Le retour de l'incroyable Hulk

Marvel Comics loves to team its superheroes up far more than DC ever does. In the comics, this means frequent crossovers, enough to make you wonder whose book you're reading. On TV, it means guest heroes who don't have their own shows.

This often happens in the cartoons, but this TV movie -- the first of the post-cancellation Hulk specials -- was actually the first time Marvel tried it in live action. And it was only the second team-up of ANY live-action superheroes. (The first was Green Hornet guesting on the 1960s Batman show, an episode viewed more often than the actual Green Hornet series!)

I liked the Hulk series, even though his powers were limited for a TV budget. Bill Bixby's acting as Banner compensated for any change to the hero's motif. But he still was a gamma-charged powerhouse whose appearance was triggered by rage. Thor didn't survive as well with the Hulk's writers. He's not a Norse god here, just a revived Viking warrior. Donald Blake doesn't become Thor, he summons him from the hammer like a genie, with lightning instead of smoke. And Thor doesn't even get to fly. Or wear a red cape. And the acting doesn't compensate for these changes.

Apparently the writers were envisioning Thor as a "buddy" series spinoff. If Hulk was "The Fugitive," then maybe Thor would have been "Route 66"? I think the writers should have spent more time with comic book themes than with 1950s TV shows.

After six years since its last prime-time show (June 1982) Stan Lee and Nicholas Corea brought back Marvel Comics' strongman "the Incredible Hulk. Though this time David Banner has become the closest ever to be cured. He has a new girlfriend,bumped into a old colleague,and well into his medical career. Unlike in the past he worked odd jobs until his alter-ego was summons. But David banner in this movie has a new life were he doesn't feel he has to runaway anymore. Till an old colleague sneaks into David's job and his trouble begans. David's colleague tells him a story that during his journey up north he discovered a hammer that can summon an old viking hero. As the old viking hero appeared David mis-judged his well-being as being destructive which forced him to become the hulk. That was one of the best scenes in the movie were the hulk and the viking hero (Thor) battle it out. Overall the hulk over-powered Thor and Thor wanted to call a truce. A real Marvel classic!! Now that their fight got some exposure David had to put his plans for a cure on halt till the situation died down. This also brought on the attention of the trailing reportor Jack Mcgee and some bad guys who wanted to take the gamma transponder that David and his colleagues worked on. Since the hulk was seen David had to go back to his old secrecy way of life,and not letting the new relationship with his girlfriend progress. That's until he found a way of permanently curing himself. But matters got worse as the bad guys capture his girlfriend to get to the transponder. Which leaves David to team up with the viking warrior and his master to save Maggie (David's girlfriend). Though they saved her David had to leave because there was to much attention focused on the green creature and his association with his job. A sad ending as in the former prime-time series. Though I enjoyed Thor because of his comical outspoken personality. A great come-back series. But poor David must continue his journey to find a cure and live a normal life he once had.

RELEASED TO TV IN 1988 and written & directed by Nicholas Corea, "The Incredible Hulk Returns" is the first of three movies in the wake of the TV series that ran from 1977-82.

PLOT: Bill Bixby stars as Dr. David Banner, who is working incognito at a research facility in Southern California and on the verge of curing his gamma radiation-induced curse. Meanwhile Banner reunites with younger colleague Don Blake (Steve Levitt), who has found a magical Norse hammer, which can summon Thor (Eric Allan Kramer), an ancient Viking warrior. When a vital piece of technology is nearly stolen and David's sweetheart is kidnapped (Lee Purcell), the Hulk (Lou Ferrigno) and Thor must team-up to save the day. Jack Colvin returns as nosy reporter Jack McGee.

Despite the TV-budget limitations, this is a very entertaining Hulk movie, even better than the pilot movie from 1977. This is mostly due to the inclusion of Thor, who's pretty close to the Marvel Comics version (Stan Lee was a consultant), albeit with a brown costume rather than dark blue. This is because Thor here is (evidently) NOT the god of thunder from Asgard, but rather a mighty Viking from the distant past aided by the mystic hammer. His personality isn't like Thor in the comics (i.e. one-dimensionally noble and boring), but rather like Marvel's Hercules, where he's hearty, loves a good fight, women & brew. Kramer knocks the role out of the ballpark with his merry & mighty charisma.

The biker bar episode is a highlight with Peisha Arten standing out as one of the "Whoa, Mama" biker babes. The ending is kind of sad accompanied by Joseph Harnell's melancholic piano theme.

THE FILM RUNS 93 minutes and was shot in California (Malibu, North Hollywood and Los Angeles). ADDITIONAL DIRECTING: Bill Bixby. ADDITIONAL CAST: Charles Napier, Tim Thomerson and Jay Baker.

GRADE: B+

For those who didn't exactly take the series seriously might have a heck of a time with this comeback movie for The Incredible Hulk. But for those who did take them seriously (those being me), I find this a rather silly entry.

The humane aspect is what fueled the series. Bill Bixby was an irresistible lead and his quest for a cure never failed to be interesting. In short it was the drama that made the show as appealing as it was. In The Incredible Hulk Returns we see him team up with Thundergod Thor as David's attempts to cure himself are once again thrashed. The Hulk and Thor battle criminals who are out to steal David's machine, the one he built which might have helped to cure him.

The film starts off well and then goes downward after Thor's introduction. He's made to be pretty silly but still he's engagingly played by Eric Kramer and somehow he's pretty likable. The action scenes are fine and the Hulk moments are solid. Lou Ferrigno looks incredible and everything concerning David Banner and the Hulk is good stuff. But the campy feel and humor is something the shows didn't go much for and undermine the whole proceedings, like it wasn't taken seriously enough. But maybe that's what they were aiming for.

Jack Colvin makes a welcome return as relentless reporter Jack McGee who once again misses out on the big story. As always Bixby is rock solid and the flick works in some places but misses in others.

It's still an above average entertainment for a fan of the series.

The Hulk teams up with another comic book character named Thor.

As others have said, fans of the original weekly series - The Incredible Hulk - might struggle a bit with this film as it is clearly not staying in the same dramatic tone as the old show but I personally enjoyed it a lot.

Firstly, the Hulk himself now seems stronger and bigger than he did in the past and the character needs to look that way so...great stuff! Secondly, Bill Bixby (David Banner) really struck me as a great actor here, I am sure he was fine in the old show but I don't remember being so impressed with him like I was here.

And thirdly, Thor is just a really fun character to have around, in fact the makers of today's superhero movies could learn a thing or two from this under-rated TV movie.

In a nutshell: this is a nice light hearted blast!