HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: Planet Hulk 2-Disc Special Edition

PLANET HULK 2-Disc Blu-Ray
Special Edition
 

Studio: Lionsgate

Year: 2010

Rated: Unrated

Film Length: 1 hour, 16 minutes

Aspect Ratio: 1080p High Definition Widescreen (1,78:1)

Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1

Subtitles: English
 

Release Date: February 2, 2010
 

The Movie

After the Avengers capture Bruce Banner, he awakens on a spacecraft bound for an uninhabited planet. The Incredible Hulk has been so destructive on the planet Earth that the Avengers have taken it into their own hands to place the Hulk on a planet where he can do no further harm. The plan goes awry and the Hulk lands instead on the inhabited planet Sakaar, where he is forced to fight as a gladiator. In his quest for freedom, the Hulk befriends a group of fellow gladiators who begin to plan their escape.
 

Planet Hulk is the direct-to-video animated adaptation of the popular Planet Hulk storyline created by Greg Pak that appeared in Marvel Comics beginning in 2006. The packaging is created by comic book painter Alex Ross.
 

If the story were only about the Hulk, it would be a short and simple story. Thankfully, the story is more interesting than that as the Hulk, and the audience, learn the history of the big green monster’s fellow gladiators. A movie is structured differently from a monthly comic book, however, the creators of this animated film seem to have done a fine job of translating the comic book stories into a motion picture structure. Although this film will not give Pixar and Disney a run for their money, Planet Hulk remains a moderately entertaining cartoon feature, even if it does not have the depth of some of its theatrical counterparts.
 

Video

The movie is in 1080p high definition in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio. It looks terrific in high definition with none of the "jaggies" and other compression artifacts which standard definition cartoons are prone to exhibit. Colors are vibrant where appropriated and deliberately muted elsewhere which is apparently consistent with the producers’ intentions.
 

Audio

The English Dolby Digital 5.1 audio tracks are better than average for a direct-to-video animated feature. Dialogue intelligibility is good through front and center speakers with rear speaker used when appropriate for sound effects.
 

Special Features

The special features are located exclusively on disc 1. Disc 2 consists of a digital copy for transfer to portable media device.
 

The special features are all in 1080p and include all of the following:
 

Audio Commentary: The first commentary is provided by supervising producer Joshua Fine and screenwriter Greg Johnson.
 

Audio Commentary: The second commentary is provided by director Sam Liu, character designer Philip Bourassa, and key background painter Steve Nicodemus.
 

A Whole World Of Hurt: The Making of Planet Hulk (21:43): Producers are interviewed regarding making the movie along with some footage from the film.
 

"Let The Smashing Commence": The Saga of Planet Hulk (11:27): Comic book creators Greg Pak and Aaron Lopresti are interviewed regarding the translation of their comic books to animation.
 

Opening Sequence from Thor: Tales of Asgard (6:14): The opening sequence is preceded by a trailer for Thor: Tales of Asgard.
 

Wolverine and the X-Men (21:51): This is the complete episode entitled "Wolverine vs. Hulk"from the animated television series.
 

Spider-Woman Agent of Sword motion comic (10:19): This is an adaptation of the comic book story created by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev.
 

Astonishing X-Men motion comic (14:11): This is an adaptation of the comic book story "Gifted" created by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday with additional material provided by comics legend Neal Adams.

"Watch Your Step" Spider-Woman music video (3:09): Montage of scenes from the motion comic set to the theme music.
 

"Rise Up" Astonishing X-Men music video (2:40): Montage of scenes from the motion comic set to the theme music.
 

Hulk On-line game trailer (0:31): Short trailer for the videogame.
 

Additional trailers include Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2(1:34), Hulk vs.(2:29), and Battle For Terra(2:22).
 

Downloadable content is also available for BD Live-enabled BD players.
 

Bookmarks: Allows the viewer to select portions of the film for quick access via remote.
 

Conclusion

Comic book fans will appreciate this adaptation of the popular storyline from the comics. Casual viewers may not be so enamored, although the video and audio qualities are excellent. This BD is notable for the wealth of special features that are included. This is recommended to comic book and animation fans but not really to anyone else.