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The Incredible Hulk

Before Universal swiped the rights to the bigscreen version of the Marvel Comics mutant, there was the television series that ran until its cancellation in 1982. That wasn't enough for the creators, however, who brought us three made-for-TV movies, two of which have been included on this two-disc DVD. The 1988 feature, "The Incredible Hulk Returns," plays like a morality tale, as Dr. David Banner (Bill Bixby) must decide between an antidote to his inner monstrosity, or remaining as-is in order to stave off a grueling ancient warrior king who has been ressurected to wreak some havoc in the twentieth century. One year later, in "The Trial of the Incredible Hulk," Banner is joined by another comic hero, Matt Murdoch (A.K.A. Daredevil, played by Rex Smith), in order that they might save the world from an international crime ring. While these films are nothing special, they serve to enlighten fans of the original series while at the same time reminding audiences about the difficulties of filmmaking in an age when the phrase "digital effect" was a foreign tongue.

Although dated, the transfers for these two television films look pretty good here. Both are presented in their original fullframe ratios, and each exhibits pleasing color saturation and fidelity, although some moments tend to look a bit drained. Contrast is pleasing in most cases, but shadow detail renders a somewhat flat, unappealing feel. Edges are sharp enough, and clarity will please, while the abundance of film grain is ever-clear. ***

The sound is miscredited on the packaging as being mastered in Dolby 2.0 Mono, when actually it's more along the lines of 2.0 stereo with some sparse surround channel engagement. The track sounds clean for the most part, with some dated sound effects and fairly decent dialogue, while stereo separation is generally okay, and the low end meager throughout.