Hulk VS.
(Marvel Comics/Lionsgate DVD)
Picture: B- Sound: B- Extras:
B+ Animated Movies: A+
As a
12-year-old kid in 1982 I can still vividly remember the episode of Spider-Man
and His Amazing Friends that featured the X-Men. I was huge fan of all things X-Men at the
time, and delighted in seeing them on the small screen. In the episode the X-Men have about two
minutes of total screen time, and Wolverine skewers some fruit from a table,
offering it to Firestar while saying (in an Australian accent), "Piece of
fruit, doll?" That was it. Juggernaut subsequently bursts in on the party
and Wolverine launches himself madly at him, flailing his claws but doing very
little.
Wolverine and co. re-surface in 1989 in a failed TV pilot called "Pryde of
the X-Men" where he again speaks with an Australian accent. It's not until 1992 that the team gets a
proper series (simply titled X-Men)
and Wolverine receives a good deal of the lime-light. In the show they finally get his Canadian
origins right, and numerous episodes delve further into his background, old
enemies, and old flames. The X-Men's
creators certainly did their best to weave in plenty of canonical continuity,
but the generally poor animation, mediocre voice talent, and inability to show
the amount of violence necessary to capture the true spirit of Wolverine always
left me a bit cold. X-Men Evolution did a slightly better job, but still didn't
complete the circle when it came to depicting Wolverine at his savage best.
Marvel's presentation of the two Ultimate Avengers films represented their
best animation efforts to this point. Hulk VS. easily eclipses both of those
feature-length projects with its two forty minute mini-movies. In the first feature Wolverine finally gets
his due as an animated character. In a reprise of his first appearance
from the immortal Hulk 180 - 181, Wolverine is sent by his handlers in the
Canadian government to neutralize a rampaging Hulk deep in the Canadian
hinterlands. Wonderfully voiced by
veteran voice actor Steve Blum, Wolverine tracks The Hulk and the battle is
joined. Fred Tatasciore brings the Hulk
to life in both features, and his voice talent mixed with Jeff Matsuda's
character designs and the amazing animation help to portray a simply
breath-taking level of violence. When
Wolverine cuts the Hulk with his razor-sharp adamantium claws, the Hulk bleeds.
When some of Wolverine's old associates
arrive on the scene, things really get interesting. This feature is filled with homages to some of
the writers and artists most responsible for Wolverine's greatness and appeal
as a character. All of the
characterizations seem spot-on, and writers Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost
have mixed some truly hilarious scenes in with the extreme violence.
Hulk VS. Thor is the second disc in
the set, and asks the question, "What might happen if a Hulk devoid of the
calming influence of Bruce Banner was set loose in Asgard, home of the Norse
gods?" Mayhem is the best answer
one can come up with. This feature will
give Thor fans plenty to be excited about, as we see the God of Thunder at his
best, taking on the Hulk and protecting his home. The classic Jack Kirby character designs are
all in place here, right down to the colors on the costumes of the Warriors
Three. Although the action in Hulk VS. Thor is amazing, I found
myself a bit disappointed by the actual slugfest between Marvel's two mightiest
humanoids. I would like to have seen the
actual brawl be a little less one-sided.
Hulk VS. marks a turning point for
Marvel's animation department. They've
long been a follower to DC's superior brand of animation excellence, but this
might be an indicator that Marvel is catching up. The extras on both discs are solid, and
include documentaries featuring the creators and cast discussing their roles in
the production. The Thor disc also
includes a nice piece on the influence and importance of Jack Kirby in both the
Marvel Universe and in the production of animated Marvel features.
Hulk VS. delivers on every level
conceivable for an animated project. Pulse-pounding action, adult depictions of
comic book violence, and well-crafted stories are all supported by Marvel's
highest quality animation to date. Due
to the high levels of violence, these features are really not suited for young
children.
- Scott R. Pyle
