Even before the series starring Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black) was released, it had received many negative responses. Fans and critics alike pointed out the campiness and the uncanny valley of the CGI effects, based on the teasers and trailers for the newest TV series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But with the reviews from critics and fans coming in, has Marvel’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law proven everyone wrong? Read on for more details.
Critical reactions
After the first episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law debuted, the reactions have been in contrast with the early dissatisfaction from the show’s promotional teasers. While MCU fans were vocal about the unsatisfying CGI, critics had mixed thoughts about the overly comedic tone compared to prior shows like The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and WandaVision.
— Rotten Tomatoes (@RottenTomatoes) August 17, 2022 Overall, the responses of critics have been positive. Some have even gone so far as implying that She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is the best MCU Disney+ show. For instance, Jenna Anderson of Comicbook.com stated: Richard Roeper (Chicago Sun-Times) praised the show’s ability to incorporate the Marvel Cinematic Universe elements, while having its own personality and niche as a stand-alone series: Proma Khosla (Indiewire) pointed out how great a fit Tatiana Maslany is in the role of Jen Walters, and her rapport with Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner: More reviews about the first impressions of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law can be found at the Rotten Tomatoes site.
Review bombed
It should be noted that She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is the latest recipient of review bombing. Even prior to its first episode’s airing on Disney+, trolls have posted as low as 1-star reviews on IMDB. According to Screenrant, 44.1 percent of the reviews gave the lowest rating, while 44.4 percent was positive (most of which giving the highest rating). The negative reviews mostly centered on the trope of depicting males as inferior to the females in the series, exemplified by how Jennifer seems to upstage Bruce with their Hulk feats. Other She-Hulk detractors that did the review bombing used the apparent sub-par CGI and comedic elements as the basis of their feedback. Based on the numbers, most of the negativity comes from reviewers who are male and over 30. On the other hand, the large section of the positive responses come from younger men and women. Many of these latter responses enjoyed the natural comedic timing of the cast while playing with the established Marvel Studios mythos. A couple of particular points that this audience enjoyed regarding the Easter eggs were answering the question about certain Avengers. Fans generally enjoyed the revelation of Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) and his sex life, as well as calling back to Bruce Banner’s science bros friendship with Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.). Another element from the show that was given positive reactions is the fourth wall breaking which is a familiar trope in She-Hulk comic books. This gave the audience a way to connect with Jennifer’s unique situations, offering something new that most MCU projects did not have. Interestingly, fourth wall breaking was a staple in the She-Hulk comics long before Deadpool was first created. The first episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law premiered on August 18 on the Disney+ streaming service. New episodes of season 1 will debut every Thursday.
