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3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
I cried!!!, 12 August 2002
Author: dtucker86 from Germany

I was nine years old in the fall of 1977 when I first saw this film and I remember at the end I cried. I did not cry again at a movie for another 17 years till I saw Forrest Gump (I cried when Jenny died). Bill Bixby made a great Doctor Banner and Lou Ferrigno a fine Hulk and Jack Colvin was great as a pain in the *** reporter. For its time, this movie had some great special effects (Banner's transformation, the lab explosion in the end...). I later went on to watch the series as well. I was disappointed by one thing about the series, since it was based in part on The Fugitive. I would have liked if they had a two hour series finale in which Banner was cleared of murdering that other scientist and found a cure for the Hulk. There was no closure. You really felt sorry for poor David. In 1990 they made The Death Of The Incredible Hulk where Banner died in the end.

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2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
A tvm pilot with the obvious flaws but has a good sense of sadness running through both it and the Banner character, 14 August 2006
Author: bob the moo from Birmingham, UK

Dr David Banner works alongside Dr Elaina Marks in a study into the root causes of those people who have had a sudden burst of strength when placed under extreme conditions. David has a vested interest in this having failed to save his wife from a burning car after an accident. Hearing stories of others who saved themselves and loved ones in similar circumstances, he is filled with a sense of self-loathing as well as scientific curiosity. After years of searching they decide to check the DNA of those involved and a few hours later have the answer they want. David decides to expose himself to gamma radiation to mimic his subjects DNA status. It doesn't appear to work, angering him. Things get worse as he drives home in the pouring rain and gets a flat. Unable to change it he gets very angry and his "inner anger" starts to come out. Not only does his inner anger have a complete lack of auto-repair skills, but it also forces him into an actual physical change that overtakes and controls him.

Opening with a horribly hammy and soft-focus flashback of Banner being in love with his wife before losing her in a crash, I honestly thought about bailing out and giving the whole thing up as a bad job. However once you get passed these terribly dated opening scenes the films gets better and, although still very much an 1970's TVM, actually has plenty of good points about it. The narrative is engaging if a bit familiar to those who know the Hulk already from different visions and sources. In this regard it is occasionally a bit dull because it has to lean on the side of explanation as part of its role as a pilot but regardless it still does a good job of getting to the heart of the character – which is one of tragedy and loss.

Although this is not a work of art it does get the tone right and even produces a suitably downbeat ending that the series could then run with. The narrative could have been better in terms of bringing out the people rather than the plot steps but it has this current running through it and it is for the best. As director Johnson may not ever manage to shake off his television pilot budget but he does seem to understand the importance of Banner's loss in his life and also in the roots of the Hulk. Bixby brings out this aspect well and although his range is limited he does seem to have understood what his character is about. Ferrigno is solid as the Hulk but overdoes the rage aspect without having the ability here to show that Banner is still below the surface – his is a limited performance. With the material being slanted in Bixby's favour the support isn't anything special but do enough for the TV standard of the film.

Overall this is a TV movie and a pilot and therefore it has its limitations but it does manage to get the emotional tone (if not depth) right. The opening flashback is shockingly bad but after that even the most instructional of scenes is built on a sense of sadness and loss that does well to make the Banner character interesting even if the Hulk himself is not delivered well enough to run this through the entire film.

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2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
Ang Lee pay attention, 16 October 2005
8/10
Author: movieman_kev from United States

Dr. David Banner still having recurring dreams of his wife's death via car accident eleven months later is studying the reserve of strength that the average human could conceivably be capable of. Fed up with hearing that people in other similar crash could save their loved ones while he, himself, could not, he chooses to use gamma radiation on himself. However he gets a larger dose then he thought that he was going to get and thus the incredible Hulk was born. This pilot for the subsequent TV series captures the sad melancholy feel that the series later would later do so well. It's everything that Ang Lee film SHOULD have been and more.

My Grade: A-

DVD Extras: Intro by Lou Ferrigno; Commentary with Director/Writer Ken Johnson; a featurette on the Ang Lee travesty; a preview of the Hulk game (the crappy one, not the glorious "Ultimate Destruction"); An except from the Hulk novelization; Trailers for "Fast & the Furious: Tricked out Edition", "Hulk", the "Monk" pilot, & "Taken"

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Great Story, 18 June 2008
10/10
Author: nc-holdsworth from United Kingdom

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I never liked the hulk when i was a kid collecting comic books - so never watched this movie until i was a lot older.

