REVIEW: 'Watchmen' fails to justify why anyone should care enough to swoon over its amazing visual style

The following is a review of "Watchmen" the film, not an examination of the plot's congruity with its graphic novel source material by writer Alan Moore.

"Watchmen" is a visually stunning film that might easily leave fanboys drooling about the attractiveness of the needless violence and sex it features.

But they might not notice that these Watchmen are nothing more than flamboyantly dressed action stars who fail to justify why they should be riveting enough to watch.

"Watchmen" explores the promising premise of what would happen if superheroes not only lived among humans, but used their extraordinary abilities to win U.S.-waged foreign conflicts such as The Vietnam War and maintain civil order at home caused by people who protest against their interference. A team of retired costumed heroes known as The Watchmen deal with the consequences of such actions in this film.

When a former colleague known as The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is assassinated in 1985, a very paranoid inkblot-masked man named Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) informs fellow Watchmen that the perpetrator might very well do the same to all of the team. As Rorschach investigates, he and three other Watchmen caught in a love triangle continuously recall their past actions that have brought the world close to the brink of a nuclear exchange between The U.S. and The Soviet Union.

Anyone unfamiliar with "Watchmen" will as a result quickly catch on to what is going on in this visual treat that allows its super main characters little time in which to demonstrate the tragedy of how they allowed the opportunity to make the world safer overshadow ethical values that are alluded to, but never throughly explored. 

To be fair, The Watchmen spend a lot of time belaboring, but failing to illustrate that they are characters morally ambiguous enough to care about.

Meaningful character exploration is replaced by needless dry exposition that revels in Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup) showing off his blue penis and causing people to implode, The Comedian amassing a large body count that includes a pregnant Vietnamese woman and Silk Spectre (Malin Akerman) engaging in soft core sex with Nite Owl II (Patrick Wilson).

Instead of focusing on scenes that feature attractive exposition, gratuitous violence and sex for two hours and 42 minutes, "Watchmen" would have benefitted substantially if more time were devoted to explaining who The Comedian was before no one cares that he eventually tears up about his past sadistic actions, showing Dr. Manhattan as someone more than just a guy who throws a fit when his girlfriend ends their relationship, Silk Spectre as a character that does not only need to shack up with anyone who will take her in and at least somewhat explored Ozymandias in order for his one-dimensionally ridiculous plan to be of any interest.

Perhaps this would have helped to make Dr. Manhattan as a metaphor for God's harmful effect on mankind not seem so unexpected and hackneyed.

Most of the acting cast as a consequence does not have much to do other than look menacing or fashionable in their superhero attire. Haley is the only actor whose character Rorschach is allowed an opportunity to show how he became such a grumpily violent stalwart for justice, but this as well is reduced to one short, bloody flashback about his run-in with two bullies as a child.

The Comedian's assertion that "Life is a joke" is proven true in "Watchmen" because the film is about super powerful beings whose lack of character depth begs the question as to why they exist at all other than to exploit the success of Alan Moore's graphic novel. Fanboys who were too thrilled by Dr. Manhattan leaving blood and guts in his wake and Akerman showing flashes of her character's naked body against a moonlit background might disagree.

Popcorn rating:

(3 1/2 out of 5 pieces)

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REMINDER: Is 'Smallville' set to reveal Clark Kent's identity to the world in 'Infamous,' or is this a story hoax?

Republished from Feb. 19, 2009 to reflect update below original post.

"Smallville" is either gearing up to go out with a bang or has a route-better-left-untraveled story in mind that will leave everything as it usually is toward the end of the 17th, season eight "Infamous" episode.

The CW's new "Infamous" promo and TV.com's overview of the March 12 episode confirm that Clark Kent (Tom Welling) will as a preemptive measure reveal his identity as Metropolis' Red Blue Blur to Lois Lane (Erica Durance), who he will ask to write the Daily Planet news story that reveals it to the world.

Usually promotional media for a "Smallville" episode is no big deal, but it is considering that the 18th episode of season eight utilizes a "body-switch" theme that would be necessary for Clark to survive "Infamous" with his secret identity in tact. Two "road-best-left-untraveled" episodes in a row seems unlikely unless the writers simply do not care about the series anymore.

