad while changing his tier. The love story here, between Banner and a fellow scientist, is very well played out and makes for a strong ending for the film.

This film was the starting block for a long running TV series, but on it's own the film is very satisfying, definitely won't entertain younger viewers who're used to such visual extravaganza's as most modern superhero films are these days. I however like it very much, it takes it's time in establishing the character, it's a very human story that doesn't go overboard despite it's subject matter and it has a bitter ending that makes it all the more memorable.

This cheap looking made for TV film is also a lot better than the 2003 version which I found simply terrible.

The last time I saw this movie I was 7 years old. When I saw the DVD in the shop some 24 years later, I could not resist to buy it. After watching it, I think it is money well spent.

It is by far better than I remembered it to be. Kenneth Johnson takes some strong liberties with the character's name and origin. Nonetheless, the audience bought his treatment, and the show ran for five years.

After seeing way too many hokey comic book adaptions as well as the latest big screen blockbuster, I must say that this is most certainly very well done. The acting was top notch and Bixby will always be the definitive David Bruce Banner. Lou Ferrigno gave the creature more soul than the recent CGI incarnation. Ferrigno portrayed a non-evil, but nonetheless frightening creature, an element which is sadly lacking in the big screen adaption. The lonely man theme at the end, sets the tone for the story. The Hulk/Banner is a tragic story, and despite all of Johnson's liberties is more true to the character than the big screen adaption ever will be.

A classic for people like me who enjoy adaptions of comic-book characters. 8 out of 10.

This is a lot better than the television show that followed and that footage in the rain with David transforming into The Hulk for the first time is outstanding! Note the editing and music used in this footage. Right after this scene we cut to the lake scene with the direction and music still on a very high standard: even the green paint on The Hulk's skin looks more impressive than usual! But this high standard of production could never last in the lower budget weekly television series, which is too bad as this movie displayed what The Incredible Hulk series could have been if more money was put into it! I am told The Incredible Hulk series got more female viewers than male viewers so maybe I was the wrong sex for it?