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Rating: Country: USA Release Date: February 2, 2010 Distributor: Lions Gate Director: · Sam Liu · Jamie Simone Cast: · Rick D. Wasserman · Kevin Michael Richardson · Sam Vincent · Mark Hildreth · Lisa Ann Beley Related Sites: · Official Site · IMDb: Planet Hulk Grade: B+

He was such a force of destruction that the mightiest heroes of the Marvel universe -- led by Iron Man, Doctor Strange, and Mister Fantastic -- had to expel him from Earth, sending him to an uninhabited planet where his uncontrollable rage could hurt no one else ever again.

But fate had a different plan in mind for the Incredible Hulk (voiced by Criss Angel regular, Rick D. Wasserman). Breaking free of his bonds, he tears at the ship's controls, sending it into a wormhole and, ultimately, to the distant planet of Sakaar.

Sakaar is ruled by the Red King (V's Mark Hildreth), who quickly captures the weakened Hulk and enslaves him as one of his gladiators. But Hulk has no interest in fighting the contestants thrown at him and the teammates selected for him, who include the rock-man Korg (Kevin Michael Richardson, The Batman) the Lady Elloe (Advah Soudack), and the "hider, not a fighter" insectoid, Miek (vetaran voice actor Sam Vincent). He only wants to know who's in charge, so he knows who to smash. Of course, he's not given much choice in the matter, and it doesn't take long for Sakaar to learn just how powerful the Hulk is -- particularly when he cuts loose, unrestrained.

Beasts get pulverized to brutal -- sometimes dismembering -- death in this unrated animated feature, and even the Hulk bleeds in a number of scenes. In fact, Hulk's bleeding is an important plot point of the film, as his green blood has an effect on the arid soil of the planet -- it makes things grow, fulfilling an element of an ancient prophecy about a savior who would come to Sakaar.

"Planet Hulk" can be called "action packed" without fear of hyperbole. And yet, it's far more than an enormous fight scene. There's much character growth to be had, as we see the appropriately named Miek (pronounced "meek") go from being a "hider" to a "fighter," and experience the tragedy-born compassion felt by Caiera (Lisa Ann Beley, Iron Man: Armored Adventures), the Red King's bodyguard, whom she serves with a loyalty built upon lies.

Fans of Thor will be glad to know that the God of Thunder makes a cameo appearance (unvoiced) as Korg relates his story of how he came to be in the arena. This flashback also features an appearance by Beta Ray Bill, who features prominently later in the adventure. (Speaking of cameos -- can you spot Adam Warlock?)

The voice work from the cast is excellent, particularly Wasserman's rumbling Hulk. The artwork is perhaps not as detailed as I'd prefer (hey, after getting an Alex Ross cover, anything less on the inside would have to be something of a disappointment), but the action and pathos represented by the artwork are absolutely enthralling. Hulk fans will be clamoring for more -- which by necessity begs the question: Will there be a 'World War Hulk' follow-up to the project?

Bonus features on this two-disc special edition release (the second disc being a digital copy transferable to your Mac or PC) include two separate audio commentary tracks -- one with producer Joshua Fine and screenwriter Greg Johnson, the other with director Sam Liu, character designer Philip Bourassa, and key background painter Steve Nicodemus (who really turned in some outstanding vistas on this film).

Also featured are two documentaries, "A Whole World of Hurt: The Making of 'Planet Hulk'" and "Let the Smashing Commence! The Saga of 'Planet Hulk'." The former is a twenty-minute "making-of" piece, featuring input from Joshua Fine, Greg Johnson, Eric S. Rollman and others about the emotional journey covered in the story. This piece provides alternate views of the main title sequence, and shows how the original comic panels were used as source material for more than one mise en scene. There's also discussion of why Beta Ray Bill was in the storyline, and not the Silver Surfer, before moving on to talk about the different voice actors.

The second featurette is eleven minutes, and has Greg Pak (writer of the Planet Hulk comic books) as well as Planet Hulk artist Aaron Lopresti talking about how the original storyline came to be -- as well as what happens after the story.

Fans will also be treated to the opening sequence for the upcoming Marvel animation project, "Thor: Tales of Asgard," and the "Wolverine vs. Hulk" episode from Wolverine and the X-Men, motion comic adventures of both Spider-Woman: Agent of S.W.O.R.D. and Astonishing X-Men, and two music videos -- "Watch Your Step" by Dan Phillips with Anna Abbey, a techno-beat with a heavily repeated theme all about Spider-Woman, and "Rise Up," an urban hip-hop piece set to images from Astonishing X-Men, performed by David Ari Leon and Guy Erez, featuring Bronx Style Bob and Christian Altman.

Finally, there are trailers for Hulk online games, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, the "Hulk vs." DVD releases, and the animated Wolverine and the X-Men television series.