The Incredible Hulk

DVD, The Incredible Hulk S1 (The Incredible Hulk)

An iconic character, one that's never been really done right for me in film, but one that I had a small history with thanks to this TV series or it's spinoff TV films. I'm not sure I ever watched the actual series (certainly not on original transmission as I wasn't born then!), but I definitely saw some of those films and remember the haunting, heartrending end music which I believe always played over Dr. Banner walking away, alone. I also remember seeing opening credits which told the story of how he became the Hulk, though this pilot episode doesn't have that opening - it wouldn't make sense if it did, because this is the story of the mild-mannered (why are good, thoughtful people always described that way in comics?) Dr. Banner's transformation into a literal Mr. Hyde (the famous 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' story is referenced).

The series was always one that I had a slight interest in, but never the inclination to search out on DVD before, so it wasn't until I happened to be looking on eBay, and found a brand new copy for a particularly low price that I thought I'd give it a go. I expected it to be very of its time and it was, with the clothing and decor, particularly the massive computers with huge tape decks spinning, that it could almost be of the 60s as much as the 70s. But this was made in 1977 and was the feature length pilot for what became a long-running series. Bill Bixby is good as Dr. Banner, a casual-dressing scientist with a tragic recent past since his wife died in a car accident the year before. The episode begins unexpectedly with tender scenes between Banner and his wife until it leads up to the accident, which arrests your attention and gives you cause to wonder how the story will pan out. Of course her death is the catalyst which leads Banner to subject himself to the Gamma rays that activate the monster within.

The green giant, while certainly not jolly, isn't the raging monster you might think of. Yes, he tears out of a sealed laboratory chamber in what is perhaps the best of the three 'Hulk-outs' - the moment he bursts his shirt (hope he has a good tailor as it's going to be expensive to replace them when he's on the run - it's fortunate he chose to wear stretchable trousers that don't get equally shredded!), but it's his calm reaction to Banner's colleague, Elaina, that gives the most drama: at first she feels apprehension, but never loses her head in the usual 'traditional' female role of that era, instead remaining scientifically detached as much as she can, but never seeming cold or indifferent. She was a really good co-star in this story and I was looking forward to seeing her and Banner work together in the series, so it was a shock when she dies in the flaming lab, though brought out by the Hulk to die in his arms. It shocked me, and in an episode that is very contemporary of the time in terms of style, in other words, it's over-long and does things multiple times (such as the testimonies of the people that had experienced unexpected strength in moments of distress), so when something dramatic did happen it had an impact!

The green arm smashing through the thick glass in the lab just about made me jump. Hulk himself is far from a fearsome creature, mainly because I've seen Lou Ferrigno as the character in pictures or on TV over the years. I never liked the great fluff of hair, which is the only part of his makeup that didn't work, but the physically imposing form of a real man, a bodybuilder, rather than a CGI model, means this Hulk is more real than any modern interpretation. The interaction with the scenery wasn't perfect, and they could have made the cars, masonry or tree that he lifts appear more weighty, but for its time it looks good and does the job. The first transformation didn't work as well as it should because you see too much of the creature and then a lot of it happens in bright daylight, whereas the second Hulk-out is in a darkened environment with Elaina trapped.

I had it all worked out: Banner and Elaina would be looking for a cure and the nosy reporter (who looked alarmingly like Willem Dafoe!), would be after them in the series, but I wait with interest to see what Banner's lonely life will lead to. I was wondering what his first name was going to be because I've heard it as both David and Bruce in various productions. In this it's David, but I wondered if they put his name as 'David Bruce Banner' on the headstone of his grave as a nod to the changing name, or whether that was actually his full name and in some other Hulk productions he was known by the middle name?

While as a whole I couldn't rate this pilot very highly because it did drag with the length, I liked the sparseness of the cast with very few people around (a good job, as Banner leaves the research building after his experiment with lights on and door open - security wouldn't be such a priority in a world with few people!), and the idea that the Hulk could have been an experiment by the two scientists, as it may have appeared to the reporter, spoke of another creation of literature: Frankenstein. The music was beautiful and affecting, and the death of Elaina surprising and sad, but I can imagine the series being more urgent with shorter running times and I look forward to finding out what a more tightly written story could achieve.

**