I have been a Hulk and Marvel fan for many years and I'm always excited to see a new Hulk title hit the screen. Perhaps it is my decades of 'fandom' or high expectations, but for me this title just fell into the same category of unfulfilled expectations as other Hulk movies and DVD's have done in the past. I gave this title a mediocre 5/10. This may be good in comparison to other titles of the genre, but it is still a far cry from what an animated Hulk title should be.
*** Spoilers, Spoilers, Spoilers *** The Good 1) The concept of Earth's heroes exiling the Hulk is fun and makes sense based on his history in the Marvel Universe.
2) The shadow warriors possessed interesting chi-like powers, a pseudo-religious faction and a legend of a savior. Their involvement didn't develop nearly as much as I would have liked even though that had more potential to move the story forward than another plot device, the "spikes".
The Mediocre 1) The weakening of Hulk via wormhole travel. I realize there needed to be a mechanism to support the Hulk being able to fit into a "Gladiator" rip-off, but this was entirely random and never explained as the movie developed. You could never tell when or if Hulk recovered from the effects, especially since he was able to be injured badly throughout the film. Making super heroes less super to fit a lack of imagination can never be excused.
2) Beta Ray Bill's inclusion in the movie was fun, but his exit was silly. "We're not tied to the world" and then he flies away. Unlike Thor, Beta Ray Bill came from a horrible background that would have motivated him to stay to help the enslaved people of this world. Instead he bailed and Twilight Hulk stuck around. At the very least it was an odd exit for someone worthy of wielding Mjolnir.
The Bad 1) Little bugs should not be able to stab the Hulk with a spear and nearly cripple him, no matter the weakening effects - it's as bad as having Hulk revert to Banner in mid-fight. There's just no excuse for this. None.
2) Hulk just wasn't that mad. This is possibly the worst part of the movie. Hulk wasn't the rage machine many of us love, he was brooding... I'll watch the Twilight series if I want brooding. I watch the Hulk for unstoppable rage. The Hulk can be angry and still be able to speak. It was just not included in this movie.
3) The emperor wasn't a worthy villain and the arena concept was cliché and a weak device. The Hulk should have Apocalypse level villains. This was a guy in a bad Iron Man suit. This was another reason the movie didn't allow Hulk to be at his 'Hulk Smash!' best. If Hulk would have really reached his smash potential, this villain would have been done in 15 minutes.
*** Spoilers, Spoilers, Spoilers *** The Good 1) The concept of Earth's heroes exiling the Hulk is fun and makes sense based on his history in the Marvel Universe.
2) The shadow warriors possessed interesting chi-like powers, a pseudo-religious faction and a legend of a savior. Their involvement didn't develop nearly as much as I would have liked even though that had more potential to move the story forward than another plot device, the "spikes".
The Mediocre 1) The weakening of Hulk via wormhole travel. I realize there needed to be a mechanism to support the Hulk being able to fit into a "Gladiator" rip-off, but this was entirely random and never explained as the movie developed. You could never tell when or if Hulk recovered from the effects, especially since he was able to be injured badly throughout the film. Making super heroes less super to fit a lack of imagination can never be excused.
2) Beta Ray Bill's inclusion in the movie was fun, but his exit was silly. "We're not tied to the world" and then he flies away. Unlike Thor, Beta Ray Bill came from a horrible background that would have motivated him to stay to help the enslaved people of this world. Instead he bailed and Twilight Hulk stuck around. At the very least it was an odd exit for someone worthy of wielding Mjolnir.
The Bad 1) Little bugs should not be able to stab the Hulk with a spear and nearly cripple him, no matter the weakening effects - it's as bad as having Hulk revert to Banner in mid-fight. There's just no excuse for this. None.
2) Hulk just wasn't that mad. This is possibly the worst part of the movie. Hulk wasn't the rage machine many of us love, he was brooding... I'll watch the Twilight series if I want brooding. I watch the Hulk for unstoppable rage. The Hulk can be angry and still be able to speak. It was just not included in this movie.
3) The emperor wasn't a worthy villain and the arena concept was cliché and a weak device. The Hulk should have Apocalypse level villains. This was a guy in a bad Iron Man suit. This was another reason the movie didn't allow Hulk to be at his 'Hulk Smash!' best. If Hulk would have really reached his smash potential, this villain would have been done in 15 minutes.