She-Hulk v. The Superfans of Marvel

Marvel’s most controversial and disputed Disney+ series of the year, “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law” premiered Aug. 18. Following an abundance of opinions from platforms such as IMBd and Rotten Tomatoes, audiences are Hulk-smashing the thumbs down button on this highly anticipated show despite only three episodes airing as of publication.

Created and written by comedy television writer Jessica Gao, “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law” features Tatiana Maslany in a never-before-seen role as the attorney turned superhero, Jennifer Walters, also known as She-Hulk. After Walters is involved in an accidental car crash and transmission of blood with her cousin, Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), her life completely changes from promising career lawyer to a super-powered slim version of the Incredible Hulk. 

This transformation leads Walters’ life in a completely new direction, forcing her to adapt to this new condition, as she attempts to still pursue a life outside of heroics. This balance between a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde-like dilemma becomes the premise for this series of nine half-hour episodes whose unprecedented comedic storyline yet social-issue covering platform ultimately showcases Marvel’s exploration of uncharted territories. 

This turn of direction and pacing for Marvel Studios along with the overall quality of the show, has sparked much of the debate for this MCU science experiment, but the question remains: Are these criticisms fair for such a uniquely different series?

In contrast to recent additions of Disney+ series, including “Ms. Marvel” and “Moon Knight,” which received moderate criticism, “She-Hulk” is breaking new records by holding the highest percentage of one-star reviews than any other MCU Disney+ series to date on IMDb with a whopping 38.2% of ratings of over 77,000 falling into that record. 

Putting this into perspective, the series with the second-most one-star reviews of the MCU franchise is “Ms. Marvel,” which averages a 19.9% over almost 93,000 ratings — a near 20% difference from the studio’s next-lowest rated series based on IMDb’s calculations. IMDb is not the only platform that showcased ill sentiments either. Rotten Tomatoes holds a 42% audience score for She-Hulk despite a Tomatometer of 87%. 

In consequence of these low numbers, the question arises: Why is “She-Hulk” performing so poorly in the eyes of the general public? Many feel that “She-Hulk” is hitting below the bar in two factors, computer-generated imaging and poor character writing.

The CGI of “She-Hulk” is noticeably inadequate compared to most MCU series and films. Marvel Studios, usually highly renowned for its visual effects, is under scrutiny due to more recent events that have received constant backlash from their works. 

With VFX workers speaking out against the unrealistic deadlines and poor working conditions, this has placed Marvel’s CGI at an all-time low in effective quality. As a result, She-Hulk, a character who relies exclusively on the application of CGI, has been under fire for its lackluster effects and presentation. 

This spectacle comes as a shock with “She-Hulk” having a budget of $25 million per episode, totaling to $225 million for the nine-episode season. In comparison to other films, this would put “She-Hulk’s” first three episodes more expensive than the whole budget of “The Twilight Saga:  Eclipse” (2010) and the series’s total budget more than Marvel’s pioneer movie, “Iron Man” (2008).

Gao mentioned her struggle with having to cut entire scenes of “She-Hulk” and substitute She-Hulk with more of Jennifer Walters as per requests of producers. The repercussions of these budget issues, VFX controversy and unclear plan became the bane of fans, as it led to unbearable CGI sequences that make Daredevil being blind even more of a blessing.

Though CGI is a large component in the reviews, the most prominent reason is the poor character writing that spoils the enjoyment of why we love Marvel movies. It’s clear that Gao’s purpose in creating this show was to demonstrate an alternative reaction, approach and way of  Hulk’s life through a woman’s experience. It lacks a narrative driven element that showcases the series as a comedy rather than just another piece in the franchise. 

It is true that “She-Hulk” is more of a comedy; however, it takes away character development that Marvel creators usually nail down.  

With such a dynamic show that shatters the commonly seen frameworks of most recent Disney+ series, it is evident that She-Hulk is taking an approach to superhero films in a light-hearted way. This is made clear in comparison with certain shows like “Ms. Marvel” which still holds comedic value similar to the “Spider-Man” films with its highschool setting, yet it perfectly pairs this tone with more solemn elements such as her traumatic family history. As a result, “She-Hulk,” in the most simple definition is a “Saturday Night Live” skit if Hulk was a woman which ironically, would have been better.

Ignoring the contemporary flaws of the series, Marvel should be given credit where credit is due. By straying away from the cemented formula of hero media, it provides a creative take on superhero films that could lead feature projects on diverse avenues of entertainment with “She-Hulk” crawling for others to run. 

“She-Hulk: Attorney at Law” was an anticipated number-one science fair project that failed to make the volcano erupt. Its lack of an execution of a storyline in fast-moving scenes with no context to back up the narrative, coupled with its CGI difficulties that don’t quite hit the landing, demonstrate that despite a successful string of movies and a cinematic universe, not all productions could emulate those same successes. “She-Hulk” is still an extremely young series and has the potential to win back the hearts and minds of superfans, but it’ll take drastic measures to beat out its initial reviews.