Hulk Vs is a 2-disc DVD containing 2 Marvel animated match-ups, very much akin to the comic book series where fan favorite characters are put together in an episode to see who comes out one up against the other. Usually these are quite cop-out, and that's nothing new too when translated into an animated film.
Disc 1 - Hulk Vs Wolverine
One's a gamma powered monster coming alive under stress and anxiety, while the other is virtually indestructible with adamantium claws and probably the most liked X-Men. One would expect a great slugfest between the two, but somehow there was the involvement of Weapon X guys (Omega Red, Sabretooth, Deadpool and Deathstrike), and with that comes the token origin story of Wolverine all over again.
But for all its worth, the fights between Wolverine and Hulk in the forest setting is, by animated film standards, violence par none. There's plenty of blood and stabbings, because the filmmakers decided to go for a more realistic fight sequence rather than say, Wolvie's claws being used to chop vegetables, or the Hulk's Smash being nothing but just cosmetic. They really rip each other apart, and when the Weapon X folks join in the fun, it's just pandemonium from start to end in a somewhat Royal Rumble style. Plenty of gruntings, if not saved by Deadpool's periodic wisecracks to break the monotony.
Animated by Japanese animation house Madhouse, the artwork here is just superb, though do look out for a fair share of decapitation of body parts, and just some beautiful effects that the animators put in to highlight the tremendous power of the Hulk. Which in some ways I thought should be given more screen time, because occasionally you feel that this was going to be usurped by Wolverine given his screen time, enemies and origin all thrown in.
Still, it's an interesting fan-based movie, and stay tuned until after the end credits roll for a small hilarious scene involving Deadpool.
The Code 1 DVD from Lionsgate Films is presented in anamorphic widescreen format, with audio available in English and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 which brings all the fight scenes to life and puts you in the middle of the ring. Subtitles are available in English and Spanish, and Scene Selection is over 16 chapters.
There are a number of Special Features packaged into the DVD, which makes it all the more worthwhile to get your hands on. There are two Audio Commentaries, one with Craig Kyle (Supervising Producer and Co-writer) and Chris Yost (Co-writer), and another by Frank Paur (Supervising Director), Kevin Altieri (Storyboard) and Butch Lukic (Board artist / Story Illustrator). Between the two, the former seemed to sound more like a duo of fanboys who rave at every detail and sweet spot that they had included in the film. The latter group though was more technical, and explained plenty of the hows with background on the design and animation process. They were also surprised at the level of violence in the film too, and you could here their audible gasps of disbelief almost throughout their commentary.
This is Gonna Hurt: The Making of Hulk vs. Wolverine (20:09) is the standard making of documentary. There are plenty of comic book panels here which show you how the iconic moments in the comic books were carefully selected for inclusion into the film. You also get to learn of the character treatment and design (though Madhouse only got cursory mention), and comes complete with interviews with the filmmakers and voice talents.
Fan Frenzy: Hulk vs. Wolverine - 2008 Comic-Con (8:02) is the panel presentation by the team at the said event, which comes complete with plenty of cheering fan boys and their Q&A, which surprisingly has the questions done up in text mode only. First Look: Wolverine and The X-Men (5:45) is the shameless plug for the other Marvel Animated film, which is done in an alternative world style with Wolverine as the leader of the X-Men after Prof. Xavier, and Cyclops being the more angst-ridden role ala Hogan. There's also a flashback to this film, and this sneak peek successfully piqued my interest in picking this up should I chance upon it.
Trailers contain the previews for the following films on DVD, and this section autoplays as well when you pop the DVD into the player - Disaster Movie, Ultimate Avengers 2, The Invincible Iron Man, Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow, Speed Racer: The Fast Track Movie, and Woverine and the X-Men.
Disc 2 - Hulk Vs Thor
With the introduction of Thor, mighty god of thunder, this story takes on a more magical realm, which somehow pales in comparison to the all out whack fest which the Wolverine movie had brought on. The introduction is very brief, and those in the know will realize the rainbow bridge being used in the opening credits scene to shortcut Bruce Banner being transported to Asgard, together with a very quick introduction on the background of that realm in order to put Odin out of the picture.
Compared to the previous film, this is more a Bruce Banner film than a Hulk film, even though it had its fair share of violence when the Hulk gets unleashed to wreck maximum havoc by Loki. He goes one step further with Sif's help to use magic to separate Banner from the green monster, hence leaving behind a shell which is of pure rage, that Loki could control. Needless to say the rampage that Loki-Hulk exacts on Asgard, looked pretty much like Doomsday's short lived visit to Metropolis. Plenty of the usual violence expected with flying bodies, which does get tiring after a while because the foot soldiers protecting the city are of no match, leaving it open for Thor to intervene.
As mentioned, this Banner story follows arcs where one questions whether the meek (and very whiny Banner being portrayed here) is the ironic counterbalance used to control pure rage. Harnessing Hulk's power is the temptation of many villains, but the exploration of the self-control mechanism with Banner hidden sub-consciously inside the Hulk, is what this film tried to do, which brings forth plenty of themes like sacrifice and courage, because Banner can effectively walk away after relinquishing his nightmare, and proceed to live a normal life with Betty.
That aside, the story did get a little too bloated with needless deaths and a visit to Hela, mistress of Hell, just so that whatever wrongs that had been done can be corrected and addressed. A lot more faceless adversaries get thrown up against the Hulk as he smashes his way through to Odin's resting place, and the parallel story of Thor working with Loki to convince Banner to reclaim his rightful place within the beast, which on its own as a standalone film would seek to stand out, but when packaged together with the other Wolverine story, well this one lags behind by a mile.
The Code 1 DVD from Lionsgate Films is presented in anamorphic widescreen format, with audio available in English and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 which brings all the fight scenes to life and puts you in the middle of the ring. Subtitles are available in English and Spanish, and Scene Selection is over 16 chapters.
There are two Audio Commentaries included in this disc. The first is with Craig Kyle (Supervising Producer) and Chris Yost (Writer) who provide specific insights in the making of process, while that between Frank Paur (Supervising Director), Sam Liu (Director) and James Peters (Colourist) provides a different angle of input to this massive project, with details on technicalities and even the basis of the story to keep Odin out of the picture. Together these commentaries put into perspective the sheer magnitude of a project like this, spanning between countries and artists.
Of Gods and Monsters: The Making of Hulk Vs. Thor (18:24) is a standard making-of documentary with interviews with cast and crew, and explanation on the storyboarding, character and set designs. There was also plenty of shots with the voice actors doing their thing in the voice booths, since these guys are the ones who have a huge role to play in bringing the 2D characters to life.
Jack Kirby + Thor (4:46) is a documentary where it talks us through the origins of the Thor character starting from his August 1962 comic book appearance. Craig Kyle talks about Kirby's iconic interpretation of the character, defining it through a number of comic book panels in a tribute to the comic book artist. First Look - Thor: Tales of Asgard (4:41) is a sneak peek into a story in the veins of Young Hercules. It's not done yet though, with numerous black and white storyboards filling in most of the preview.
Trailers contain the previews for the following films on DVD, and this section autoplays as well when you pop the DVD into the player - Disaster Movie, Ultimate Avengers 2, The Invincible Iron Man, Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow, Speed Racer: The Fast Track Movie, and Woverine and the X-Men.
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