The Trial of the Incredible Hulk: Daredevil Marvel Team Up!

Doctor David Bruce Banner (Bill Bixby) attempting to unlock the secrets of human potential overdoses on Gamma Radiation, and now, when he gets angry, he transforms into a superstrong green monster the press calls The Hulk (Lou Ferrigno).  The world thinks that David Banner is dead, a victim of the Hulk, and for years he has been on the run, taking on aliases and attempting to find a cure.  After over a decade, he is defeated and has lost all hope.  Shortly after arriving in New York City, he is involved in an altercation on a subway train between a young lady and a couple of thieves working for a kingpin crime boss Wilson Fisk (John Rhys-Davies).  The events trigger a transformation and David is later arrested. Interested in his case, blind lawyer Matt Murdock (Rex Smith) attempts to help David, but also has an ulterior motive, he wants to take down Fisk and to do so uses his alter ego, Daredevil.  At a young age, Matt’s eyes were exposed to radioactive chemicals which blinded him but also gave him superpowers.  His senses are all heightened giving him a kind of sonar allowing him to “see” without really being able to see.  As a lawyer he uses his hearing to determine if someone is lying by listening to their heartbeat.  When the woman from the subway, Ellie Mendez (Marta DuBois) is kidnapped and used as a trap, David brings out the Hulk to save Daredevil.  The Kingpin believes that Daredevil is dead and calls a meeting with all the crime lords from around the country to propose a merger, but before anything can be done, Daredevil and the Hulk save the day.  David now has a renewed sense of hope and feels like he has a new brother in Matt since they both were given their abilities through radiation.

The Trial of the Incredible Hulk is a 1989 television movie based on the TV series The Incredible Hulk which ran from 1978 to 1982 on NBC.  Both are based on characters appearing in Marvel Comics.  This is the second in a trinity of Hulk related television movies all featuring Bill Bixby as David and Lou Ferrigno as The Hulk.  The first was the 1988 movie, The Incredible Hulk Returns, and guest starred Doctor Blake a.k.a. Thor.  And 1990 gave us The Death of the Incredible Hulk, which saw the final appearance of the character.  Although there was a fourth film planned that would have brought back the character and was supposed to feature the characters, She-Hulk and Ironman, but poor ratings lead to that movie being scrapped.  The first two films were meant to be backdoor pilots for Thor and Daredevil getting their own series, neither of which happened.  Trial of the Incredible Hulk saw very high ratings but both fans and critics were not as enthused about it as the previous film.  Citing the absence of the Hulk himself from the end of the movie and the “trial” that was seen in promos, only being a dream.

I remember watching this when it originally premiered in 1989 having just gotten home from my freshman year of college.  I enjoyed it then and I enjoyed rewatching it now, but it is not perfect and does have some issues.  First off, not sure why they couldn’t do a Daredevil costume at least closer to the source material depiction.  This is a common problem with many superhero films and movies not committing to portraying the character as the fans want to see them.  In addition, I don’t think they actually call Wilson Fisk by the name of Kingpin.  Which is again another thing that this genre likes to do.  The fight choreography pales in comparison to what we see now in series, but this looked like it was thrown together quickly and had little time for rehearsal before filming.  The storyline was interesting, and the writing wasn’t bad.  The performances were a bit over the top.  First, Rex Smith as Matt Murdock was okay, but I didn’t like his attitude or energy as Daredevil. For a character who is also called “The man without fear”, he seemed to be really afraid after getting his ass kicked, which felt out of place. Overall, there was something that was just off about his performance for me and I really wouldn’t want to see an entire series based around a Rex Smith styled Daredevil.  I have never been Rex’s biggest fan and have always found his acting disingenuous and forced and this character is no exception.  I am a fan of John Rhys-Davies and thought his portrayal of Wilson Fisk was the high point, but I know not everyone has that view.  He was over the top and at any minute you expected him to laugh maniacally, but that is kind of what I liked about it.  It was energetic and fun and at the same time cold and calculating.  There were definitely nuances to the performance that I very much enjoyed.  By this point in time, Bill Bixby had been playing this character for over a decade.  He has an intensity and yet a subtlety which I believe is what made the television show so successful.  That, and the theme song, because if you don’t start crying when you hear that tune and see David walking down a highway alone, then I don’t think you are human! In the end, the movie wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t amazing either and I am glad that Daredevil, in this incarnation, didn’t get picked up as a series.