"Hex," the episode in question, has Chloe wish on her birthday to be normal just like Lois, which is a questionable assertion given her affinity for seeking out trouble. 

Zatanna (Serinda Swann), an all-too-real magician from the pages of DC Comics, grants Chole's wish, as well as one for Clark. 

Could the wish Zatanna grants Clark be that she reverse everything that occurred in "Infamous"? 

Having Clark reveal his identity to the world and kill Linda Lake (Tori Spelling), especially when it can all be erased, would certainly take the character to a level of exploration he has never before reached. It would certainly allow him to experience how easy it is to suddenly become a man like Lex Luthor.

Another possibility is that Clark ends up being infamous for being the hack who tried to claim credit for The Red Blue Blur's exploits, but is shown to have no extraordinary powers. A piece of green kryptonite in Clark's pocket would do the trick to assure than no one ever suspects he is anything more than a Kansas farm boy.

Any of these story prospects would be preferable to the beginning of the series' cancellation, which can only be confirmed or put off until May by The CW.

Anything can happen on "Smallville" at this point. That at least is worth tuning in to figure out what it ends up being.

WATCH "INFAMOUS" PROMO!

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Update: TV Guide Magazine drops major 'Infamous' spoiler

"Infamous," the 17th, season eight episode of "Smallville," has Clark Kent (Tom Welling) reveal his identity as The Red Blue Blur to the world, but everything goes back to normal before it is over.

TV Guide Magazine's recent edition features an exclusive first look at Serinda Swan's Zatanna, who will appear in the series 18th, season eight episode "Hex," which premieres on March 26.

How this relates to "Infamous" is that the magazine mentions that Zatanna in "Hex" will use her magic to "allow Clark to experience a life less encumbered with hiding his identity as the Red Blue Blur." In other words, Clark's secret identity will not be so infamous by the time this episode hits The CW.

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REVIEW: 'Wonder Woman' film an attractive animated slugfest that deflects meaningful character depth

Primarily an action-packed visual treat, "Wonder Woman" is a coming-of-age love story based on Greek mythology that gets bogged down by wooden voice acting before it becomes anything more than an interesting premise.

Immediately impressive is an opening scene in which Queen Hippolyta (Virginia Madsen) rides her horse into battle, but gets scooped up by one of Ares' winged minions, only to be dropped to her seemingly imminent death. Instead of waiting for the fatal impact, Hippolyta lassos the legs of the demonic servant, which pulls her up the side of a wall until her crown cuts his head off.

Continuing up the side of the wall with the Amazon queen in tow, her opponent's body inevitably lands on the summit. Although impossible for the body to keep flying upward without its head, the sequence is still incredible.

Equally powerful about this sequence is that the rape of Hippolyta by Ares (Alfred Molina) is implied, her bastard son's head is sliced off and an appropriately limited amount of gore tell the graphic story about how The Amazons as a race of women pushed themselves as warriors to escape being slaves to the god of war and his adherents.

Everything that needs to be said about the origin of their way of life and the birth of Wonder Woman (Keri Russell) is done so by the stylistic wielding of bloody swords in the first 10 minutes.

Superb property damage-causing animated violence is one of several great aspects of the 75-minute-long film, most likely because the title character, who is tougher than most mortals, primarily combats supernatural forces.

Clearly more adult than past Warner Bros. Animation-made movies, "Wonder Woman" features moderate curse words, slang and naked Amazons bathing near a waterfall that serve a purpose in humorously showing the differences between the uncouth, violent world of man embodied in the Col. Steve Trevor character (Nathan Fillion) and this paradise populated by eloquent, but painstakingly warrior-like women represented by Diana. These otherwise tasteless elements are not included simply to appeal to the lowest common denominator.

Diana's interplay with Trevor reveals the not-so-feminist argument he makes that not all men want to control women as she was reared to believe, providing the story with a message that is rarely touched on in other films, let alone those that are presented in an animated format. It could have gone entirely the other way.

Ensuring that Diana is not simply portrayed as a femme fatale, she is shown confronting a Manhattan woman who unlike her uses femininity to attract a man of which the Amazon princess seems somewhat possessive, instead of choosing to rely on her own inner strength. Diana also dislikes empty flattery.