What first hooked me was the human story of David Banner, brilliantly played by Bill Bixby. Having lost his wife in a car accident, David Banner is obsessed with stories of people in similar situations with loved ones in danger and how they found some sort of superhuman strength to save them.

David Banner not having done this with his own wife is tortured by this fact and wants to know why he couldn't and these other people could. These tests obviously lead him into becoming the hulk. David Banner is already a man in the grip of sadness before he becomes the hulk and it becomes more painful as the situation gets out of control and he begins to hurt everyone he comes into contact with.

Lets just say the end with the lonely theme is just great and for TV movie holds some punch. A real tragic story that will for me always be the definitive story of the hulk.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Best Comic Adaptation That Ever Has and Ever Will Exist!, 22 November 2005
10/10
Author: voicemaster71 from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

THIS MAY CONTAIN MAJOR SPOILERS

The Incredible Hulk will always be my number one, all time favorite TV series. The pilot movie is to me, perfect 10 rated material that I feel was meant for the big screen. I know that in England, this was released theatrically. Oddly enough, I never saw the pilot movie in full until it was on in syndication in two part format and then on VHS in the video rental stores during my early to mid teen years.

When you first hear about the Incredible Hulk, you might easily prejudge it and might hate it. The pilot movie is something you would have to see for yourself to truly see the sheer brilliance of this film. In order for Dr. Banner to carry the weight of the show, it would take the right person to play the part. That actor was my idol, the late great Bill Bixby. You could really feel for Dr. David Banner, losing his wife Laura in the car crash, his obsession with finding the ability to harness the power of that inner reserve of hidden strength within us all. That story from Mrs. Jessie Mayer about the identical car crash, and how she saved her son, and finally, losing Elaina Marks at the end of the movie. Bill Bixby and Susan Sullivan were excellent together as Doctors David Banner and Elaina Marks. They were best of friends and as David guesses too late at the end of the movie, they could have been potential lovers. Elaina confesses her love to him while he is the Hulk.

Lou Ferrigno was born to play the Hulk. I can only imagine what it was like for him to play the hero of his childhood, but yet I can also feel for him after all the hell he went through with the make up process and the injuries sustained in the stunts. Perosnally, I loved the fright wig and makeup of this movie. The Hulk truly looked his best (the scariest) The very first Hulkout in the rain storm with the car and the flat tire is to me, one of the all time best ever Hulkouts ever filmed, along with the second Hulkout from 747 while flying the airplane. Finally, Jack Colvin is truly a master of his craft as intrepid reporter Jack McGee, who truly meant it when he said "All right Dr. Banner, but I don't give up easily." after being turned down for an interview. Oddly enough, actor Willem Dafoe, who was the Green Goblin in SpiderMan subconsciously reminded me of Jack Colvin and would have been a great Jack McGee had this version of the Hulk had been redone. Although the special FX may be considered cheesy for its standards of today, I love it!!! Call me a product of my time, but that's what I am.

The Incredible Hulk pilot movie is high on the recommendation list. I say "Don't knock it till you've tried it." I rate this movie a perfect 10!!!

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
"I remember feeling....incredibly strong !", 16 July 2003
Author: (HUAhmad) from Blackburn, England

Forget the recent laughable FX travesty starring Eric Bana, watch this gripping TV movie which was the pilot for the long-running series. Credit must be given to Kenny Johnson for straying from the comics (which featured the Hulk fighting mutant super-villains) and bringing in a more believable premise. Despite the slight name change, David Bruce Banner is just as tormented a character as his comic book namesake. As Bruce Banner in the comics is haunted by the abuse he suffered from his father, David Banner is disturbed by the fact that he could not save his wife in a car crash, which drives him into investigating what factors can trigger human strength at times of stress. Of course, he injects himself with too much gamma radiation, and whenever angered, his body and muscles expand, his clothes rip and he turns into Lou Ferrigno, wearing a bushy wig and painted green. After he first becomes the Hulk, David wants to find out why and how it happened, with the help of a scientist friend. He sets about finding a cure, only to be hindered by nosy reporter Jack McGee.

