Does anyone here feel...

[Chris Wallace]

that maybe the TV show should have been disregarded altogether? Both films tried to pay tribute to it in their own way, & since the series really had nothing to do with the comics, should it have just been left alone?

 

[Sarg92]

Well I don't read comics and the TV show is what introduced me to the character of Hulk and I'm sure it did so with others.

Now yes the TV show was nothing like the comics Hulk wise but Banner wise they had it nailed. Bill Bixby was great as Banner, you really felt sorry for him but Bixby did have a lot of time to develop the Banner character whereas Norton only had under two hours and most of the Banner character development scenes were cut anyway.

 

[Spider-ManHero12]

No, I love when they incorporate aspects of that classic TV show into the films. IT certainly worked great in TIH.

 

[RogueDK]

I preferred the tv aspect used in TIH. Leterrier pulled it off brilliantly.

 

[afan]

I think TIH payed respectable homage, what with the high tech chair featured in the opening vignettes, the name Jack McGee, the...." don't make me angry........" line, but really for me the film had only a superficial relationship to the TV series.
Banner on the run is not a theme unique to the Bixby Hulk.

 

[CHEZ]

I think they did a great job honoring both the show and the comics and they were still able to make it its own story.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

Personally, not being a fan of the TV show (although loved it when I was a kid), I wish they would have taken more elements from the comics and disregarded the TV show altogether.

 

[Doc Samson]

Well I don't read comics and the TV show is what introduced me to the character of Hulk and I'm sure it did so with others.

Now yes the TV show was nothing like the comics Hulk wise but Banner wise they had it nailed. Bill Bixby was great as Banner, you really felt sorry for him but Bixby did have a lot of time to develop the Banner character whereas Norton only had under two hours and most of the Banner character development scenes were cut anyway.

I think the vast majority of people that know the Hulk were introduced by the TV show as well. It's a fact of life I've come to grips with, and certain aspects of the show are now iconic to the character (the eyes, the catchphrase, the Lonely man theme) so I don't think they should disregard any of that, it only makes the Hulk better.

The issues before were that people weren't accepting the comic aspects of the Hulk, like his leaping ability and size, initially. After two films now, I think everyone should be aware of everything, and moving forward, I think it's paramount to introduce even more from the comics, like the different Hulk versions. This will help make him a more rounded character, allow him to speak normally, and introduce Banner's psyche into the story more, explaining why he exhibits these different versions at times. I think that would make things alot more interesting. We got Hulk smash, let's get some other stuff now....

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

^TOTALLY agreed.

 

[Gamma Ra]

that maybe the TV show should have been disregarded altogether? Both films tried to pay tribute to it in their own way, & since the series really had nothing to do with the comics, should it have just been left alone?

Not at all.

The television shows Banner is still the ideal Banner in my book.

The only drawback that I think comes from the show and I don't understand, is why the producers didn't go with a Hulk that is able to articulate what's on his mind.

 

[Venomfan]

the only thing they shouldn't have used was the TV show origin. Gamma Bomb FTW

 

[Venom'sDad]

that maybe the TV show should have been disregarded altogether? Both films tried to pay tribute to it in their own way, & since the series really had nothing to do with the comics, should it have just been left alone?

You know, I don't have a problem with them taking certain aspect from the TV Show, as far as Banner/Hulk is concern; however, there is no doubt that character development of the villains needs to come strictly from the comics. And I am excited of the possibility of seeing The Leader character develop on the big screen.

 

[Kirmit]

I like that they used alot of the elements of banner from the tv show and that they basically gave us the comicbook hulk minus the gamma bomb.

 

[Chris Wallace]

Well I don't read comics and the TV show is what introduced me to the character of Hulk and I'm sure it did so with others.

Many could say the same of Batman. And yet no references were made in his films. (Thankfully!)

Likewise, no references to this Spidey in Raimi's films. (Again, phew!)

My point is, I think a lot of people's problem with the movies-2003 in particular-was that they, too, were introduced to the character in this form

and found a 10 foot, 1,000 pound monster that could throw tanks & leap across canyons to be too far removed from what they remembered. Maybe they should have just left it alone altogether.
Now don't get me wrong. I liked seeing Ferrigno's cameos & the bit with the piano music, even the school reporter named Jack McGee. But this Hulk incarnation was nothing like the 70's version & it may have been wise of them to distance the two.