As much as the dialogue between Diana and Trevor takes a socially progressive tone, much of it comes off as though not a lot of effort was made by the voice actors to do anything in terms of improvisation to create a convincing sense of romantic chemistry between the two characters other than reading from their scripts.

Overall character dialogue comes off as too dispassionately expositional for viewers to care enough about what happens to the main characters.

Off about the story is the lack of concern Hippolyta shows when Diana, her gift from the gods, turns out to be the one who will be The Amazon's emissary to the outside world when the queen is earlier against allowing her daughter to compete in the qualifying games. Hyppolyta's battle-hardened spirit and respect for the way of the warrior might be enough to excuse her apathy in this instance, but it is very noticeable how her lack of emotion takes away from this sequence.

Even if anyone chooses to accept this explanation, the seriousness of the fatal games in which Diana engages against her mother's wishes is underscored by The Amazons suddenly showing up to aide her in the closing battle against Ares and his myrmidons. Why did they not all leave Themayscira to stop the warring god?

Therein lies the problem that makes "Wonder Woman" an aesthetically stunning cartoon too prone to engage its main characters in battle than have their voice actors explain why anyone should care that they prevail against their enemies. 

In the end, it is a battle not worth fighting or watching with too much anticipation to see what happens next.

"Wonder Woman" hits stores in DVD and Blu-Ray format on Tuesday, March 3.

Popcorn rating:

(3 1/2 out of 5 pieces)

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REACTION REVIEW: Bryan Singer unleashes his trite serenade 'Superman Returns' to someone else's vision of the character

"Superman Returns," which recent news indicates might receive The Hulk reboot treatment, does not suffer from a lack of riveting action despite what disgruntled moviegoers say.

Truly detrimental to this chapter of the Superman legend on the silver screen is that it tries, but fails miserably in trying to break free from a tired premise over which it cannot help but inevitably swoon.

Weak performances by the leading cast only complements the deadliness of the film's creative Kryptonite.

Opening "Superman Returns" is a scene that explains how Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) is suddenly upgraded from a real estate huckster to a millionaire. Though overall unremarkable, it hints at the story developing him into a more complex character than in past Superman films given what is said about his personal history.

A small speech Luthor makes early on further indicates that his ambitions have evolved from wanting land to all-out power in the form of advanced technology.

Once again, a large meteor-like object in which Clark Kent (Brandon Routh) is traveling manages to survive reentry into the atmosphere, landing in the American Midwest without any astronomers or military units being the wiser. They probably just assume that Superman has come back to Earth as the only alien in the universe instead of taking an interest in their jobs.

Astronomers at least earn their paychecks by spending their time looking for remnants of Krypton, which causes Superman to leave Earth long enough for his absence to provide the film with a relevant premise as to what happened since he inexplicably left to find apparently non-fatal highly radioactive rocks.

Refusing to stop flogging a dead horse, the film continues with the prospect that Kryptonian crystals can be utilized to expand to form land masses, which needlessly reconnects Luthor to his real estate scheme roots. Yet despite the Kryptonians' ability to create limitless land and interstellar baby space pods, they did not somehow repair their doomed planet or leave for greener pastures elsewhere in the universe.

Luthor's plan is mentioned to point out how "Superman Returns" attempts to retell the story established in 1978's "Superman" in a manner different enough for no one to notice.

An aerial accident forcing Big Blue to expose himself to the world, his shorter romantic flight with Lois, the Addis Ababa meteor rock and Luthor's scheme to own beach-front property are nostalgic allusions that eat up too much time in this more than two-and-a-half-hour film.

Even more frivolous are bank robbers who find it more prudent to set up a large gun turret on a rooftop with which to shoot at the police than hightail it out Metropolis in their nearby helicopter.

But as much as there is hesitancy to change Superman movie fundamentals, story innovations such as Superman fathering a child and Lois getting hitched are more acceptable.

So what is meant to be an homage to the first two Richard Donner Superman films is for some unknown reason intermixed with the super powerful title character making no qualms about being willing to break up a seemingly happy home despite how it is later justified with a hitherto unknown conception of a child. Not to mention the absurd comparison of Superman with Jesus Christ as a savior.

