Incredible Hulk

Upon hearing through word of mouth that a new Marvel animated feature was headed to stores on DVD in January, I became ecstatic. After having seen the promotional trailer online, I felt that this DVD would indeed be something special and I was right. Having purchased the DVD immediately the very day it was released, I decided that it had to be watched in the right setting and environment. Looking at the DVD features and specifications on the reverse side of the package, I was delighted to see that the audio had an option for 5.1 digital.

The DVD itself consisted of 2 features. The first being Hulk vs. Wolverine at a running time of 37 minutes and the second feature being Hulk vs. Thor at 47 minutes.

I slipped the disc in, sat back and awaited the carnage!

The first feature tells the story of Logan(Wolverine) who is sent by the Canadian military to stop the Hulk who is tearing up the Canadian countryside in a fit of rage.

Wolverine’s orders are to stop the Hulk before the Hulk endangers more lives during his path of destruction.

Wolverine ultimately catches up with Bruce Banner(Hulk’s alter ego) and assaults him while looking for answers on the whereabouts of the Hulk. This causes Banner’s transformation and soon all hell breaks loose as both Wolverine and Hulk engage in a brutally violent and bloody battle that truly pushes the boundaries of the PG 13 rating.

After a good dose of blood and flying limbs in the wilderness, the violence spreads over into the Weapon X facility where even more bloodshed ensues as Sabretooth, Omega Red, Lady Deathstrike, and Deadpool get in on the action. Overall it appears as if the Hulk is more of a back story in this flick as most of the emphasis is placed on Wolverine’s enmity with Weapon X but there is more than enough action and violence to satisfy any Hulk or Wolverine fan.

Some of the additional features on the Hulk vs. Wolverine disc include a commentary track by Craig Kyle, Chris Yost, Frank Paur, Kevin Altieri and Butch Lukic which you’ll find quite interesting.

Disc 2 features Hulk vs. Thor the God of Thunder! This feature begins with Thor’s father Odin, the ruler and protector of Asgard, going to sleep during the winter for 7 days which leaves Asgard unprotected from enemies. It is up to Thor and the Asgardian army to defend Asgard. Loki, the stepbrother of Thor, sees his chance to finally destroy Thor by enlisting the services of the Hulk whom Loki has possessed (with help from Amora the Enchantress) in order to do the evil Loki’s bidding.

This leads to chaos as the Hulk, after being split from his alter ego Bruce Banner, goes on a violent rampage and ultimately even Loki loses all control. This story is sure to satisfy Hulk fans although Thor the God of Thunder is not quite up to the task seemingly as he does not defend himself as well as he might in the comic books. Apparently Thor is more vulnerable this time around which may not sit well with Thor fanatics. Regardless the feature is entertaining enough and can still be enjoyed for its action and often candid humour(Deadpool steals the show in the Hulk Vs. Wolverine feature).

Another excellent commentary track accompanies the Hulk vs. Thor feature as we get some insight from Craig Kyle, Chris Yost, Frank Paur, Sam Liu and James Peters.

With some fantastic voice-acting, excellent animation, booming 5.1 surround sound, plenty of special features, great story-telling, and tons of action, Hulk Vs. creates a viewing experience sure to please any comic-book fan!