She-Hulk Attorney at Law: Review
With the release of Wakanda Forever, I thought it was a great time to highlight the recent conclusion of the MCU TV show She-Hulk: Attorney at Law's first season on Disney+. The program has been the subject of ire for many superhero fans for its shaky computer-generated effects and numerous pop culture inclusions. Unsurprisingly for those who consider me a film contrarian, I found She-Hulk to be one of the best MCU offerings to date.
The light-hearted, nine-episode series focuses on Jennifer Walters as she maneuvers her conjoined existence as a lawyer and superhero after suddenly contracting mutated powers. Played with vivacious charisma and remarkable personability by star Tatiana Maslany, Jennifer soon learns that her biggest foe does not come in the form of a larger-than-life bad guy, but rather preconceived notions and prejudiced ideologies questioning her existence as a female superhero.
Through this approach, She-Hulk offers clever commentary on the unjust workplace standards that are still rampant in our culture. The show also provides well-pointed critiques of fandom culture, which often tries to bully its beliefs without recognizing art's creative process. The self-contained episodes are refreshingly focused compared to the cluttered bombast of most MCU productions, and I also found most of the show's self-referential comedic barbs quite amusing. How can you go wrong with She-Hulk twerking alongside Megan Thee Stallion?
More importantly, She-Hulk symbolizes another chapter of growth for the MCU. With famed heroes like Captain America and Iron Man retiring from the silver screen, Marvel finds itself in an interesting predicament as they stretch toward new characters and ideas. So far, I give Marvel significant credit for embracing something the studio often seemed deathly afraid of – meaningful change. Productions like Eternals and Dr. Strange: The Multiverse of Madness welcomingly favored the perspectives of their talented filmmakers, Oscar-winner Chloe Zhao and horror icon Sam Raimi, over hammering audiences with another onslaught of meaningless action sequences.
I hope the successes of Wakanda Forever and She-Hulk continue to inspire Marvel to take meaningful risks with their projects. After all, art is best when crafted by people with compassion, care and insightful viewpoints – not studio mandates dictating what will generate the most profits.