The Incredible Hulk The Complete First Season
September 2006 Reviewed by: Josh Barber Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

When they are released on DVD, so many old TV shows torpedo our fond memories of them, once we see how bad those old programs really were. But one series that has aged surprisingly well is The Incredible Hulk. A small collection of episodes from the show was released to coincide with the theatrical release of Ang Lee's Hulk, but this is the first time an entire season has been presented. The series was developed for television by Kenneth Johnson, who jettisoned most of the comic-book connections and focused instead on the pathos of a man alone in the world, burdened with a secret: Exposed to a high dose of gamma radiation, scientist David Banner finds himself transforming, during moments of incredible stress, into the raging, green-skinned Hulk.

When Ang Lee's Hulk was released in 2003, audiences were caught off-guard. The ad campaign promised a big summer action movie, but that is not what Hulk delivered. It was a subtle character piece that just happened to have a 12" giant smashing tanks and helicopters.

The movie actually follows the television show's formula quite closely: it treats its characters seriously and gives us a slow buildup before the big green guy shows up. The movie Hulk goes on a CGI special-effects rampage. Of course the original Hulk, Lou Ferrigno, got only to smash a car or to throw a bad guy through a wall.

Although the image is preserved well, the grain and other defects in the original prints are there. The scenes featuring the Hulk are most often presented in slow motion, and the slow, lingering shots give plenty of time for errors to appear. It definitely shows its age, but the image isn't too dirty and looks better than a show that's nearly 30 years old should.

The sound doesn't put your speakers through their paces, but you will get a decent presentation. The voices come through clearly in the middle, the sound effects make some effort to work their way out to the sides, and there are a few deep rumbles. The audio matches the quality of the video and suits the show.

The Complete First Season ships in four slim plastic cases in a big cardboard sleeve. The cases have episode synopses and a list of special features on the back, and the outer sleeve has a lenticular image of Banner transforming into the Hulk, electric blue eyes and all.

The bonus features are a case of quality over quantity. The pilot episode features an informative commentary track by writer/director/producer Kenneth Johnson. He talks about the crew, the problems behind the shoot, the changes he made and the changes he wanted to make but was denied. Can you imagine the Incredible Hulk with red skin instead of green? It almost happened. What's apparent is that although The Incredible Hulk was a genre show, Johnson and his team took it seriously and treated it with respect. The only other "bonus" is the second-season episode "Stop the Presses," presented in its entirety. No release for the second season has been announced, but this serves as a decent preview.

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