Movie Review: The Incredible Hulk Returns

The Incredible Hulk Returns
Bixby-Brandon Productions, New World Television, USA, 1988. 

The TV-series "The Incredible Hulk" was followed by trilogy of TV-movies. At the moment I have two of those.

David Banner (Bill Bixby) (not Bruce as in the comics) has been living peacefully for a few years. Thinking about his girlfriend Maggie (Lee Purcell) has kept the angry side persona Hulk from appearing. But one day David plans to use new revolutionary Gamma Transponder to destroy Hulk once and for all. 

Maggie and David Banner

Gamma Transponder

Donald Blake

But before he can do that, Donald Blake (Steve Levitt) visits him and shows an old hammer he found in Norway. It is more than just a cool souvenir, as Blake can use the hammer to call a mighty viking warrior Thor (Eric Allan Kramer). Odin has ordered Thor to do heroic acts before he can enter Valhalla. Still Donald has similar problems as David, as Thor has become a part of his personality.  Perplexed by modern technology, Thor breaks expensive equipment in the laboratory. That makes David turn into a green monster man Hulk (Lou Ferrigno). Hulk angry!

Hulk

Thor

After mutual buttkicking, Thor and Hulk decide to be friends. In the 1980s there are no monsters to battle, so Blake takes homesick Thor to the biker bar. This is how to have fun in the 1980s! Chugging beer, flirting with girls and picking a random bar fight makes Thor feel at home. As a small sideplot nosy reporter Jack McGee (Jack Colvin) tries to expose Hulk's identity but Thor helps David remain incognito.

Jack McGee

But the superheroes need something important to do. Spies try to steal the Gamma Transponder. Jack (Tim Thomerson) and his henchmen Mike (Charles Napier) and Barner (Carl Ciarfalio) get pounded by Hulk first, but then they decide to kidnap David and Maggie. The bad boys manage only to kidnap the later as David turns into Hulk and also Thor comes to help.

Mike, Jack and Barner

Hulk & Thor

As this is and not a modern ADHD-adventure, the style is quite different. The superpowers are quite limited nad Thor is not a God but a strong Viking warrior. This is a clasical style TV-scifi drama with moodiness of David Banner being balanced by jovial Thor. Lou Ferrigno does very little acting here, his work is to look angry and do the action scenes, with Bill Bixby taking care of the drama. The overall tone is quite melancholic with David never cetting along with his angry side, whereas Donald and Thor find a balance. Also it was a new idea to put two Marvel superheroes in the same film. Fans of vintage TV-shows and classical style superhero stories should enjoy this.

Rating: Good

Starring: Bill Bixby, Lou Ferrigno, Jack Colvin, Lee Purcell, Charles Napier, John Gabriel, Jay Baker, Tim Thomerson, Eric Allan Kramer, Steve Levitt, William Riley, Tom Finnegan, Donald Willis, Carl Ciarfalio, Bobby McLaughlin, Burke Denis, Nick Costa, Peisha Arten, William Malone, Joan Douglas, John Novak
Directors: Nicholas Corea, Bill Bixby