Only clever about the story is the explanation as to why Luthor is walking the streets as a free man instead of serving hard time in prison.

An adequate amount of of action that disappointedly does not include super powerful fist fights serves to veil the faulty premise, though little effort is made to make what Superman does amazing in the eyes of those around him so that dodging bullets and catching plummeting airplanes comes off as nothing more than overblown, meaningless special effects.

Add to that gloomy visuals of Metropolis constantly portrayed as though the sun is about to set, a sea storm, the dark red cape and a creepy piano duet between one of Luthor's goons and Lois' son, the gratuitous beat-down of Superman that make this seem more like a nightmare than a brightly inspiring Superman film.

A good thing about the action sequences is that they allow Routh to limit his dialogue as Clark Kent to polite banter with the rest of the cast, whom have considerably more lines, and no more than few non sequitur remarks as Superman. He simply looks like Christopher Reeves, but without the actor's powerful presence when wearing the signature blue body suit.

Also too noticeably green is Bosworth's portrayal of her character, who comes off as more of an upset, whiney ex-girlfriend than someone conflicted by her feelings for two important men in her life.

Parker Posey gets stuck playing a more erratic version of Miss Eve Tessmacher.

Kal Penn, though not known for powerful performances, is relegated to the status of an extra thats says close to nothing.

Memorable character portrayals are limited to those of Spacey's Luthor, who is as menacing as his evil scheme is ridiculous, and Frank Langella's lovably stern Daily Planet Editor in Chief Perry White.

Not soon to be memorable is this uninspired attempt to recreate the magic of 1978's "Superman" by radically moving around its story elements to make the film seem different enough to be novel. "Superman Returns" simply has no other reason to exist other than to indulge in cinematic nostalgia, and that is anything but super.

One shudders to consider that Warner Bros. and Legendary pictures studios might unleash a sequel because a lack of action is presumably what they perceive as the only thing that is wrong with this film.

Popcorn rating:

(2 out of 5 pieces)

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REACTION: Storm's cameo in 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' lands on the cutting room floor

Nitpicking promotional multimedia at times pays off because some fan apparently spotted a young Storm in the "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" trailer, and WIDESCREEN VISION has found out that it is merely a future DVD extra.

Producer Lauren Shuler Donner on Feb. 10 confirmed that Storm was in the film in a village that Hugh Jackman's Wolverine and his Weapon X team visit, but that this scene will no longer be included in the May 1 theatrical release. She also said the scene will be featured on the DVD as one of a few others that were cut.

Another future member of the X-Men has also long since been confirmed to appear in the film as a Weapon X captive, a young Cyclops (Tim Pocock). He might be in one of those cages Wolverine nicks with his claws in the trailer.

Maybe the young Storm scene was cut to keep fans from pointing out the major age disparity between she and the actor who portrays Cyclops. They appear to be close in age in 2000's "X-Men."

The extent of interaction between Wolverine and Cyclops remains unclear given that they do not remember each another in "X-Men." Yet, this might not be relevant inasmuch as he does not remember anything about the Weapon X project at this point.

In case anyone missed it, William Stryker's son Jason is also featured in the "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" trailer frozen in a block of ice. This is probably because his father knows no other way to handle his mind-controlling mutant son.

But does this photo still take place before or after Stryker consults Charles Xavier in order to find a cure for Jason's mutation?

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REVIEW: Toyman episode of 'Smallville' tinkers with a needless deviation in the series' creative direction

"Requiem," the 14th season eight episode of "Smallville," flogs more than a couple of presumed dead horses that once left deep impressions in the series' legacy of inspired, but now hackneyed, story elements.

Tiresome is the way the series helmers keep trying to make up for the absence of Michael Rosenbaum's Lex Luthor with a look-alike (Kevin Miller) hooked up to a life support system and thus only able to communicate in a robotic voice. 

While creatively ambiguous to have the deranged Toyman (Christopher Gauthier) talking to a puppet that has a video and microphone link to Lex, Rosenbaum's absence robs "Requiem" of the bad guy banter that once provided the series' title characters with a sense of imminent danger. 

