Dr. David Banner (Bill Bixby) is working at a research facility
with Dr. Elaina Marks (Susan Sullivan), studying the hidden strength that some
people exhibit in crisis situations. During an interview with one woman, who
miraculously lifted a half ton car so that she could rescue her trapped son,
David has become particularly agitated and storms out. The woman’s story reminds
him of his own personal cross that he bears: ten months ago, David lost his
beloved wife in a similar car accident--yet when he tried to lift the
over-turned car to save his wife, he could not, no matter how much he tried.
Banner can’t figure out why he wasn’t strong enough just when he needed it most.
In examining each of the cases where people have displayed unusual strength in a
high pressure situation, David and Elania discover that David really isn’t any
different than the other test subjects. It’s just that they were all helped by a
burst of gamma radiation that was provided by a solar flare, when, at the time
of his accident, David didn’t have that extra helping hand from the sun. Angry
and obsessed over his lack of strength, Banner sneaks into a lab after hours and
gives himself a low dosage of gamma radiation for a brief 15 seconds. Yet he’s
annoyed to see there’s no visible increase of power afterwards. But what he
doesn’t realize is that the lab techies had boosted the power of the equipment,
thus Banner received several times more the dosage that he thought he received.
And so when he suffers a flat tire on the way home in a rainstorm, Banner loses
his temper--and that’s bad, because you wouldn’t like David Banner when he gets
angry. Written and directed by Kenneth Johnson, The Incredible Hulk holds up
marvelously well even 30 years after its original TV premiere. The entire
premise of the Hulk is thoughtfully re-imagined by Johnson, who was inspired by
Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables, and Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll And Mr.
Hyde. The result is a mature, somber and enthralling take on a comic book
character that has become a classic in its own right. Much like how Linda
Carter had become known as Wonder Woman Lou Ferrigno became famous as the Hulk.
And Susan Sullivan is superb as Elania, Banner’s friend and co-worker who cares
far more for him than she’s willing to admit. And Bill Bixby was prefect as the
tortured Banner.
The second TV film on this disc, Married, isn’t as gripping as the pilot, but
it's still fascinating to watch. Banner travels to Hawaii, hoping to meet with a
famous doctor, Caroline Fields (Mariette Hartley, who won a well-earned Emmy for
her performance), who has done innovative work with hypnotherapy on physically ill people.
Banner’s hoping that the hypnotherapy might help him to control the jolly green
giant that resides within him. Yet the doctor’s receptionist informs him that
she’s gone away on a sabbatical. Not taking no for an answer, Banner goes to
Fields’ house (he might have been the reason anti-stalking laws were created),
where he finds her having a grand mal seizure. Banner rescues her, and
discovers why Fields has taken a sabbatical: she’s terminally ill. When Banner
reveals his hulking problem to her, they both decide to work on each other’s
illness, and wind up falling in love amidst the test tubes.
Married may not have the action that Hulk fans have come to expect, but
it's deeper examination into Banner's green rage--stylishly shown by a series of battles
in the desert between Bixby and Ferrigno--is still interesting to watch.
And Mariette Hartley is very sympathetic as the doomed Fields; the chemistry
between her and Bixby make you root for them to the bitter end. There’s also a couple of great
commentaries by Johnson on both films, who provides much behind the scenes detail about both
productions. It isn’t easy being green, and nobody showed that better than the
original pilot movie that started it all, The Incredible Hulk.
--SF
Main Review Page | Fantasy |Email Me |Buy This DVD Right Here!
