‘She-Hulk’: case closed

photo by Marvel Studios

Marvel releases its newest TV series that lets down fans who are excited for a new action-packed show. With a first episode that premiered on Aug. 18, “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law” was a total let-down before it even hit Disney+.

Marvel Entertainment

Marvel fans know the excitement when they see a new Marvel series is coming to Disney+. “Moon Knight,” “Wanda Vision” and “Hawkeye” are prime examples of action-packed Marvel series that fans fell in love with. However, with a first episode that premiered on Aug. 18, “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law” was a total let-down before it even hit Disney+. The series follows Bruce Banner or Hulk’s (Mark Ruffalo) cousin, Jennifer Walters, or She-Hulk, (Tatiana Maslany) as she figures out what it is like to be a Hulk.

Before it premiered, fans, mainly men, were leaving horrible reviews on IMDb’s website without even seeing an episode. Fans thought the show would be full of “feminist comments” and thought the CGI in the trailers were a mock on Marvel’s professional skills. 

Fan response has been brutal, and rightly so, especially when it comes to the CGI. In the first episode, when Jennifer made her first transformation into She-Hulk, the animation was not as good as Hulk’s usual look in “Avengers” movies. Her look was more modern and animated compared to the movies where Hulk’s character fit in more with the rest of the cast. This proved Marvel’s full potential was not captured with the more modern and bright colored animation. 

But the appearance of the show is not the only problem. Moments where Bruce and Jennifer are working in the lab together and scenes with casual conversation make the show seem very scripted. Everything from the actors seem forced, even Ruffalo, whose acting was much better in “Avengers.” Ruffalo seems he does not have chemistry with the new cast members, possibly affecting his acting skills throughout this series.

Even though Hulk is a good addition to the Avengers, he is the wrong character to star in a series. If it was Captain America or someone with the same importance, it would make more sense. Hulk never had enough lines in an Avenger movie to be featured in a TV series where he has a lot more lines. After all, who wants to listen to a full hour of Hulk-speak? Dialogue bad.

One positive from the series though is the idea that female characters can be just as strong, or even stronger, than the males. The fight scene in episode one showed a lot of strength from She-Hulk, stronger than Hulk, a change from normal scenarios where a woman is perceived as weak. 

And despite the negative, episode two ended with a good cliffhanger, leaving some fans looking forward to episode three if they are brave enough to keep with the series to see where it goes.

Some series start slow then begin to get better as the season goes on, so there may be hope for “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.” Episode three is set to come out Sept. 1 on Disney+. If fans are wanting to watch a series that is Marvel made but not true Marvel style, then “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law” might work. But true Marvel fans will understand the let-down and not be impressed.

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