[7.0/10] Ehhhh, I’m on board with a good format-bender more than most, but the first person perspective gimmick didn’t do much for me. Using the power of animation to do Cloverfield with The Hulk is a good idea, but the show didn’t really take advantage of it. Trying to tie it to MJ aiming for a job at the Bugle is laudable and at least gives us a reason, but in the end, the action becomes hard to follow, and the whole thing ends up feeling like a theme park ride (the Spider-Man ride at Universal Studios, to be more specific).
That said, even if the gimmick didn’t add much, the underlying story is solid. Spidey initially trying to stop the Hulk, then trying to team-up with him when he realizes they’re both fighting a nigh-invisible enemy (Energy Man?), then trying to keep Shield from frying him makes for a good progression. I do appreciate that they give MJ more to do here, pointing out some notable weaknesses and coming up with ideas, but she’s still necessarily a bystander, and the whole plucky reporter bit is pretty tired.
I did particularly like the dynamic between Spidey and Hulk here. Hulk referring to Spider-Man as “bug man” was amusing, and Spider-Man winning his trust by showing that he too likes to smash was a good bit. On the other hand,, I’m not really sold on the dynamic between Peter and MJ on this show, but I guess there’s still more time to develop that, even if this episode is pretty heavy handed about it.
Overall, the gimmick is a bit of a waste here (even if it does cut down on the cutaway gags), but the bones of the episode are solid, even if it might be better if the story were done regularly than from behind a camera lens.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2018-10-23T06:02:03Z
[7.0/10] Ehhhh, I’m on board with a good format-bender more than most, but the first person perspective gimmick didn’t do much for me. Using the power of animation to do Cloverfield with The Hulk is a good idea, but the show didn’t really take advantage of it. Trying to tie it to MJ aiming for a job at the Bugle is laudable and at least gives us a reason, but in the end, the action becomes hard to follow, and the whole thing ends up feeling like a theme park ride (the Spider-Man ride at Universal Studios, to be more specific).
That said, even if the gimmick didn’t add much, the underlying story is solid. Spidey initially trying to stop the Hulk, then trying to team-up with him when he realizes they’re both fighting a nigh-invisible enemy (Energy Man?), then trying to keep Shield from frying him makes for a good progression. I do appreciate that they give MJ more to do here, pointing out some notable weaknesses and coming up with ideas, but she’s still necessarily a bystander, and the whole plucky reporter bit is pretty tired.
I did particularly like the dynamic between Spidey and Hulk here. Hulk referring to Spider-Man as “bug man” was amusing, and Spider-Man winning his trust by showing that he too likes to smash was a good bit. On the other hand,, I’m not really sold on the dynamic between Peter and MJ on this show, but I guess there’s still more time to develop that, even if this episode is pretty heavy handed about it.
Overall, the gimmick is a bit of a waste here (even if it does cut down on the cutaway gags), but the bones of the episode are solid, even if it might be better if the story were done regularly than from behind a camera lens.