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The Incredible Hulk - Original...
Stars:
Bill Bixby, Mariette Hartley, and Lou Ferrigno
Writer:
Kenneth Johnson
Based
On “The Incredible Hulk” Created By: Marvel Comics
Director:
Kenneth Johnson
Feature
length: 95 minutes/97 minutes
Extras:
Exclusive Sneak Preview Of “The Hulk” Motion Picture Directed By Ang Lee,
Commentary On Both Episodes By Writer, Director, and Producer Kenneth Johnson,
Special Introduction For “The Incredible Hulk” By Star Lou Ferrigno, Text
Excerpt From The Movie Tie-In Novel Of “The Hulk,” Hulk Interactive Game
Trailer, and Bonus Trailers
Languages:
English Monaural Sound
Subtitles:
English Captions and French and Spanish Language Subtitles
Packaging:
Keep Case
Chapter
Stops: 18 Each
Sound:
Monaural Sound
Year
of DVD Release: 2003
Home Video Distributor: Universal Studios Home Video
MPAA
Rating: Not Rated
Reviewer:
Mark A. Rivera
There
is no better way for me to celebrate the end of the 2002-2003 broadcast
television season as well as celebrate the 2003 summer blockbuster theatrical
film season collectively then by looking back at a classic TV series that just
happens to be making the jump to the big screen and both are based on Marvel
Comics’ “The Incredible Hulk.” “The Incredible Hulk” is arguably the
best live action TV series based on a Marvel Comics character. Transferring
comic book characters to the big and small screens alike is very difficult. On
the big screen Warner Brothers was able to successfully develop feature film
franchises for DC Comics’ “Superman” and “Batman” and both had
previously enjoyed popularity on the small screen in the 1950s and 1960s
respectively. However it wasn’t until “Blade” became the sleeper hit of
1998 that Marvel Comics began to materialize in a big way as fans might have
hoped for. Now we have seen a “Blade” sequel, two “X-Men” features, and
“Spider-Man” and “The Hulk” is about to join the pack on June 20, 2003.
However back in 1978, the only other TV series based on a comic book character
was “Wonder Woman,” which was also based on a DC Comics character.
Enter
Kenneth Johnson, who had successfully brought “The Six Million Dollar Man”
and other programs to the small screen and would later bring the original
“V” miniseries to fruition in the early 1980s. Instead of going for a campy
larger than life style that had been common in shows like “Wonder Woman” and
“Batman,” Johnson fashioned “The Incredible Hulk” to be a more of a
straightforward drama that just happen to feature a character with a larger than
life affliction. “The Incredible Hulk” would air on broadcast network
television from 1978 through 1985 and was one of the longest running television
series based on a comic book character. Three made for TV films followed
beginning with “The Incredible Hulk Returns” in 1988, “The Trial Of The
Incredible Hulk” in 1989, and “The Death Of The Incredible Hulk” in 1990.
What
the pilot and original TV series has that I think to some extent the follow-up
TV movies did not have was a poignant quality that made the series feel more
naturalistic and darker in tone. The late Bill Bixby, who played “Dr. David
Bruce Banner” for the entire series as well as the TV movies, gives the show a
great sense of dignity and I think the makeup effects for the pilot and the
bonus two-part episode from the series entitled “Married” looks better than
the subsequent TV movies produced by New World Television. Lou Ferrigno was cast
fresh off of his career as a professional bodybuilder and actually replaced
Richard Kiel because while Ferrigno did not have the acting experience that Kiel
had, he had the muscle mass to bring the character to life. Richard Kiel would
go on to play the memorable character of “Jaws” in the James Bond feature
films “The Spy Who Loved Me” and “Moonraker.”
Soon
consumers will be able to relive the nostalgia of the premiere episode of “The
Incredible Hulk” or discover it for the first time with this excellent DVD
release coming from Universal Studios
Home Video. Both the “Premiere”
episode and the episode entitled “Married” are presented in their original
(1.33:1) television broadcast aspect ratios with a clear and full two-channel
English Monaural Soundtrack with optional English Captions for the hearing
impaired and French and Spanish Language Subtitles encoded as options. The
episodes are presented on a DVD-10 so each episode has it’s own respective
side. The picture quality can be soft at times in part because of the style in
which the shows were shot in the mid 1970s and sometimes one can notice a bit of
grain, but all things considered I think these episodes look fabulous and will
probably surprise those who view them with the level of clarity and detail that
I do not think has ever been seen with these programs before. Both episodes
feature optional episode length commentary by Writer, Director, and Producer
Kenneth Johnson and he is very articulate with detailed screen specific comments
throughout.
The
other bonus features are found on the “Premiere Episode” side of the DVD and
include a videotaped introduction with Lou Ferrigno (3:54) and Lou discusses the
3-½ hour makeup process he went through during the making of the series and how
he fit in the bodybuilding to maintain the muscle size necessary for him to play
the character. Then there is sneak preview of the upcoming Ang Lee feature film
“The Hulk” (3:05), which features lots of scenes from the upcoming film in
between various interview snippets that include Stars Eric Bana and Jennifer
Connelly as well as Director Ang Lee, Writer and Producer James Schamus, and ILM
Effects Guru Dennis Muren. There is also a trailer for the upcoming “Hulk
Interactive Game” (2:03) for Windows based PCs, Sony PlayStation 2, Microsoft
X-Box, and the Nintendo Game Cube. The game looks like a comic book page come to
life and features various comic book villains for the Hulk to fight with as
well. An excerpt from the Movie Tie-In novel by Peter David can be read onscreen
and there are bonus trailers that include the theatrical trailer for Ang Lee’s
big screen adaptation of “The Hulk” (1:13) with a full Dolby Digital 5.1
Surround Soundtrack and other trailers for the upcoming DVD release of the pilot
episode of “Monk” (: 33) and “Steven Spielberg Presents Taken,” which
will broadcast again on the Sci-Fi Channel on September 28, 2003 before it makes
its Region One DVD debut in October of 2003. A DVD trailer for “The Fast And
The Furious: Tricked Out Edition” (: 33) precedes the premiere episode and
there are box shots for other titles available now on DVD from Universal Studios
Home Video that include “12 Monkeys,” “Jaws,” “Pitch Black,”
“John Carpenter’s The Thing,” the remake of “The Time Machine” and the
original “Tremors.”
The
menus are standard interactive still frames that are easy to navigate. This is a
terrific DVD that pays great respect to a classic genre TV series. “The
Incredible Hulk: Original Television Series Premiere” will debut on DVD on
Tuesday, June 3, 2003 from Universal Studios
Home
Video
and is definitely worth
checking out.
©
Copyright 2003 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
Read The DVD Review of "The Incredible Hulk Returns & The Trial Of The Incredible Hulk: 2 Disc Set"
Read The DVD Review Of "The Death Of The Incredible Hulk"
Read The DVD Review Of "The Incredible Hulk: Animated Series"
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The Incredible Hulk - Original...