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The Incredible Hulk - The Television Series Ultimate Collection

The Incredible Hulk - The Television Series Ultimate Collection

List Price: $69.98
Your Price: $62.98
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Universal has no plans to do Season by season releases..
Review: This DVD set was put together rather fast by Universal to celebrate the release of the Hulk movie, and thus they decited to just release 16 shows, all of different episodes from the four seasons that the show was on CBS. So if you are looking for behind the secnes footage of when the show was in prodution or for interviews by the show's cast and crew, you won't find it here. Universal has no plans to do any more releases of the Hulk show on DVD anytime soon, given the fact that the show's audience was never really that big to start with and sales of this DVD set have not been over-welming.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Need season by season!!!
Review: Need season by season like lost in space,sanford and son,little house on prairie and alot of other shows. If hulk comes out season by season i will buy all seasons pronto.Until then i will hold off.Please put out hulk season by season and so many people will buy them up mark my words!!!!!!!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: You Will Like Him When He's Angry
Review: 6 DVDs with a total episode count of 18.

The Incredible Hulk was a highly successful television program, and rightly so. It dealt with social and psychological issues, chiefly among the latter the search for self-control in a chaotic world where conflict is everywhere.

Bill Bixby never gave anything less than a top calibre performance as Dr. David Banner, and Lou Ferrigno is the only human being capable of performing as the green goliath. The writing of this 5 season TV series was on the whole excellent but in a majority of cases somewhat less so. Many episodes are mediocre formula stories with Banner befriending someone in trouble and Hulking out twice to rectify the situation, and being violently assaulted or restrained by the enemy is what usually triggers his anger-induced metamorphoses in these cases. I'm so glad Universal is offering a collection of episodes that mostly broke free of this tiresome formula, focusing instead on Banner and his affliction, his search for a cure, his need to keep his condition secret, and the obstacles in his way in his pursuit of a normal life. In episodes such as these, frustration or despair can triggrer the Hulk-outs, or such amusing things as being stung by a swarm of angry bees, having his hand caught in a printing press, struggling to land an airplane, and sinking in quicksand.

The episodes in this DVD set include every 2-parter not previously released on DVD, among them "The First" wherein Banner's quest for a cure brings him into contact with an older man who himself once became a Hulk in the same way as Banner does, and who regains the metamorphic power to avenge himself against his enemies, leaving Banner and the Hulk as the only ones who can stop his destructive and deadly onslaught. A real nail-biter "The First" is. Harry Townes gives an excellent performance as Dell Frye, conveying pathos as the victim of 30 years of bullying and unnerving iracibility as he is a Hulk-out just waiting to happen, with certain doom for all who oppose him. Banner's cure, for both him and Frye, is just within his grasp, but Frye does not desire to be cured, and the explosive finale pits Hulks in combat while the ever-persistant Jack McGee looks on. Superb stuff, all the more remarkable for it being one of the last episodes to be offered by the series. Another later period 2-part episode, "Prometheus", finds Banner stuck in mid-transformation by exposure to a radioactive meteor in a Utah forest. The military believe him to be an alien, and capture the Hulk in a top secret complex. The entire second part of this episode involves the Hulk and the demi-Hulk's effort to escape the military-scientific compound, while Jack McGee comes ever closer to learning the creature's identity. Both these episodes alone are worth the price of this DVD set, but they are accompanied by more key episodes to the series, such as "The Psychic", in which Bixby's wife, Brenda Benet, is a seer who learns Banner's secret and forecasts a possible killing by the rampaging Hulk, "Dark Side", whereupon Banner's experiments with drugs alter his personality into one that wants to Hulk-out and is prepared to provoke others into causing the transformation, into a Hulk that really is capable of murder, "The Harder They Fall", in which Banner is in a wheelchair and tempted to use the healing power of his Hulk-outs to cure himself of paraplegia, and the 2-parter, "Mystery Man", wherein a bandaged and amnesiac Banner, accompanied by McGee, crash-lands in an airplane in a wilderness miles from anywhere (the episode by which McGee learns that a man changes into the Hulk).