 

[Chris Wallace]

the only thing they shouldn't have used was the TV show origin. Gamma Bomb FTW

I'm actually glad they didn't go with the gamma bomb.

 

[DarthDaveBanner]

Ironically even though the TV show attempted to distance Hulk from his comic book roots, the duality between Banner and Hulk (which is really the heart of the character) was closer to the comics than either of the movies were.

 

[Chris Wallace]

I thoroughly disagree with that, DarthDave. David Banner sought to distance himself from the Hulk's actions, whereas Bruce was always trying to either reign in the Hulk or find a way to eliminate him. The only duality that existed in the TV series lay in the fact that the Hulk would only attack Banner's enemies, & would protect his friends.
Realistically, the TV series was HINO, with no ties to the source material apart from gamma rays & muscles. Most of the time you forgot that this guy was supposed to be a scientist & a doctor. He came across more as Richard Kimble than Bruce Banner.
But then, there are still those who argue that West was "Batman to the core", & Hammond was the best Spider-Man. So to each his own.

 

[DarthDaveBanner]

I thoroughly disagree with that, DarthDave. David Banner sought to distance himself from the Hulk's actions, whereas Bruce was always trying to either reign in the Hulk or find a way to eliminate him. The only duality that existed in the TV series lay in the fact that the Hulk would only attack Banner's enemies, & would protect his friends.
Realistically, the TV series was HINO, with no ties to the source material apart from gamma rays & muscles. Most of the time you forgot that this guy was supposed to be a scientist & a doctor. He came across more as Richard Kimble than Bruce Banner.
But then, there are still those who argue that West was "Batman to the core", & Hammond was the best Spider-Man. So to each his own.

I agree that the show was HINO and was so purposefully as its creator Kenneth Johnson wanted less of a connection to the very sci-fi themed Hulk stories at the time and more of a connection to Stan Lee's original inspirations of Frankenstein/ Jekyll and Hyde. And the series did that brilliantly.

The movies on the other hand focused less on the curse itself. Ang's film was more concerned with the father/son connection and the origins of the creature. In Hulk '08 we felt more of Banner's day-today struggle than the previous film but we lost out on a lot due to the merciless editing.

 

[Chris Wallace]

The show didn't touch on his curse at all after the pilot. He was more concerened about keeping it a secret than anything else.

 

[DarthDaveBanner]

The show didn't touch on his curse at all after the pilot. He was more concerened about keeping it a secret than anything else.

I agree, only a few episodes had him actively searching for a cure (and I'm sure its no coincidence that those were the best of the series).

But you have to admit - the pilot was a masterpiece.

 

[Moviefan2k4]

that maybe the TV show should have been disregarded altogether?

No way; that series was the epitome of everything Hulk-related for an entire generation, and there's still many fans of it today, thanks to the TV movies and DVD releases. Just about anyone over the age of 30 would closely associate Bixby & Ferrigno with the Hulk, and disregard most everything else. I even watched the show in reruns as a kid, because my cousin was a huge fan of it. Marvel couldn't completely ignore it, and still have a successful film, because they'd be alienating half their target audience.

Both films tried to pay tribute to it in their own way...

I didn't notice any references in the 2003 version, apart from Lou's cameo and a very brief "green eye" moment.

...since the series really had nothing to do with the comics, should it have just been left alone?

I can't comment on this last part, because in all honesty I can't remember the last time I read a Hulk issue. I did read the 2003 novelization of Ang Lee's film by Peter David, but I haven't purchased a weekly comic of any kind in years.

 

[Chris Wallace]

Actually, the "green eye" bit wouldn't be a TV reference; David Banner had white eyes.

And the references apart from Lou were 1-his dad being named David, & 2-the "you wouldn't like me when I'm angry" line.

 

[\S/JcDc\S/]

I preferred the tv aspect used in TIH. Leterrier pulled it off brilliantly.

co-sign

 

[Chris Wallace]

So nobody seems to think the show should have been disregarded.

 

[DarknessOfDeath]

Im glad that they paid tribute to the t.v show - at least in some ways but to me, TIH is its own film and I like it.