I think that, when most people think about a Hulk-centric movie, expectations are pretty low. To be quite honest, he’s not the most dynamic character (though I suppose there are fans who would argue otherwise). Every feature film representation of him (not including portrayals of Bruce Banner) have been that of a big green oaf who runs around and screams “Hulk SMASH!” Examples include… well, every movie he’s ever been in: Hulk, The Incredible Hulk, Hulk Vs, Ultimate Avengers… People don’t really try and show off the character with any sort of emotion, or anything for the viewer to latch onto. And in recent years, the Hulk books themselves have suffered post-World War Hulk, with convoluted storylines, poor character portrayals, and a general sense of nonsense that made readers who had come to enjoy the character lose faith.
But where did they lose faith from? What Hulk story had been so good that it brought readers to actually care about the not so Jolly Green Giant? Well, it was Planet Hulk by Greg Pak! After having been shot into space by the Illuminati, Hulk crash lands on the planet of Sakarr where he is allowed to unleash his larger and more violent side for the benefit of those on the planet. This of course led to World War Hulk, and even the phenomenal Incredible Hercules book, and many fans were more than pleased to hear that Greg Pak would return to the Hulk title wish issue #601, focusing on the now de-powered Banner and his son Skarr.
With Hulk books still selling well (despite poor quality) and following the well received (and, in all honesty, well made) Hulk Vs. movie(s), Marvel has decided that their next entry into their animated direct-to-DVD movie world would be an adaptation of the book that restored faith in many people’s eyes to the character: PLANET HULK! And it’s out today on DVD! The movie had been pre-described as “the epic that he deserves,” so obviously that’s some pretty big praise. Since I love to watch comic movies, I of course grabbed this the second that I could and gave it a go. Do I think it’s the epic he deserves?
For my thoughts, click behind the cut!
As I described above, Planet Hulk was the storyline that, for many readers in the past decade, made the Hulk a truly relevant character. I don’t mean that in a mean way at all, but when you look at the recent output on Hulk titles, you can’t help but look back on Planet Hulk and World War Hulk and say, “Man, what happened?” They were highly entertaining stories that redefined how we can look at the character as someone with his own identity. It’s kind of like when Dwight from Sin City describes Marv as born in the wrong time period, and that if he were born in gladiator days he’d be hailed as a hero and a champion. Even when we look at the current Fall of the Hulks titles, Joe Quesada’s prelude to the current story says you should start reading at Planet Hulk.
So since I’ve already given a brief explanation of the basic premise behind the story, let’s skip to my favorite part of discussing any adaptation: accuracy. I am a firm believer that when you adapt a given storyline (as opposed to making a character centric movie), you should just follow the book. Sin City was the perfect example of that in my mind, and given that Planet Hulk has a set beginning, middle, and end, I think this should be an easy adaptation to tackle (especially in an animated sense). That being said, it’s not a faithful adaptation. Yes, Hulk is sent into space by the Illuminati, and yes he does go through a lot of the same motions he did in the book, the movie follows a different path. For example, there is no Maw, there are no Brood, Caiera is a completely different kind of character, and the Silver Surfer is replaced by Beta Ray Bill. When I was reading up on that, I actually found they couldn’t use the Silver Surfer, so ok. Fair enough, I suppose. Beta Ray Bill was an odd addition, but it wasn’t so bad that it made it unenjoyable. The change to Beta Ray Bill from Silver Surfer obviously meant a different origin to Korg, and I should note that without any Brood in the movie at all, the Warbound were also slightly different, but still the movie flowed and felt normal enough. It was the change to Caiera that really threw me off, though. Caiera was originally a slave to the Red King that helped Hulk in the rebellion, but in the film she’s a loyal servant who hails him as a savior to the planet due to an invasion from something called only “Spikes.” The Spikes were the biggest new addition I noticed, and were the catalyst to the Red King’s rise to power. These things invade the planet and transform those who they come in contact with, and the Red King managed to defeat all of them originally, managing to save only Caiera from the attack. While the dynamic between Caiera and Hulk are similar, this change to their origin created a change that made the whole story feel a bit off balance.
Continued belowAnother thing to know is that Planet Hulk originally split well into a couple parts: there was his original arrival and the gladiator matches, followed by the rebellion and insurrection, and finally ending with Hulk taking over the planet and becoming King while ushering in a new age of peace. The movie focuses mainly on the Gladiator elements, however, spending a large portion of the running time just on Hulk either in battle or prepping for battle. It does to some degree work because, quite honestly, the battles are fantastic. While there is no Maw, the replacement to that creature makes for a fantastic looking fight, and Hulk versus Beta Ray Bill was awesome (though not as awesome as his fight against Silver Surfer in the original story). Now, when putting Hulk in a movie, I suppose it does make it OK to use these changes for the casual film watcher. Fans of the story are there to read a good book, and fans of the movie are there to see an entertaining animated movie, and obviously Marvel has to take that into some consideration. It’s not like the cut back on the content, because the movie is still violent and, in turn, quite bloody at times. I just can’t help but to note that the story told in the book is a million times better than the one of the movie.
That being said, though, the movie was pretty entertaining. I like Planet Hulk and World War Hulk, but I’m not such a fan of the story that I can’t be persuaded to enjoy a change. I watched the movie simply as someone who wanted to see an entertaining animated flick, and I was entertained. Both Marvel and DC have taken the initiative to try and adapt storylines versus just characters into movies, because it appeals more to the fans and actually makes the movies come out better. Planet Hulk is no exception. While it’s not the best in Marvel’s animated line-up, Planet Hulk is still a decent flick. It has everything you’d expect in a Hulk related film: smashing, bashing, and roaring. As long as you remember that, for the most part, character development is left to Bruce Banner while Hulk is for the auctioneer in us, you won’t be disappointed.
As far as action films go, especially animated ones, I’d give this a good two thumbs up. While it does lose some of the depth of the original storyline, I can’t help but just note: it’s a film about the Hulk. There’s only so much you can expect in there, and to say I didn’t enjoy watching it all would be a down right lie. Just note that, for fans of the original story, there are changes to work for the adaptation. It’s still fun for at least one watch though.