Other episodes in this set are rather mundane. The second pilot movie for the series, "Death in the Family", concerns Banner's struggle to help a young heiress whose relative is plotting her death by a faked but very convincing illness. Although it has some exciting moments, e.g. the Hulk versus a bear, it is rather a routine adventure, and Laurie Prange's performance as the heiress is grating, not at all as appealing as her role as a blind woman in "Prometheus". And I have never been fond of "Another Path" and "The Disciple", the two episodes to feature Li Sung, the Chinatown meditationist and mystic upon whose autohypnotic gifts Banner hopes to control the Hulk. These episodes become mired in other people's problems, i.e. mob rivalries, which detract from Banner's story, and the Hulk-outs do not satisfy. They are the ones where Banner's eyes go white, there's a cutaway, and then we see the fully transformed Hulk. A Hulk-to-Banner metamorphosis in "The Disciple" is extremely poor, without a transition state. And in the first Hulk-out in "Another Path", it is much too obvious that Bixby is trying to push his chest out of his coat to simulate the first stages of Hulking out. These 2 episodes share a disc with "Rainbow's End", an episode already on DVD in the U.K.. It revolves around Banner's attempt to calm the Hulk by way of an Indian horse trainer's special concoction. A nifty idea, but it, too, concentrates too much on the problems of others. Indeed, the disc with "Rainbow's End" and the Li Sung episodes is the weak link in an otherwise stellar best-of set of The Incredible Hulk. I would much rather have had in their stead episodes like "Homecoming", "The Snare", "A Child in Need", "Terror in Times Square" (Banner Hulking out in the back seat of a taxi in heavy traffic is wonderful, and we see his facial transition as well as the ripping shirt), "Interview With the Hulk", and "Metamorphosis" (Banner Hulking out while under the influence of an LSD Mickey Finn). Some of these were also other people's problems episodes, but the situations, the Hulk-outs, and their circumstances were very compelling.

I'm happy that Universal has given priority to many of the superior Incredible Hulk episodes, and with 18 episodes to choose from in this DVD set, there's something for everyone. I just wish there had been no duplication of episodes on the U.K. Region 2 discs. Still 5 out of 6 discs in the set are entirely unique and truely Incredible!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: FINALLY AT LAST!!
Review: After fussing and complaining about Universal and when the U know what are they gonna put the some multiple shows on DVD my prayers have been answered!!

It's about time and I am soooooooo glad I can now get commericial free episodes of the Incredible Hulk to watch over and over again. The pilot and extra episode DVD that came out prior to the movie were basically appetizers in my opinion I really wanted a full main course. This DVD serves up just that.

I hope that the episodes shown are at least from the season one and two. Now besides this I will also get the movie Hulk that came out and along with getting this I will be able to complete my Hulk collection!! I hope that based on the response of sales they can have more Hulk tv collection episodes to come out on DVD. Watching the show as an adult it is downright comical and I laugh at how I used to be soo scared of the Hulk watching the show and reruns of it as a little kid!!

Plus I can't think of a nicer way to honor Bill Bixby's memory of a cult favorite show and quite frankly the only show I can easily associate with him (don't shoot me yall I am in a late 20-something so I am not as familar with his earlier shows LOL :>D).

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Finally The Hulk Is Back On DVD
Review: At last,this is my all time favorite superhero show of the late 70's-early 80's.The Incredible Hulk was exciting in every way,great episodes,acting,plots,drama,fantasy,and adventure.The late Bill Bixby made a great Banner,his acting was superb and he will be truly missed.Lou Ferrigno is outstanding as The Hulk.I have some of my favorite episodes on tape but this DVD will be a true collectors Item.Of all the episodes in the show many viewers say the two part episodes Prometheus and The First are the all time best episodes,these are my favorite all time episodes also.Prometheus showed us Banner when a meteor crashed on earth and Banner absorbed the radiation of the meteor causing his metamorphosis to stop at the halfway point showing us a half man,half hulk creature,and the unforgettable episode the First showed us the Hulk's predesesser,another man who turned into a Hulk before Banner and the battle of good and evil of the two Hulks in a scene at the end.Joe Hartnell's The Lonely man theme music during the show at the end of each show was wonderful.This is a must have for every true fan of the series,By the way my favorite episodes are:
Prometheus
The First
Death Mask
The Desciple
Another Path
Mystery Man
Blind Rage
The Slam
The Confession
Haunted
and a few others!!!!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A great HULKing moment in television & home video history!
Review: AT LONG LAST! I've been waiting & hoping for and dreaming about this day all my life: the day when one of the - if not THE -greatest television series in history is finally enshrined in the practically ageless & timeless medium of the DVD. As a kid, I used to look at my audio CD time and time again and wished that I would some day be able to own the entire series of The Incredible Hulk on something that was identical to the CD so that I would not need an entire bookcase's worth of space to store each & every episode on videotape. And now that time has finally come - well almost, since we're just getting some of the best episodes on one 6 DVD box.

