Dr. David Banner, physician, scientist, searching for a way to tap into the hidden strengths that all humans have. Then an accidental overdose of gamma radiation alters his body chemistry. And now when David Banner grows angry or outraged, a startling metamorphosis occurs. The creature is driven by rage and pursued by an investigative reporter. The creature is wanted for a murder he didn't commit. David Banner is believed to be dead. And he must let the world think that he is dead...until he can find a way to control the raging spirit that dwells within him.
That's the introduction to the show from the opening credits, and it's a nice summary of what it's about. The Incredible Hulk first burst into living rooms with a two-hour TV movie on November 7, 1977. That isn't included in this set, but it's available as a separate DVD from Universal. Also out are two DVDs with Hulk TV movies from after the show had ended.
With the theatrical movie in theaters over the summer, everyone was talking about The Incredible Hulk. Universal jumped on the opportunity to release some episodes, and put out the Ultimate Incredible Hulk Collection. The set includes:
Disc 1: Rainbow's End, Another Path, The Disciple
Disc 2: 747, Death in the Family Part 1, Death in the Family Part 2
Disc 3: The First Part 1, The First Part 2, Kindred Spirits
Disc 4: Stop the Presses, Mystery Man Part 1, Mystery Man Part 2
Disc 5: The Psychic, Prometheus Part 1, Prometheus Part 2
Disc 6: Dark Side, Deep Shock, The Harder They Fall
Video
Sometimes it can be difficult to rate the video quality of older shows, and this is one of those times. Parts of the episodes look really, really nice, and then it'll cut to some really bad footage, and then back to good stuff. There's a bit of dust and debris in the picture, and this gets worse during the "bad footage."I also found the picture a tad dark, but not drastically dark. The stock footage used on the show is generally poor and grainy and stands out like a sore thumb. There is a "play all" feature for each disc, but the chapters aren't "TV friendly." I really wish that a chapter would have been placed right after the opening of the show. The show starts off with a preview of the episode, then the opening credit scene followed by the episode. Placing a chapter right after the opening would allow for all the nonessential material to be skipped.
Audio
The only audio option is an English mono track. The audio sounds like a 70s show should sound; dialog is clear and easy to understand, but lacks the dynamic range found in television programs today. It's about what I expected from the set, so I'm not disappointed at all.There are English, Spanish and French subtitles included for the episodes.
I enjoyed watching these episodes, but would have preferred a season set for the series as well as some extras. I don't know whether Universal plans to release anything else for this show, or if we only saw this released because of the movie tie-in. Fans of the show will be happy to have some of the episodes on DVD, but might be a bit disappointed that it's not season one.