Without the contribution of the actor's sinister portrayal of this kind of interplay, Toyman, though admittedly a second-tier villain, simply comes off as an emotionally immature man who talks to himself, not a formidable opponent for the super powerful Clark Kent (Tom Welling) and Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk).

At the very least the writers found a way around having to keep showcasing shadows of the Lex Luthor character, but in doing so he is essentially replaced by the suddenly morally dubious and more often shirtless Oliver Queen (Justin Hartley). 

Although he often dogged Clark about not taking a more active role in saving the world, the character's unexpected penchant for murder diminishes how time on a deserted island changes him from a spoiled rich brat to a defender of justice.

Most ridiculous is the plot device that has Clark and Lana reason that Winslow Schott continues to register his deadly toys with a patent office given that he is very likely laying low from the authorities for his criminal acts. 

Taking away from the tragedy of Lana's absorption of the meteor rock on the roof of The Daily Planet and her consequent inability to be with Clark is how the Lex Luthor look-alike emphasizes the consequences of her actions as though he were the episode's writer explaining it on a DVD commentary feature. 

Is all that exposition necessary?

Thankfully, the absurdity of the aforementioned aspect of "Requiem" is not enough to diminish what is at best a moderate tear-jerker moment complemented by appropriate special effects when Clark presumably bids Lana a farewell kiss for the last time. Lana's newly acquired ability to weaken him adds a sense of the literal grotesque circumstances of their separation.

"Requiem" is an overall mediocre episode of "Smallville" that tries to tell a tragic love story fans were lead to suspect was over when Lana left town last season and because it has been implied many times that Clark has since become more interested in Erica Durance's Lois Lane. Hopefully, this is simply a transitional episode in that it resolves Rosenbaum's absence from the series and provides closure to the Clark/Lana relationship arc.

WATCH ON THE CW WEB SITE!

WATCH "INFAMOUS" PROMO!

Popcorn rating: 

(3 out of 5 pieces)

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REACTION: Marvel Comics EIC geeks out again at NY ComicCon about 'Thor' meeting with Kenneth Branagh

Imagine two Hulk movies. One is about the origin of the green beast and the other is about how he bonds to Bruce Banner. That is what Director Kenneth Branagh allegedly has planned for "Thor."

Though this rumor is old news, it is mentioned again because of a few geeky Tweets exchanged between Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada and a "Avengers" comic book writer Michael Bendis after the former and two other bigwigs met with the Shakespearean actor for about eight hours last week.

A six-Tweet conversation between the two Marvel Comics insiders and a fan indicates that Branagh, who is set to direct the film, was quoting from several past Thor comic book stories at the meeting, which caused Quesada to rush home and geek-out on Twitter.

Quesada later said at New York ComicCon that the director essentially acted out the entire film at that meeting of the minds.

What remains in question is whether 2010's "Thor" will be about the title character's fall from Asgard grace, being forced to live as a mortal man named Dr. Donald Blake. Quesada's following interview with MTV indicates the film might primarily focus on Odin and his two sons, Thor and Loki.

Branagh said last December that the film is "a human story right in the center of a big epic scenario,” whatever that specifically means.

If this rumor ends up being true, "Thor" would be a fresh change of pace from other comic book movies in which the title character acquires super powers and then adapts heroic qualities 90 minutes later. It would also be cool if the author of the following video's claim ends up being true.

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REACTION REVERIE: Robert Downey Jr.'s vague allusion to Iron Man 2 plot could mean several things

Robert Downey Jr. says a sequel to 2008's "Iron Man" might explore the character Tony Stark's responsibility of having adopted a superhero identity, having revealed his secret identity to the world, or something else entirely.

At this point, Downey cannot do anything more than drop vague hints to keep the entertainment news media and fanboys speculating about the film at least until early 2010. But what his comments could mean for the plot of the highly anticipated sequel has potential.

One responsibility Downey's character might have to face is that every ambitious supervillain and terrorist in the world could start targeting Stark Industries given that its billionaire owner accidentally alluded on national TV to where the Iron Man hardware was developed. It would become his responsibility to make sure the armor and other similar technology does not fall into the wrong hands.

