From 1978 to 1982, CBS and Marvel Comics teamed up to give us a new kind of show, one that was based off one of the more popular Marvel characters: the Incredible Hulk! The story of a scientist who was trying to figure out where people got their extra strength in times of immense frustration, only to accidentally overdose on the dreaded gamma radiation, turn him into an enormous green rage monster, who subsequently gets involved in a huge explosion, which kills a woman who worked at the lab, and makes people believe Banner died in the explosion was a truly captivating one. 82 episodes were produced, and people continued to watch even after cancellation, in syndication. Of course, some liberties were taken, like changing Banner’s name from Bruce to David, or the occurrence in which the Hulk was initially born, but fans accepted the changes. The franchise was purchased by rival NBC, and in 1988, they decided to give the fans more of the Incredible Hulk by releasing this film.

The story sees our hero, Dr. David Banner, living a quiet life. He’s employed at the Joshua-Lambert Research Institute under the name “David Bannion”. In his off time, he enjoys spending moments with his girlfriend at her beach house. It’s been two years since he’s undergone a transformation, and he hopes to keep it that way by utilizing a Gamma Transponder at the Institute that could reverse the effects of the Gamma radiation on himself. Soon, however, a former student of his, Dr. Donald Blake, comes back into his life with an amazing story. Blake was on an expedition to the “vast and frozen wasteland of the savage Norsemen”. Apparently, Blake found a mystical Hammer known as Mjolnir. Now, whenever he holds the hammer in his hands and screams “ODIN!”, he calls forth the Mighty Thor, who only aids Blake as a way to prove himself worthy enough to finally enter Asgard. After showing him and bring out Thor, Banner gets knocked into a computer system, and the resulting electrical charge causes him to transform. Thor, seeing this as a mighty fight, gleefully engages the Hulk in battle, and the two destroy the lab. Of course, through Banner, the two become allies, and together, Thor and Hulk must stop a crime syndicate within the institute.

I am a huge fan of the original television series run. I remember being a kid, and whenever I saw the transformation from Banner to Hulk, it always gave me goose bumps. People still argue to this day that this particular interpretation of the character has been the best over the three big screen Hollywood productions the Hulk has been in. The three mainstays of the original cast returned: Bill Bixby as Dr. David Banner, Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk, and Jack Colvin as reporter Jack McGee. Bixby does wonderfully as Banner, and he makes it seem like almost no time has passed from the final series episode and this film. Ferrigno is just a beast! There’s no doubt that he had been hitting the gym, and appeared to be quite larger here than in the series. Sadly, this was the final appearance for Jack Colvin. Steve Levitt takes on the role of Dr. Donald Blake, and Eric Kramer is cast as the Mighty Thor. They changed things with these two up from the comics. In the comics, Blake would BECOME Thor. But here, Blake summons Thor, and the two remain separate characters. Actually, the characters were included here because this was also intended to become a backdoor pilot for a possible Thor series, which never came to be.

Overall, while it doesn’t necessarily match up to the quality of story that the TV series used to produce, and at some times the story takes a really surreal turn (looking at YOU bar fight/dance sequence), it does give us something that fans had been wanting to happen for a long time: allowed Banner and Hulk to finally interact with other characters from the Marvel Comics lineup. And soon, this would continue with another TV film set in the Incredible Hulk universe…