The Incredible Hulk certainly has its moments. Bill Bixby gives intensity and emotion to his beleaguered character, and Susan Sullivan is solid as his only friend Dr. Elaina Marks. But the best sequences involve the presence of the Big Green Man. In terms of physical shape, Ferrigno was at his peak here and he was excellent as The Hulk. Unlike the bloated, badly drawn movie Hulk, this Hulk is mean, convincingly hard and capable of violence, but he also has a heart and tries to save innocent people.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Great By TV Standards, 21 June 2003
7/10
Author: Keith Thomas from USA

The 1977 Hulk adaptation done as a pilot for the TV series was, by TV standards...well, incredible. Lou Ferrigno and Bill Bixby were perfectly cast in their roles. The "special effects" were about all they could do at the time, so you can't hold the body paint or Tina Turner wig against them. They didn't detract from the story at all, but rather, boosted it: making them superior to most special effects today. The origin, of course, was rewritten, as was Hulk's level of power, to make them more believable. Well, it worked, and this version of the Hulk is still a favorite among Hulk fans to this day. Interesting to note is the music and sound. First of all is the opening "Dr.David Banner...physician...scientist..." segment. It's not present in this movie, since this was only the pilot. Also, you'll notice the sound of wailing voices as he transforms, in contrast to the weird Twilight Zonish-noise used from mid-1st season until its end. "The Lonely Man" theme (played at the end of each episode) gave this show its own signature, and helped to boost otherwise lame episodes, giving them more poignancy than deserved (of the series run, "The First," and "Bride of the Incredible Hulk" were the best [both 2parters]). I really felt the lack of a signature sound/theme is one of the key factors holding back the big-budget movie that just came out.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
The Hulk comes to our reality., 13 November 2000
10/10
Author: William C. Uchtman (aesgaard41@hotmail.com) from Hendersonville, TN

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if all of Marvel and D.C. 's came to our boring little reality to peacefully co-exist ? If we ever did have a Hulk,this is the closest thing.Gone is the Roswell-like cover-up of a green monster and here we have a closer and realistic version of a tabloid reporter seeking the truth in an X-File that even Mulder and Scully wouldn't even acknowledge.Ten stars for the most sympathetic and misunderstood monster.

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A very solid pilot, 19 February 2009
8/10
Author: markymark70 from Ireland

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I had watched countless episodes of The Incredible Hulk TV series but I had never seen the original pilot. Sure, I watched like everyone else - the powerful opening credits each week made from snippets of the pilot - but I had never actually laid eyes on that show until now.

It did not disappoint me.

Okay - it was TV fare with a 70s look and some less-than-spectacular special effects in the Hulk-outs but the story, the performances and the character development throughout - made up for those other shortcomings. Bixby too is an endearing actor who brings the audience in and makes them want to root for him. Sullivan plays his able scientist friend very well and has the added bonus of being extremely easy on the eye. Ferrigno as the hulk has limited range but in fairness to him - what can you really do when painted green and asked to hit nearby things as hard as you can whilst growling uncontrollably. Even De Niro might find that a stretch. Colvin as the investigative reporter reminded me of Willem Dafoe - but just not as good an actor.

Nonetheless - the main man here is Bixby and he is a good leading man. He manages to portray himself with dignity, weaknesses, strengths and most of all humanity throughout the course of the movie. The film takes it time telling the story and manages to successfully deviate from the comic book origins making the premise more accessible and believable throughout. Quite a feat when you think of it. After all, there was an outcry when they changed the main character's name from Bruce to David. But it worked - so well in fact that I wondered why Ang Lee changed the name back when he made Hulk - so convinced was I that Bill Bixby will always be David Banner.

An excellent pilot movie and a fitting start to a great series.

8/10.

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Why Were There Chemicals In The Lab ?, 6 January 2009
7/10
Author: tigger_68 from United States

I love this episode of course.

But I do have to wonder, the explosion took place in a lab that was equipped with a pressure chamber and was supposedly for oceanographic type research.

So why did it have such volatile chemicals without any sort of safety protocols ? Obviously the answer is that without the chemicals there wouldn't be an explosion, but it would not really make much sense for this type of lab to have such a chemical supply (indeed in most cases they have separate storage).

A fun episode but I have always wondered.

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