Another responsibility Tony Stark could face for adopting the superhero identity of Iron Man is that he interfered with a U.S. military operation and essentially engaged in cowboy diplomacy by stopping the members of The Ten Rings from terrorizing a small village in the Middle East. 

Stark's revelation that he is the man behind the armor might cause the American government to investigate his company and spark an international incident between the U.S. and critical nations.

Because as Tony Stark and Iron Man he decided to protect the people his weapons put in harm's way, this means someone else such as Justin Hammer would have to pick up the slack in terms of rearming the standing militaries of nations, terrorist organizations and any other shadowy entities with which Stark Industries was in bed.

In terms of his inner demons, Tony Stark might have to come to terms with the prospect that Iron Man is his way of making up for his past sins. The armored guise is not necessarily a heroic one, and that means he might have to explore what should define him as a genuine hero.

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REMINDER: Clark Kent, Lana Lang to join super forces against 'Smallville' psychotic ... who plays with toys?

Who could possibly challenge the combined forces of Clark Kent (Tom Welling) and his newly super-powered inamorata Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk)?

Uh ... Toyman? For real?

TV.com's episode overview of the Feb. 5 episode "Requiem" shows that Winslow Schott (Christopher Gauthier), the crazy toy aficionado himself, tries to blow up Justin Hartley's Oliver Queen and a room full of LuthorCorp executives.

Wikipedia indicates that this Toyman was at some point in the past unfairly fired by Queen Industries, and that he is a close interpretation of the comic book character.

"Smallville" writers might try to tie Toyman's origin to the past actions of a stuck-up, licentious Oliver before he was shipwrecked on a desert island and then turned a new moral leaf. 

Maybe Oliver had Schott fired for something as simple as bumping into him in a Queen Industries hallway. 

Whatever drives this revenge story, "Requiem" promises to be another "Smallville" episode that raids Superman's comic book gallery of rogues in order to give its main characters something to do together. 

Perhaps the threat of Toyman will make for great chemistry between Clark and Lana not before seen when only one of them was invulnerable or maybe he will employ a few creative, yet deadly toys that will make the episode bearable to watch.

One hopes the creative minds behind "Smallville" will leave a few DC Comics foes for Clark to fight when he finally suits up as Superman.

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REMINDER RELOAD: First 'Sarah Connor Chronicles' of '09 to reunite lead Terminator heroine with an old love

Kyle Reese (Jonathan Jackson) will return to "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" during the Feb. 13 season two episode "The Good Wound," newly released photo stills reveal.

TV.com's episode overview shows that Kyle will return as a hallucination during Lena Headey's Sarah Connor's recovery from a gun shot wound sustained at the end of the Dec. 15 episode "Earthlings Welcome Here."

Though this is not Kyle's first appearance on the TV series, it is the first time the two characters have been on screen together in more than 20 years since 1984's "The Terminator" at least in terms of official canon. 

"The Good Wound," which might end up having a tragic love story motif, was likely postponed until it could be aired close to Valentine's Day. 

Indicated from the episode overview is that Sarah will use the hallucination to gain emotional strength the way Linda Hamilton's interpretation of the character would have done in 1991's "Terminator 2: Judgement Day" if the scene in question had not been deleted.

Nothing new in terms of story plot should be revealed by this Kyle given that he is just a hallucination, so he will probably simply remind her of something she has long since forgotten.

Perhaps he will represent a more level-headed approach to fighting SkyNet than the progressively more militant approach she has adopted in the TV series.

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REVIEW: The Hulk's animated rampage against Wolverine, Thor makes for novel, stylish action DVD

Why would The Hulk ever go up against Wolverine and Thor aside from how cool it sounds for a straight-to-DVD release?

"Hulk vs. Wolverine" provides several answers, the first of which is that the big green monster (Fred Tatasciore) ends up tearing apart a small town in Canada, the adamantium-clawed mutant's (Steve Blum) stomping grounds. Wolverine's code of honor naturally dictates that the Department H agent intervene. 

Another answer initially provided in the animated short is that the ever angry creature that is The Hulk can pummel the regenerative, always grumpy Wolverine, and vice versa, long enough for the two opponents to carry a 33-minute slap fight.

