Incredible Hulk The complete Fifth Season
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Editorial Reviews
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The television adventures of Dr. David Banner and his muscle-bound,
anger-prone alter ego The Incredible Hulk come to an abrupt
conclusion with The Complete Fifth Season set. As fans of the cult
series know all too well, a slight change in ratings and costs for
the series prompted its parent network to pull the plug on the show
before its fifth season was launched; prior to this, seven episodes
had been shot immediately after the conclusion of the fourth season
in anticipation of the union strike that brought TV production to a
halt in 1981. The Hulk's producers had hoped to bring the series to
a more concise conclusion in its fifth season, but were denied the
opportunity to shoot an additional nine episodes in order to
accomplish that goal. As it stands, The Incredible Hulk ends on an
ambiguous note, with Bill Bixby's David Banner still plagued by the
monster (Lou Ferrigno) inside of him, and with no opportunity for a
cure in sight; it's a disappointment, considering the care and
maturity that the show took in presenting its comic book-inspired
material. The final seven episodes are also somewhat lackluster,
with only the eerie "finale," "A Minor Problem," as the stand out.
Still, fans who've carried the torch for the TV Hulk over the past
two decades will want the set, if only to have the complete network
run in their collection. The DVD includes two featurettes: the first
is a sentimental look back at the show's final days by producer
Kenneth Johnson and members of the writing and production team,
while the second, a gag reel, does much to imply that Bill Bixby was
not as dour in real life as David Banner. However, the continued
absence of Ferrigno from the supplemental material remains a curious
and glaring oversight. -- Paul Gaita
Product Description
Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 10/21/2008
