DVD review: Hulk Vs.

The Marvel animation team goes heavy on the “Hulk Smash” in “Hulk Vs.,” a new two-disc DVD featuring two programs of about 45 minutes.

The first, “Hulk Vs. Wolverine,” is the better, and bloodier, of the two, as Wolverine is called in to stop a rampaging Hulk. Wolverine’s an agent of Canada’s Department H, and the film also traces his backstory. “Hulk Vs. Wolverine” guest-stars several X-Men-related characters, including Deadpool, Omega Red, Lady Deathstrike and Sabretooth. The battle between Wolverine and his Weapon X brethren is the film’s highlight.

In “Hulk Vs. Thor,” Thor’s evil brother Loki has long since sought to rule Asgard, the realm of the Norse gods. Odin, the ruler of Asgard, must periodically hibernate to restore his energy. With Asgard left less-defended, Loki uses magic to control the Hulk, who he sends to destroy Thor.

There’s not a lot of story in either, but there’s a lot of well-animated action and violence. The dark humor keeps “Hulk Vs. Wolverine” relatively light despite a lot of PG-13 hacking and slashing. The characters’ voices are on-model and fit with the Marvel Comics depiction of them. “Thor” is the lesser of the two films, but he’ll get another try, as the special features on the disc include a first look at a “Lord of the Rings”-inspired take on the god of Thunder, “Thor: Tales of Asgard.” There are also featurettes and commentaries on the development of each film included as extras.