DVD Review: Hulk vs. Thor and Hulk vs. Wolverine Double Feature
Hulk vs. Thor and Hulk vs. Wolverine Double Feature
Directors: Sam Liu, Frank Paur
Writers: Craig Kyle, Christopher Yost
Release Date: January 27, 2009
Runtime: 78 minutes
Marvel’s animated series has produced some good work the past couple of years. Most recently, they put out the Hulk Vs. double feature, including both Thor and Wolverine as Hulk’s adversaries in a straight-to-DVD combo pack.
In the Hulk vs. Thor feature, Thor’s arch-nemesis Loki, the god of trickery, attempts to seize Thor’s kingdom while the king of the gods, Odin, sleeps. Loki’s only chance of thwarting Thor’s exceptional, divine strength is to subdue and use the one creature whose power exceeds all others, even Thor’s, the Incredible Hulk. The Hulk and Thor engage in an epic war against each other, with worlds’ fates in the balance.
The second Hulk movie pits him against the one and only Wolverine. Hulk is on a rampage along the Canadian border and the only one able to stop him is the ferocious Wolverine. After a violent confrontation with the Hulk, Wolverine learns that there are other mutants at work behind the Hulk’s destructive tirade. Wolverine and Hulk fight both each other and members of Weapon-X.
I thought both of these animated features were great and would recommend them to any comic lover or all around superhero devotee. For “cartoons,” they both contain an extraordinary amount of violence (appropriate if any justice is to be done to the characters’ volatile natures and fighting styles) and faithfulness to the original myths. Hulk vs. Thor was especially true to and grounded in the Thor mythos, and I think that Hulk was best portrayed in these animated movies, better than I’ve seen him depicted in any live action movie thus far.
What I love about the Marvel animated series is their comic-book-boldness in presenting the feuds and matchups that everyone wants to see. What superhero fan doesn’t want to see Superman vs. Batman rumble onscreen? Or, what comic book lover would pass up seeing Spider-Man vs. Wolverine in a movie? Marvel animated pushes the envelope but doesn’t over do it. Personally, I love the unconventional pitting of hero against hero or the odd pairing of hero and villain. These movies satisfy the comic book fan base as well as reaffirm the older, and often truer, depictions of our favorite superheroes.
So, I say to all my fellow superhero lovers, check out the Hulk vs. Thor and Hulk vs. Wolverine DVD. If you’re looking for some hero on hero violence, then this is your DVD. Like the official tagline says, “Twice the carnage. Double the smash.”
9 out of 10.
Corey Latta
