THIS MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS :
After watching the Incredible Hulk reruns in the summer of 1987, I went through Hulk Withdrawal Syndrome since I didn't have a VCR back then. Then my wish came true in the spring of 1988 during my sophomore year in high school. The Incredible Hulk is my number one all time favorite series and I truly fell in love with the Incredible Hulk Returns the very moment it aired on that Sunday night on NBC. Of the three reunion films they made, I felt Returns is the closest to the series for the following reasons: 1: This movie started with the intro of the original series with the colored lettering added. And by the way, it was not Edward Platt who did the narrative in the intro, it was the late Ted Cassidy (Lurch from the Addams Family).
2: Nicholas Corea was one of the head honchos along with Bill Bixby and served a director of the movie.
3: The famous slow motion from the series was used in this movie.
4: Jack Colvin returns as Jack McGee. This is the only reunion movie he was in. Why he was not in the others I will never know.
These are the reasons this movie gets my vote for being closest to the series. However, what separates it from the series is the lack of continuity. Lou Ferrigno talks about this in his book, "My Incredible Life As the Hulk". The reunion movies were filmed by that cheesy cheap company, Roger Corman's New World Productions instead of Universal and Kenneth Johnson had no involvement in it. Otherwise, I'm sure the continuity goof would have been corrected. The biggest continuity goof for me was that Jack McGee was back to pursuing the Hulk (and not even running into him once), but he'd forgotten all about his "John Doe".
Bill Bixby once again delivers nothing short of superb excellence in his performance as Dr. David Banner (or David Banyon to everyone around him). Lou Ferrigno was bigger and bulkier than ever as the Hulk and gave an outstanding performance. I enjoyed seeing Jack Colvin one more time as Jack McGee, but only wished he had been in there more. Lee Purcell has got to be one of the most beautiful women that ever appeared on the Hulk as Dr. Maggie Shaw. Her relationship with David and her residence at that beach house gave me flashbacks to the Married episode.
Noteworthy villains were Tim Thomerson and veteran Hulk guest actor Charles Napier. Lance Rubin was the right man to succeed Joe Harnell in the musical score and gave it a more technological late 80's sound.
What I didn't care for was the addition of Thor and Donald Blake. This movie did not need that. But for what it's worth, Eric Allen Kramer was fun and amusing as Thor, the Norse God and Steve Levitt's Don Blake was pretty much a geek. It was like the Geek and the Jock as best friends.
I would definitely recommend this reunion movie to anybody who has never seen it. Even though it's a little more comic bookish in story than the old series, it's still worth watching. I give it two thumbs up.
After watching the Incredible Hulk reruns in the summer of 1987, I went through Hulk Withdrawal Syndrome since I didn't have a VCR back then. Then my wish came true in the spring of 1988 during my sophomore year in high school. The Incredible Hulk is my number one all time favorite series and I truly fell in love with the Incredible Hulk Returns the very moment it aired on that Sunday night on NBC. Of the three reunion films they made, I felt Returns is the closest to the series for the following reasons: 1: This movie started with the intro of the original series with the colored lettering added. And by the way, it was not Edward Platt who did the narrative in the intro, it was the late Ted Cassidy (Lurch from the Addams Family).
2: Nicholas Corea was one of the head honchos along with Bill Bixby and served a director of the movie.
3: The famous slow motion from the series was used in this movie.
4: Jack Colvin returns as Jack McGee. This is the only reunion movie he was in. Why he was not in the others I will never know.
These are the reasons this movie gets my vote for being closest to the series. However, what separates it from the series is the lack of continuity. Lou Ferrigno talks about this in his book, "My Incredible Life As the Hulk". The reunion movies were filmed by that cheesy cheap company, Roger Corman's New World Productions instead of Universal and Kenneth Johnson had no involvement in it. Otherwise, I'm sure the continuity goof would have been corrected. The biggest continuity goof for me was that Jack McGee was back to pursuing the Hulk (and not even running into him once), but he'd forgotten all about his "John Doe".
Bill Bixby once again delivers nothing short of superb excellence in his performance as Dr. David Banner (or David Banyon to everyone around him). Lou Ferrigno was bigger and bulkier than ever as the Hulk and gave an outstanding performance. I enjoyed seeing Jack Colvin one more time as Jack McGee, but only wished he had been in there more. Lee Purcell has got to be one of the most beautiful women that ever appeared on the Hulk as Dr. Maggie Shaw. Her relationship with David and her residence at that beach house gave me flashbacks to the Married episode.
Noteworthy villains were Tim Thomerson and veteran Hulk guest actor Charles Napier. Lance Rubin was the right man to succeed Joe Harnell in the musical score and gave it a more technological late 80's sound.
What I didn't care for was the addition of Thor and Donald Blake. This movie did not need that. But for what it's worth, Eric Allen Kramer was fun and amusing as Thor, the Norse God and Steve Levitt's Don Blake was pretty much a geek. It was like the Geek and the Jock as best friends.
I would definitely recommend this reunion movie to anybody who has never seen it. Even though it's a little more comic bookish in story than the old series, it's still worth watching. I give it two thumbs up.