Monday, April 6, 2009

HULK VS. (2009)

SUPER POWER GAINED FROM WATCHING MOVIE: TREMENDO SMASH!

THE CARD:

A sullen Norse God of Thunder; the Defenders of Asgard's Renaissance Fair; a supremely pissed-off indestructible Canadian that's not Bryan Adams; and a big green monstrous menace that's not the federal deficit.

More details here.

THE ANGLE:

Hulk vs. Thor

The mighty Thor, protector and favorite son of Asgard, has successfully shielded his land from demon and troll attacks with his mythical hammer Mjolnir for centuries. Loki, his brother and greatest enemy, seeks out Bruce Banner (aka The Hulk) on Midgard (aka Earth), to use him as a weapon in his latest attack against Asgard. Meanwhile, Thor contemplates his role as guardian and questions the neverending cycle of violence that plagues his realm and perhaps contemplates a final solution. Loki and the sorceress Enchantress magically separate Banner from the Hulk and conjure a spell that places Hulk under the control of Loki. The Hulk then lumbers angrily towards the gates of Asgard where he kicks the crap out of the first line of defense Volstagg, Fandral, Hogun, and Balder The Brave. Thor and Hulk then have it out in an epic battle that leaves the Norse god decimated, but Loki's grip over the Hulk finally dissipates. This leaves the Hulk an even greater threat as an out of control monster with his eyes set on destroying Asgard and the resting place of Thor's father Odin. To stop the Hulk, Thor and Loki must travel to the underworld to retrieve the spirit of Banner and meld him back into the body of the out of control Hulk. And if this uneasy partnership fails, it may mean an even worse fate than death.

Hulk vs. Wolverine

Department H, Canada’s secret government agency, deploys Wolverine on an urgent mission to stop the Hulk who has been destroying towns in the Canadian forest. After an epic encounter with the Hulk, Wolverine realizes that the Hulk wasn't rampaging; he was running away from a team of super-powered hitmen including the bestial Sabretooth, the tentacled Omega Red, the ticked-off Lady Deathstrike, and the wisecracking Deadpool. The super villains work for the secret Weapon X program that long ago kidnapped Wolverine/Logan, wiped out his memories, and surgically inserted an adamantium endo-skeleton in his body, including his retractable claws. Captured by the Weapon X team and their leader, The Professor, Wolverine has to escape the massive Weapon X facility, find Banner, and reawaken the Hulk to engage Weapon X team in a Canuckian battle for the ages.

THE FINISHER:

Marvel Comics has a pretty good thing going with their Animation division's growing catalog of direct-to-DVD releases (Doctor Strange, The Invincible Iron Man, Ultimate Avengers). Their latest offering pits everyone's big ugly green guy against two of his greatest foes in two forty-minute films. The Wolverine segment appeared to be the most complete and fully realized as it directly references Wolfie's first encounter with the Hulk in the comics back in 1974. The Thor segment, though playing a little loosey goosey with the myths, feels the most epic and consequently unfulfilled, and might have worked better with a longer running time to flesh out all the relationships between the warring gods and goddesses. The tone and style of both pieces is centrally concerned with typical Hulk-like action – lots of skyward punches, lots of smashing, and lots of extreme anger. And the Hulk isn't the real star in either episodes. He's either the underestimated pawn or a misunderstood monster, and subsequently the stories focus more on the worlds of Wolverine and Thor, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The animation is fine and nothing out of the ordinary, like anything you'd see on Cartoon Network albeit a bit bloodier. The real pleasure is the good writing found in both segments, where I found a mixture of fan boy appeasing, solid character development, and some good humor. Marvel Animation next offering will be Wolverine and the X-men, and let's hope they can keep the nerds and/or vengeful production people from leaking that one on the internet.

3 comments:

I Like Horror Movies said...

Another one I cant wait to see, Im iffy on the animation based on the coverart and back panels but I have no doubt it will play better on film!

El Tremendo said...

Honestly, dragonmanes, the animation is actually a step above anything you'd see on Cartoon Network. It's the story and the writing that makes this one to watch.

GoddessofGore said...

I bet those were better than the movies. I like green more than anyone but the Hulk is best as a minor character. The fanboys are going to hate that but the truth hurts.