Planet Hulk Review

One of the greatest steps forward in media entertainment that the major comic companies have made over the past few years have been the direct-to-disc animated features they’ve been creating. DC has their animated line which normally rate better than their live action stuff (Batman excepted) and Marvel’s own animated line normally runs second to their live action stuff.

However I think that Marvel has started what will hopefully be a trend to be followed with Planet Hulk.

I’ve just got done watching the movie and I loved it. Never having read the original Marvel event Planet Hulk I had no idea what to expect from the movie. The story has been heralded as brilliant, but I just didn’t know. I’ve never been much of a Hulk fan. Whether that will change with this movie, I don’t know, but there’s a chance.

Planet Hulk tells the story of The Hulk being exiled from Earth by the Illuminati, made up of Doctor Strange, Black Bolt, Charles Xavier, Reed Richards, Namor and Iron Man. Naturally, Hulk is angry, especially when he ends up in captivity fighting in a Roman-style coliseum. However Hulk is never one to go down easy, and the movie watches as Hulk and his new friends bring freedom to a people desperately in need of peace.

The animation was wonderful; I really like the style that they went with. It was simple while still holding a measure of relation to the comics. Not sure whether it could be called realistic, because we’re dealing with a bug with four arms, a big green dude and a big rock dude. But what we do get is wonderfully smooth animation.

The movie runs about an hour-fifteen, and doesn’t really drag in too many places. Hulk spends a lot of time sulking, which is a little annoying and might have been done better in the comics; I would imagine so at least. Here, we’re left feeling for his companions. Additionally, I imagine that the comics did a better job with the romance that pops up towards the end of the movie, because it sort of materializes out of nowhere. Also, check out the surprise casting of Gollum to voice the natives; weird.

Not surprisingly, the voice acting is top notch. I especially loved Hiroim (who some with good ears might recognize as Kurt Wagner from Wolverine and the X-Men) and Lisa Ann Beley (also heard as Iron Man’s onboard computer in the current series of Iron Man: Armoured Adventures) as Caiera.

Marvel always do well with their soundtracks, and this was no different. I really noticed how well the music suited what I was watching onscreen, which I think is always a plus. Sometimes it can stick out like a sore thumb, and sometimes it’s almost nonexistent. Other times, it’s just right, like the proverbial bowl of porridge.

When Planet Hulk hits stores near you in a few days, I would highly recommend getting yourself a copy. Whether you’re a Marvel zombie or not, whether you like the Hulk or not, you will probably get a real kick out of watching Hulk smash – and slash – his way through this movie.