The Return of the Incredible Hulk (1977)

Film Title: The Return of the Incredible Hulk
Also known as: The Incredible Hulk: Death in the Family
Released: November 27, 1977
Directed by: Alan J. Levi
Written by: Kenneth Johnson
Starring: Bill Bixby, Laurie Prange & Lou Ferrigno

Plot: While travelling, Dr. David Banner meets a crippled girl who collapses. When he takes her to her home to recover, he notices the questionable medical treatment she is receiving and decides to stick around to investigate.

IMDb: 6.9/10
My Score: 2.5/5

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

Originally called The Return of the Incredible Hulk, this TV movie sequel to the pilot of the television series, that also saw a theatrical release in markets overseas, was subsequently broken into two parts and retitled Death in the Family when rebroadcast in syndication. In the wake of the pilot, Dr. David Banner (Bill Bixby) has been presumed dead in the same explosion that killed his partner Dr. Elaina Marks (Susan Sullivan) and has been blamed on his alter ego, the Hulk (Lou Ferrigno). He does not challenge the claim, instead he becomes a nomad and searches for a way to reverse his condition. While walking along a highway heading to the town of Everett, CA, Bixby comes across a crippled girl (Laurie Prange) in an orchard. After a brief discussion, she heads towards her home but collapses and Bixby comes to her aid, carrying her up to the house. Once inside, he meets the girl's stepmother (Dorothy Tristan) and notices that a medication that her nurse is giving her is not what the label on the bottle says that it is. Despite objections from Prange's boyfriend (Gerald McRaney), the farm foreman, Tristan offers Bixby a job as a fruit picker. His interest piqued by the false medication, he agrees, and meets Prange's doctor, Dr. Bonifant (William Daniels). What he ultimately uncovers is a plot by Tristan and Daniels to kill Prange so that they can inherit her considerable wealth. With the help of a drunkard (John McLiam), and Ferrigno, of course, Bixby is able to get Prange to safety in the end. Co-starring Jack Colvin and Mills Watson, The Return of the Incredible Hulk is not nearly as emotionally impactful as its predecessor. In fact, there are some scenes that are just down right hokey, for instance when Ferrigno is fighting a bear in the swamp; its actually almost a little embarrassing to watch. While most of the performances are decent enough, Prange really struggles and brings down many of those scenes in which she appears. Watch the scene of Ferrigno fighting the bear below and give me your own point view.