Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk

It took four years for the comic book follow-up to Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch's "The Ultimates" and "Ultimates 2" to see print. It took less time for this 6-episode (66 minute) mini-series to be produced, then gathered with a brief interview to see life on DVD. Most of the art by Leinil Francis Yu comes from the original pencil work and then animated, This does give a bit of a jerky, stylized feel to the visuals, but Yu is so good one quickly adapts; enjoying the fairly static drawings with minimal movement. This is ameliorated by the more subtle facial expressions and solid voice acting throughout. In terms of story, "Marvel Knights: Ultimate Wolverine versus Hulk" launches from the pages of "The Ultimates" rather than the current film cycle by Marvel; although both are based on the same material. Daniel Lindelof uses a non-linear storytelling method, frequently jumping back and forth in time. (It is not hard to follow.) In it Nick Fury sends Wolverine to flat-out kill Bruce Banner - the Hulk. In Ultimates, Hulk's rage kills 815 people in New York City. For this he is tried and condemned to death, which does not work. This (quite violent) film opens with Hulk literally ripping Wolverine in half. How this came to be and how it resolves is the meat of the story. Along the way we meet a new She-Hulk and see Iron Man and Captain America, and many cameos. This may be the closest translation from comics to animated action yet; and if you enjoyed the comic, you will enjoy this film.

More accurately, the title is "Marvel Knights: Ultimate Wolverine Vs. Hulk". The story features Wolverine, hired by SHIELD, to hunt down Hulk. It shows Dr. Banner trying to come to terms with his demon. The animation is limited, however, I'm pretty sure this was done as a deliberate gimmick and not a money saver, as it still remains highly stylized. Still, if I wanted to experience a comic book...I'd buy a comic book. Not watch some peculiarly jointed animation on a screen. The story is vaguely interesting, as is the acting. They explore aspect of the Banner/Hulk relationship mulled on in comics, but rarely touched on once it hits live action or animation, which is a plus. But the visuals are very distracting, keeping from making this an enjoyable experience.

While I love these original comic book stories, straight from the source, even animation wise, these Marvel Knights segments aren't my favorite to watch, great story though!