She-Hulk: Attorney at Law debuts on Disney Plus tomorrow, promising to deliver a window into the life of a woman trying to lead a professional and personal life while having super abilities, and, according to most reviews coming out today, it’s one of the best MCU works to date.
Over at IGN, Amelia Emberwing says the project is proof more superhero content should be presented in a sitcom format in her analysis. She also praises Tatiana Maslany for being able to navigate two sides of a character with ease after playing multiple roles on Orphan Black and says there is great chemistry between her and Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner. As well, the visual effects many were iffy on when they were first made public are said to have improved.
“Admittedly, She-Hulk may have looked a touch better if Maslany’s makeup was applied practically and then blended digitally after the fact, but that change wouldn’t have made much of a noticeable difference.”
Caroline Framke of Variety is somewhat similar in her analysis, too. In her critique, she says the piece is a deserving showcase for Maslany’s talents. Framke also says those behind the show found an effective way to make the titular character’s experience different from the one her cousin has had through multiple films, and, unfortunately, there are a few dated creative decisions.
“While there’s plenty to like and latch onto along the way, it’s hard to shake the feeling while watching She-Hulk that its approach is several years behind the curve. Jen’s passion for her job doesn’t have a clear motivation beyond winning cases, and her misadventures on the ‘Matcher’ dating app have nothing new to say about dating via swipes beyond it generally sucks. Even the costuming, deliberately lurid and strangely reliant on chunky statement necklaces circa 2010, feel several steps out of date.”
While Framke and Emberwing were mostly positive and made some concessions in their favorable reviews, Coleman Spilde of The Daily Beast has outright nuked the project. He says the show is “Marvel trash at its most offensive,” but does note only the first four of the show’s episodes were provided for press, so there is room to improve, but, so far, he is not loving a lot of the project.
“The superhero law firm could be an intriguing plot device if it were implemented with a more winking, The Incredibles-style self-aware comedy. Instead, it’s the show’s first major mistake. The firm acts as the series’ catalyst for endless obnoxious cameo appearances by a slew of forgotten or never-before-seen villains from Marvel’s past. As the series goes on, it feels more and more like Jennifer Walters is being used as a stiff prop for villains to act around. Their boring B-plots supersede She-Hulk.”
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law currently has a 95 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 77 reviews.