Product Details

• Format: PAL
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00008T2EY

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Transitional Pre-"Batman" Comic Book Adaptation, May 9, 2002

By 

Michael A. Quebec (Union City, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Trial of Incredible Hulk [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I was 19 years old when this tv special first aired on NBC. It was just a few months before the Nicholson/Keaton "Batman" came out, so I think it provides a good look at the way comic-book characters have been adapted for movies & tv. It's a transitional piece.

In the '70's (and the Incredible Hulk tv show was from that time), lots of liberties were taken with comic-book adaptations for television & movies. Colorful villains were always non-existent. The individual personality traits of the original comic-book characters were never explored. And worst of all, the costumes were usually cheap & innaccuarate.

After 1989's "Batman", that all changed. Now film-makers & tv producers try to make their adaptations of comic-book heroes as faithful as possible to their original source. (That's why "Spider-Man" is such a hit. It's true to the comic-book!)

Well, "The Trial of The Incredible Hulk" is kind of in-between those two periods...and it shows! This tv movie has singer Rex Smith doing a very good acting & fighting job as Daredevil, the blind lawyer & acrobatic superhero, making a sizeable guest appearance. John Rhys-Davies brings Wilson Fisk ("the Kingpin") to life as the villain. Daredevil's background, as portrayed in this show, is pretty faithfull to the comic-book original (though in this show, he has a Gordon/Batman relationship with a cop named "Tendelli", which is non-existent in the comic-book.) Even the character of "Turk" is portrayed in this show. (Too bad there's no Karen Page or Foggy Nelson.) It's obvious that the writers had been inspired by the Frank Miller Daredevils where the Hulk had made a guest appearance. So in that sense, this show is a glimpse of things to come.

However, this show is also a glimpse of things that should have been left in the '70's, particularly the bad costuming! Daredevil's signature red-devil acrobat uniform with a cowled-mask complete with devil horns is missing in this show. Instead, what we have is Rex Smith dressed in a black cat-burgler's outfit!

Oh well, the story & acting are good, Rex Smith handles the martial-arts fight scenes adequately, & as always, Bill Bixby captures the tortured persona of Dr. Banner to a "T."

I recommend it, but in light of the new Spider-Man movie, as well as the anticipated movie releases of the Incredible Hulk & Daredevil next year, I also recommend that you don't expect too much from "The Trial of The incredible Hulk."

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Classic Adventure, April 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Trial of Incredible Hulk [VHS] (VHS Tape)

"The Trial Of The Incredible Hulk", is definately another fine installment in the series. In this made for television movie we see a side of David Banner that we haven't witnessed before. This time we see a person who has lost faith and belief in himself. Definately one to look into. "Daredevil" another marvel character also makes an appearance. The only thing that was disappointing was the fact that there wasn't enough "hulk-outs" in this movie as we have grown accustomed to and the breakout scene was also totally ignored. Nevertheless this is still a great movie and just watching the "Incredible" one totally destroy a court room and send a lawyer through a window will bring a smile to anyones face.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The first television show to accurately portray a superhero with believable superhero type action, August 19, 2006

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Trial of the Incredible Hulk [VHS] (VHS Tape)

The show begins on a ranch where David Banner is working as a laborer. One of his co-workers is a bully who pushes him around. When Banner is pushed into the water, his anger starts to rise, but before he lets it get out of hand, he walks away. After being paid off, he walks to a large city and rents a room. Unfortunately, the city is the home of a crime boss who owns many of the people, including a large percentage of the public legal system.

Two of the thugs in the employ of the crime boss accost a woman on the subway and when Banner intervenes, they slap him down. Of course, he transforms into the Hulk and easily defeats them. Unfortunately, when he reverts to his Banner form, he is arrested. The employees of the crime boss threatened the woman he saved, so she now claims that Banner is the one who attacked her. He is thrown in jail and a contract is taken out on his life.

Matt Murdock is a blind lawyer who is on a crusade to bring the crime boss down. He is also a masked crime fighter called Daredevil and in both of those guises he tries to help Banner and the woman. In order to convince Banner to accept his help, Daredevil exposes his face to him. When Daredevil walks into a trap set by the crime boss, it is the Hulk who comes to his rescue and then it is Banner who helps restore Daredevil's confidence in himself. Together, they enter the lair of the crime boss and free the woman before she is killed.

To those who have been exposed to the special effects of the superheroes appearing in major motion pictures, the actions in this television show will appear extremely weak. They consist almost totally of Lou Ferrigno in green makeup growling and smashing things. However, this was the first television show that was able to represent a superhero in a realistic manner and should be viewed with that in mind. It also explores the inner workings of the human psyche and the capacity for rage that all humans have buried inside of them.