What's more, I think this miraculous moment couldn't have occured at a better time; the US release of the set come October 21, 2003 is exactly one month to the 10th anniversary of the untimely death of the late great Bill Bixby on November 21, 1993 when a superb actor, beloved father & husband, and an oh-so-wonderful human being was sadly robbed from us. Hence this set is I guess the least that can be done to remember such a fine & kindhearted Dr. David Bruce Banner that Bill Bixby was, still is, and forever will be!

To this day, I'm still finding it really painstakingly hard to come to terms that Bill Bixby is dead & gone. And I still feel as strongly as I did back on November 21, 1993 when news first broke about his passing that The - and indeed His - Death of The Incredible telemovie was sadly ironic in that the only way David Banner could be free from The Incredible Hulk was not the cure he was always trying to hunt down for years but only in death, and the problems Bill Bixby had had to face up to - during the last 15 years or so of his life which had begun to weigh him down in the early days of the tv series - wasn't much dissimilar to his woes & heartaches (or heartbreaks) as Banner with his life's tragedies and The Hulk in him.

To conclude, The Incredible Hulk will always be my all time favorite television show and an inseperable part of my life, just as the late Bill Bixby will remain an inextinguishable part of our lives, for all time and, indeed, for all eternity, and the wonderful Banner Bixby was will certainly live on forever and ever on this and future (more complete) releases of The Incredible Hulk on DVD!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Hey! Give me the Full Series on DVD!!
Review: Back in the late 70's, Marvel Comics attempted to conquer TV Land with a deluge of some of it's more popular characters. Among this lot was The Incredible Hulk who shocked everyone by becoming Marvel's break away hit, beating out none other than Spider-man himself for the top spot (by the way...why aren't THOSE on DVD yet??). The success of this show came down to two major things that Kenneth Johnson and company did right. The first was the decision to place the Hulk in more reality-based situations, focusing on Banner and his struggle to find a cure for his curse. The second was casting. Lou Ferrigno as the enraged and confused creature hounded by a tenacious reporter played by a fine actor named Jack Colvin were certainly both wonderful choices. However, it was Bill Bixby that proved to be the show's heart and soul. Bixby was truly a sensational actor who could not only make you believe every line he uttered, he made you care about Banner as a person. He exuded a kindness and genuine quality that just made you like him. Yes the show had its cheesey moments; yes some of the writing and acting was a bit less than stellar; but the humanity brought to the character by Bixby (and Ferrigno for that matter) completely eclipsed all of that.

Details about the contents and packaging have been covered wonderfully by other reviewers (see Jeff Carter's comments) so I'll refrain from getting too redundant. Suffice it to say this was obviously a rush job as the selections are seemingly as random as the order they were placed in. Also, if you're a big fan of extras there are absolutely none to be found. Heck, they didn't even bother listing which episodes were on what disk! Regardless of all this, I'm happy to have at least these few episodes. They take me back to a wonderful time period as a kid. Young viewers new to this show may be bothered by the outdated look, lack of CGI, and "long drawn out scenes" (this is what was known as "characterization" and "building a story"), but for my money you just can't do any better than Lou and Bill.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Worthwhile investment!
Review: Being a long time fan of the TV series (and 34 years old, I might add), I naturally bought this DVD collection. I would have bought it anyway. As it happens, most of my favorite episodes of the show are on here - to my delight. The discs are near perfect, and would have received 5 stars from me, had it not been for the fact that they don't tell you which episodes are on which discs. I'm sure that complaint will become common among fans who buy this set. You often hear things like, "This disc set is a must for fans". Well, in this case, that statement happens to be true.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Need season sets
Review: But this will do. If Universal will get off the lazy cans this might actually happen. Who knows?

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: All 5 seasons should be on DVD
Review: Even though I don't have the Ultimate Collection my 5 star rating is for the show not the DVD set, because I think it's stupid that only some of the episodes are on DVD. If "The Incredible Hulk" is worth putting on DVD,(and I know that it is) then every episode is worth putting on DVD. I am disapointed that only 18 episodes are availible. If I could get all 5 seasons on DVD, then and only then, would it be an Ultimate DVD Collection, and I would buy the whole set gaurented.


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