Product Details

• Actors: Bill Bixby, Jack Colvin
• Directors: Bill Bixby, Jack Colvin, Patrick Boyriven, Mark A. Burley, Barry Crane
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Good Times Home Video
• VHS Release Date: November 7, 1996
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304288514
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #58,348 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Writer, producer, and director Kenneth Johnson has completely reworked the story of Dr. Banner and his mean, green alter ego, but this new rendition works quite well in its TV format. After failing to save his wife from a burning car wreck, David Banner obsessively delves into research exploring rare adrenaline surges that give people superhuman strength in extraordinary situations. Discovering that the secret lies in the surge of gamma rays from sunspots, Banner purposely absorbs a massive dose of gamma radiation in his lab to try to improve his strength. The unanticipated result? You know--when he gets mad, he transforms into the giant green dude known as the Hulk. Unlike the subsequent TV series, this original film focuses on Banner's anger and despair over losing his wife rather than his being an unlikely hero on the run. It provides for many compelling moments as he seeks to comprehend his confusing metamorphosis, and as the Hulk becomes a threat to the unspoken romance between him and his supportive colleague and confidant, Dr. Elaina Marks. The late Bill Bixby delivers a warm, sympathetic performance as the tortured Dr. Banner, Susan Sullivan is believable as the brave, level-headed Dr. Marks, and Jack Colvin provides the sleaze factor as pesky tabloid reporter Jack McGee. Forgiving its '70s look and vibe, The Incredible Hulk is a smart comic-book adaptation that lets its protagonist do some soul-searching rather than provide a one-dimensional caricature. Kudos to Joseph Harnell's score, which strongly enhances the film's emotional content. --Bryan Reesman

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "The Incredible Hulk" is, quite simply, great!!!, September 17, 1998

By A Customer

"The Incredible Hulk" is the pilot film for the long-running TV series starring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno. Although a number of comic-book purists derided it for being unfaithful to its source, the movie is still thought-provoking and entertaining. The movie and the series were rare examples of serious dramatic themes succesfully interwoven with science fiction (another example would be "The Twilight Zone.")

Everyone knows the premise: Bixby plays a scientist who unwittingly exposes himself to a massive amount of gamma radiation while trying to unlock his hidden strength. Although he seems alright at first, later he gets angry and...well, you know.

Although I like the series, I think that the movie had insight and excitement that no subsequent episode of the series could match. (Although one came close: "The First", where Banner finds another man who can become a Hulk.)

Put simply: this movie is awesome!! END

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Drama, not action, January 24, 2000

By	Bradley Potts (Chicagoland) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

For those of you looking for superhero battles and action scenes, this is not the movie for you. The Pilot episode for the 70's Incredible Hulk series was a drama about a man, David Banner, driven by his past.

The Hulk is the result. This touching story gives us great insite into the character of the Hulk and of Banner himself, but without the action so common in other comic adaptations. The Hulk is neither hero nor villain, he is a victim.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great movie, November 25, 1999

By	"agumon" (Seabrook, Maryland) - See all my reviews

A scientist, saddened about the death of his wife, finds out that others have been able to perform super-feats because of a kind of gamma radiation in their body. He trys to expose his body to the radiation and uses a accedental overdose, and when he gets angry he becomes a superstrong giant. Afraid he may harm people in his other stage, he searches for a cure. Simple Enough? It's actually a very touching story. Of all the movies I've seen in my 10 years of life, This is the only one to make me cry at the end.