First Impressions With Marvel Studios’ SHE-HULK

Review

“Are you quoting a comic book right now?” No, it isn’t Boy Wonder and I using comic book semantics in an argument over the remote. This is a quote from She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, Marvel Studios latest Disney+ series.

The seventh live-action series from the juggernaut movie studio arrives at a transformative time for the decade old franchise. With projects like Ms. Marvel written off, despite huge fan acclaim, and Moon Knight derided as boring it seems the studio is crying out for a hit. Enter Tatiana Maslany as Jennifer Walters…

She-Hulk: Attorney At Law embraces the episodic TV formula more than any other MCU series to-date. WandaVision had it’s week-by-week gimmick, but the storytelling remained heavily serialised. Whereas She-Hulk is instantly more defined. Head writer Jessica Gao crafts each episode with its own arc. Each arc in turn adds to the overall story of the season. It feels fresh for an MCU property but is entirely familiar of any successful long-running TV series.

As the title suggests, She-Hulk: Attorney At Law leans in heavily to classic courtroom dramas. In the four episodes we saw much of the action is courtroom based and these moments are when the series is at its best. Packing in comedic action alongside zippy dialogue. It punches directly to the kind of humour on which the MCU originally based itself rather than the slapstick Waititi comedy in which Thor now languishes.

The series’ self-referential nature keeps it afloat during the most generic moments. Episode one (streaming today) naturally languishes in origin territory. But with courtroom based book-ends and the introduction of 4th wall breaking, “A Normal Amount of Rage” is easily one of the best character introductions in years. Maslany has excellent chemistry with co-Hulk Mark Ruffalo which certainly helps. The two share so much screen time that the entire episode would be derailed if it wasn’t for the sparky familial relationship.

Across four episodes there are a number of cameo appearances. Plenty of those are seen in the series’ trailer but presented without context. Each one has natural reasons to happen within the series’ storyline. None of the characters who appear feel shoe-horned in for the sake of raising its profile. The idea of episodic cameos is raised by Jen in one of her 4th wall breaks and mocked. Another example of how She-Hulk is really aware of its own place in the world and how it will be perceived by its audience.

My only gripe with the series so far is how, particularly in episode 4, Jen is pushed out by the appearance of another established MCU character. Appearing in episode 3, the character in question helps with a case which Jen is working on. Again, it is organic to the series storyline. Then in episode 4 they return for Jen’s help with a problem of their own. But more so than any other episode, it puts the client centre stage and makes Jen a supporting player. Given She-Hulk has an incredibly strong sense of character it’s a little disappointing.

Speaking of which, She-Hulk will absolutely alienate some of the easily offended gentleman in the audience. Gao and directors Kat Coiro and Anu Valia have an incredible grasp on handling the gender politics. From the outset Jen is able to vocalise how her journey as a hulk differs from Bruce’s. Episode one offers up some sharp dialogue about being a woman and what that means in everyday life. A later discussion is heavy-handed on the issue but is the only example I saw of the series bashing the audience over the head with its political views.

Jen’s co-worker Dennis (Drew Matthews) is a supporting player across these first four episodes. As a toxic workplace male, he fits the stereotype perfectly. His choice of language certainly made the audience at our screen wince on more than one occasion. But just when you think you have Dennis (and She-Hulk) pegged, Gao pulls the narrative run out from under us. The series’ flips the tropes on their head and pulls a brilliant story out through episode 3 and 4 which bring an unique and original angle to the toxic male storyline.

Ginger Gonzaga as Jen’s paralegal and best friend Nikki is the perfect supporting player. Her characterisation doesn’t break any new ground. But Gonzaga’s performance injects some real fun in to the series. There’s a surprising range of content for her to play with across the first four episodes and it certainly has me excited for what is to come in the back half of the season.

Plenty has been made of the series’ VFX in the press. Based on the trailer many wrote She-Hulk off as poorly visualised. But having now seen episodes on both the big and small screen I can confirm the series looks great. Whilst there are moments which push the VFX budget to its limits, Jen in She-Hulk form looks excellent. She stands tall against Ruffalo’s Hulk. There does seem to be a different texture to her skin. Her overall appearance is a little smoother but it certainly isn’t lacking in fine detail.

Episode one finds the two hulking cousins going head-to-head in one of the series biggest sequences. It looks great and is also a lot of fun. Perfectly encapsulating how the series balances out action, adventure, comedy and heart.

Verdict

The first four episodes of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law are a blast. Creatively this is Marvel Studios’ most television friendly series to-date. The self-referential, 4th wall breaking Jennifer is the perfect antidote to the tried-and-tested superhero formula and Tatiana Maslany is perfectly cast in the role.

⭐⭐⭐⭐