Review of Death of the Incredible Hulk, The

Introduction

As spoilers go, the title of this 1990 made-for-tv movie says it all. Bringing the lid down on this iconic eighties tv series, it was the last time the big bloke with anger management issues would ruin his wardrobe.

Directed by and starring Bill Bixby, the movie is rather depressing and as frustrating as the original series. Bixby`s Banner goes from one frustrating encounter to another - and ultimately you know he`ll never find a "cure" for Hulkitis. You kill one, you kill the other.

Bixby, whose entire screen career consisted almost exclusively of tv work, both in front of and behind the camera as director, passed away in 1993 from prostate cancer. The part of Dr David Banner in the Hulk series was his greatest claim to fame, eclipsing earlier efforts including his tour of duty as second banana to Ray Walston`s "My Favourite Martian".

The show was the biggest role for bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno, who took the title role in Frankenstein headpiece, green wig and matching pancake. Plans were afoot for a comeback movie in 1993, but were overtaken by Bill Bixby`s untimely passing.

Video

The quality of the movie is frightful. Presented in the original made-for-tv format 1.33:1, it is immediately obvious that this has been mastered from US NTSC videotape, as there is a softness to the image that does not belong - similar to episodes of "Star Trek: Next Generation", which was shot on film but transferred to videotape for completion and distribution. Wear and tear is not much of an issue on top of this. Colours are flattened and muted - much of the exterior footage looks as if it were shot on overcast days. Contrast is a mess.

Audio

The movie is presented in its original uneventful Dolby 2.0 Stereo mix.

Features

These are thin on the ground. Although there are full multilingual subtitles (to match the multilingual soundtracks), the only other extras are three trailers. One for "Daredevil", one for "X-Men 1.5" the DVD and one for "X-Men2". All are presented in letterboxed widescreen.

Conclusion

A sad end to a sad show. This is almost as boot-through-the-television frustrating as "Quantum Leap", and a thorough kick in the old Niagaras for the characters of David Banner and the Hulk. You could put what you`d pay for this one towards either a ticket for the new movie, or the disc of "X-Men2" which looks a lot more fun.