The Death of the Incredible Hulk

My glowing review is biased by green fever. But even so, this is a fantastic movie. Unlike the last 2 "New Hulk" abominations in 2003 and 2008, this is old school Hulk. NO CGI COMPUTER NONSENSE. No digitally manipulated fake muscles. This is just plain Lou, looking bulkier, hulkier and downright scarier than ever. All the graphic computers in the world can't make a creature 1/10th as convincing as Lou with a bucket of green paint. Damn straight.

Bill Bixby himself looks to be in top form, which is terribly ironic considering his tragic death of cancer 2 years later. But for what it's worth, this episode is like a time machine to that classic show from the 70s. Its only flaw is the lack of Jack Colvin ("Mr. McGee") as the third major character in the Hulk series.

About the story... everyone listen up. "The Incredible Hulk" is, was, and always shall be an adaptation of a comic book. It dwells in a surreal world where bizarre characters like Thor, Daredevil and evil Russian spies make their entrances and exits, and we the audience aren't supposed to get bent out of shape. It's a world where nothing is unbelievable. So if you're going to be a cynical, skeptical, stinky mcpoophead, then go watch "On Golden Pond" and leave the fun to the rest of us kiddies.

With that said, though, this is by far the most realistic of the Hulk trilogy. In plot, acting and direction, it shows a level of maturity unlike its predecessors. Some very sobering themes are touched upon here, made all the more tragic in the context of director/star Bill Bixby's real life battle with cancer. One can't help but wonder if, in this film, the creature was a metaphor for Mr. Bixby's own condition and his attempts to free himself. Keep that in mind as you watch the film and I promise it will leave you stunned and amazed.

The final scene is just breathtaking. I won't ruin it, but I'll just say it has to be one of the most memorable scenes in all of film. As you see it, pay attention to the darkness and surreal lighting, listen to song which is playing, consider the very last line (cliché as it may seem, it's absolutely perfect), and take your hat off to the great Bill Bixby.

Being just 18 I wasn't even born when The Incredible Hulk was being aired first time round...and living in England we get to see things a lot later that America.

The Incredible Hulk was one of the few 'adult' Tv shows that I would sit, watch and enjoy from around 4 years old.

Despite his size and rather odd colouring I found him rather charming with a vulnerability that made him rather cute...

Bill Bixby played Banner wonderfully...I had no idea he was dead until I read his bio...it's really quite sad

I will always associate him with The Hulk...I don't have a favourite episode as they were all brilliant...I cried when he died

I am glad that they didn't bring him back from the dead...Some say that the death of the Hulk bought about the death of Bixby...but I believe that maybe it was meant to be...that way the actor and character who he made truly real both went together...both finding the freedom that they had both deserved.

For all the phony fx and Ferrigno's campy though lovable Hulkisms, this film is everything that Lee's pathetic re-hash wasn't!

Bixby as David Banner had such pathos and dignity. Being older than most reviewers here, I remember fondly the late Bill Bixby in "My Favorite Martian" (another TV series unwisely and embarrassingly updated for the big screen....think "The Flintstones," "Mission Impossible," "Wild Wild West," "I Spy," etc - all complete and utter dead losses) But as I was saying, Bixby was an utter gentleman, and in this film he gives us the tortured scientist who carries this unwanted creature of destruction within him. He conveys vividly, his pain, his desperation and his regret for his wayward experimentation. Bana in the remake was a totally miscast idiotic wuss and with less credibility than the tea lady. Everything Bixby and Ferrigno stood for was washed down the plughole in two hours of split-screen insensitivity and dumbass special effects. Ferrigno...green and in tight beach shorts looks way better!

I recently bought this DVD for a miserable $2.95 in a bargain-bin. It is the only time I have ever felt saddened by the fact. This film and Bixby himself should never have been thus demeaned.This is a movie that is far better than its production values might otherwise suggest. Bixby directs (and acts) with commendable emotion.

At the end, it is almost as if he sensed his own approaching mortality. The Hulk had been such a huge part of his life, those two words "I'm free" might be seen as pretty much his epitaph.

If you laugh at this film, you should never have been watching it!

David Banner wants to be cured. When he finally develops one,a spy destroys the lab.Now Hulk will have to destroy the spy's evil boss,and rescue the doctor who can cure him.But will he die doing this task? I loved this film. It was a lot better than the new hulk film which I was very dissapointed by. Lou Ferringo is the Hulk period! I love it! A lot better! See it!

3.5/4

THE DEATH OF THE INCREDIBLE HULK was the final instalment of the Bill Bixby-starring TV show and later movie series chronicling the adventures of the green giant. As such it's a bittersweet viewing experience, especially when knowing that Bixby himself would die of prostate cancer only a couple of years after making this, what was to be his swansong in the role.

The plot is a straightforward adventure that pits the Hulk and a newfound love interest for David Banner against a group of nefarious spies for whom industrial sabotage, kidnapping, and murder are the order of the day. Of course, all this had to happen just when it seemed that Banner would finally rid himself of the Hulk curse, but then if everything had gone right it wouldn't have made for a very dramatic story.

This TV movie lacks the presence of the other superhero characters from the last two movies (Thor in THE INCREDIBLE HULK RETURNS and Daredevil in THE TRIAL OF THE INCREDIBLE HULK) but nevertheless proves to be a fun watch, thanks to plenty of Hulk-out action from the reliable Lou Ferrigno and a surprisingly decent turn from a thoughtful Bixby. It's no classic, but at least it brings closure to a much-loved phenomenon.