Marvel and DC are now doing war on a new front, and that is the world of animated features. To be fair, they’ve both been doing this for years, but since they’ve been releasing more high profile features than usual. And now, with “The Incredible Hulk” having been such a hit and the well response to “Ultimate Avengers” and “Ultimate Avengers 2” animated features, Marvel has stepped out again, releasing “Hulk. VS.”
The film is actually two 45 minute films. First up is “HULK VS. THOR”. In this tale, Loki removes Doctor Banner from the body of the Hulk and then possesses it so he may use the Hulk to attack Asgard. The film is drawn in the “Marvel” style of animating, closely resembling “X-Men Unlimited” and “Wolverine And The X-Men”, and is very clearly a far higher quality production than the two Ultimate Avengers movies were. The voice acting is decent, though Thor just doesn’t sound…Godly enough. The story has some pretty high beats, especially when Thor and Loki wind up, uh, dead.
Following up is “HULK VS. WOLVERINE”. This one seems like a fairly natural pairing; Wolverine did make his debut appearance in The Incredible Hulk #183, and the two characters have been fairly intertwined ever since. Steven Blum returns to voice Wolverine, as he has since “X-Men Unlimited”, and this one also features appearances by Sabertooth, Omega Red, Lady Deathstrike and, everyone’s favorite, Deadpool. Much like the other one, this is a passable story, but it features a good bit more violence than Thor story did. Its nice to see Wolverine actually slash at things, and its nice to see heroes bleed when they’re fighting.
These are all decent enough stories. I’m sure you’ve noticed by now that I’ve said that a lot. Well, sadly, that’s all there is to be found here: decent. The two movies are short, brief, and to the point. Hulk shows up, someone doesn’t like it, fighting ensues. There’s nothing exciting to be found here, and many of the ancillary characters (namely Deadpool) are more nuisances than they are serious threats. These are fine to pass a little time with, but there’s no real substance to them, just a lot of fighting.
These are definitely well worth the rental, and if you’re a die-hard fan of the characters or have a young child, probably worth a purchase. Otherwise, wait a few months for these to drop down to the bargain bin.
Final Grade: C