But "Hulk vs. Wolverine" is not just an action movie set in the Marvel Comics universe, even though that is essentially how it defines itself.

More practical than the aforementioned reasons for its existence is that Weapon X, the secret government project responsible for Wolverine's claws, wants to add more muscle to its ranks by capturing their former mutant comrade and The Hulk. That does not sit too well with either one of these powerhouses. 

Simplistic, but effective in terms of character development, "Hulk vs. Wolverine" does not show Wolverine and The Hulk becoming the best of friends when they team up. 

Why the shaky chemistry of their team-up works is that the animated short essentially shows them attempting an impromptu escape from The Weapon X complex, with Sabretooth, Deathstrike and Deadpool standing in the way. Not to mention that The Hulk is by nature an angry powder keg that always explodes and that Wolverine does whatever he has to in order to survive in the most dire of situations.

Their respective fighting styles especially reflect their unpredictable natures. Stylish, yet somber animation illustrates how The Hulk's blows throw opponents miles into the air and Wolverine's claws slice off more than a few hands. No pretense of violence is attempted. 

Novel about "Hulk vs. Wolverine" is adult-oriented content that could never make it into a cable series featuring the two characters.

Deathstrike (Janyse Jaud) becomes aroused by strangest stimuli and Deadpool (Nolan North) utilizes the fact that he can say "ass" in a DVD release to poke fun at Omega Red.

If anything, the animated short is worth a watch simply because it is a visual treat with tight action sequences and a few pleasant surprises.

"Hulk vs. Thor" utilizes the novel idea of having Loki (Graham McTavish), the ambitious stepbrother of Thor (Matthew Wolf), take control of The Hulk after it is mystically separated from Bruce Banner (Bryce Johnson). But everything goes haywire when even the Norse gods realize that only one man can control the beast. 

Effectively conflicting about this premise is that it challenges Banner to choose between the torment of living his life keeping the beast at bay or leaving it all behind in favor of a more pleasant destiny. 

It highlights how the character is not just a hot head who desperately needs to attend anger management classes, but rather a troubled individual whose mortality is a virtue that stops a much more horrible fury from being unleashed on the world.

In contrast to "Hulk vs, Wolverine, the illuminated, visually stunning animation of this short shows Banner's irate alter ego trying to destroy the heavenly cityscape of Asgard and its people, whose wardrobe is best described as a mesh of that worn by DC Comics' Amazonians and Kryptonians.

Though The Hulk and Thor only interact when the former is beating the latter within an inch of his life and beyond, every stylish action beat is justified, making this animated short slightly better than its counterpart.

Popcorn rating:

 (4 1/2 out of 5 pieces)

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REACTION: Did Jon Favreau aim too high in trying to cast actors for Iron Man 2?

Spider-Man fans say they can relate to the web slinger as opposed to The Batman because the former deals with real-life problems when not wearing his mask such as struggling to pay the bills.

Perhaps this is because Marvel Studios, the creative force behind the web slinger on the silver screen, has its own financial difficulties that are creating a nightmare in terms of casting actors who differ on whether they are willing to work for a paycheck below their usual quota in the sequel to 2005's "Iron Man."

Marvel Studios indicates Terrence Howard asked for too much to reprise his role as Lt. James Rhodes, Samuel L. Jackson implies he was almost lowballed when negotiating to portray Nick Fury and Mickey Rourke will be wearing The Crimson Dynamo armor for one-quarter of $1 million. READ STORY!

No one except the people of interest themselves seem to know what exactly is going on behind the scenes.

Yes, the economy is in a recession, but one has to wonder if the news about the casting of progressively lesser known actors has anything to do with the creative ambition of a director who is not used to balancing the budget of a major summer blockbuster. 

It is a fair question considering that Jon Favreau overpaid Howard for a supporting role in "Iron Man" and initially wanted the very bankable Jackson cast as another side character in the sequel, but ended up considering Emily Blunt and maybe John Cho for equally as important roles as The Black Widow and The Mandarin, respectively. READ STORY!

Also worth noting is that this is the first time that a Marvel Comics movie adaptation has experienced so many casting problems.

Could there be a communication gap between Favreau's creativity and the studio's accounting office?

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