The Incredible Hulk Volume 1 - Search For a Cure

Early in the first episode on this disc we get this headline -

"Indian Hocus-Pocus Rocks Racing World!"

...and it speaks volumes about the time this was made. ‘Indian’ isn’t referring to India and the people who live there. However, political incorrectness aside, fans of the old David Banner (Bill Bixby) will find themselves enamoured with yet more of his playful Hulk antics as he searches for a cure to his illness.

This is really just for the fans. While it is watchable and entertaining to a certain degree, it was made in the late '70s and by our more advanced 21st century TV standards, is a little thin (the next disc - Legend of the Hulk contains episodes from the early '80s). However, Bill Bixby does bring an unusual compassion to his role as the frustrated scientist resigned to his fate (yet hopeful he can cure it) and this endearing nature is attractive enough to warrant watching.

We are granted three episodes on this disc, all related to varying episodes of Dr Banner travelling under his many assumed names in search of a way to beat his AnthropoHulkismnessness.

• Rainbow’s End 1978, Runtime: 46:41
  Not an end at all, but a racehorse’s name. Hearing through that crazy headline above that there’s a Native American using an ancient formula to cure a racehorse’s bad temperament, Banner hires on as a stablehand amid some family upheaval among the trainers. This episode seems close to the season opener for this series as it features several sequences from the season two pilot episode.

• Another Path 1978, Runtime: 46:36
  Meeting an old Chinese man, Banner discovers Eastern philosophy and meditation to help control the Hulk. While learning, the two travel to San Francisco to visit Lih Sung’s former dojo and find it controlled by a ruthless martial artist.

• The Disciple 1979, Runtime: 46:13
  Related to the previous episode Another Path, Banner returns to Lih Sung’s dojo to find Lih Sung ill and seeking a replacement. A local cop (played by Rick Springfield!) watches his father killed and starts toward Eastern methods to deal with his grief. Could he be the replacement Lih Sung is searching for? (This episode also features TV's Gerald McRaney from Major Dad... with hair!)

4:3 defines this series and while presented in a fairly clean format, varying artefacts do manage to crop up now and then. There are also some shimmering film reflections occasionally, but these are very sporadic and short. Moments of grain turn up every so often and this is more prevalent in the use of some very coarse stock footage of the racetrack in Episode One.

Colour is nice enough, although in that dusky barely washed out look of older TV shows. Lines are good and while off razor are still fairly good for a show this old. Flesh tones are also good, though the Hulk’s green skin seems contagious occasionally when his makeup rubs off on people. Oh well.

Otherwise, things look pretty good and certainly better than video would be looking by now.

Dolby Digital mono is all we get here, which is in keeping with the Hulk pilots I reviewed a little while back. Still, dialogue is fine and easy to understand (if a little wooden at times) and even Lou Ferrigno’s roaring doesn’t get too annoying. In fact, there weren’t enough episodes of ‘Hulkism’ exhibited. We want all Hulk, all the time!

Music is of that television ilk and is appropriately mildly overstated to help nail down the mood of a scene just that extra bit harder. It’s okay though, and fans of the series won’t care. Sound effects are the usual stock affair usually, particularly when scoring fire scenes or gunshots or smashing scenes, but it still works alright.

Overall the sound is what we would expect from a show of this age and calibre, yet it is entirely adequate for the task at hand.

At least on the first release we got some new Hulk trailers and a featurette, but here the DVD is designed for practicality only with a simple system of menus and no chapter lists and no extras. That’s a shame.

A companion piece to the pilot episodes if you’ve already got those, these do little more and would have a lot less appeal, to someone just into the Hulk for the first time. While being entertaining on their own, if you don’t know the backstory (but unless you’ve been living in Utah, you do) it won’t make a great deal of sense. It wouldn’t be that hard to pick up, I guess, but I can’t imagine anyone would want to make the effort to learn more of '70s Hulk when 21st century Hulk looks so kick-arse. However, for those people who still recall when The Incredible Hulk was prime time viewing and growing up watching it (as I did) was quite common, this is a good way to get back to your TV roots. The discs have been treated quite well, although we should have been granted a couple of extras at least. This isn’t a movie, it’s just TV.