'She-Hulk' smashes Marvel's fourth wall - and it pays off

Marvel's first comedy series will have you turning green (in a good way?).

'She-Hulk: Attorney at Law' follows Hulk's (Mark Ruffalo) cousin Jen Walters (Tatiana Maslany) as she tries to live out her day-to-day life by being anything but a superhero. Following a freak accident with her Avenger cousin, whose blood fuses with her own, she's gifted with powers that enable her to turn into a 6 ft 7 in green brute at her will, with all of the capabilities of Hulk while also being able to retain her personality. Essentially, she's a new and improved version of her cousin, while still being a derivative of his name.

'She-Hulk' has been getting a lot of bad rep for that initial trailer released back in May. That first look at the series didn't really sell it, unfortunately, and the fan reaction was overwhelmingly drowned in backlash towards the CGI. Admittedly, it didn't look all that great, with references to Fiona from 'Shrek' and The Scorpion King from 'The Mummy Returns' being recalled by viewers. However, unless Disney wants to blow their whole budget on just special effects alone, it's never going to look as amazing as we would hope. And so, while the effects aren't the best we'll ever see, they're certainly far from the worst. Don't get bogged down on this aspect of the series - there's still a lot to enjoy.

'She-Hulk' leans into the comedy in a big way, and thankfully, it pays off dividends; you will be chuckling along more than you expect. After that initial season opener (which will be covered in a moment), the series thrives as we are thrown head-first into the life of 30-something-year-old who wants to date, be good at her job, and really really wants to ignore all of the press surrounding her.

You might think that because Jen is so very aware of everything around her, the fourth-wall-breaking shtick might get stale, or the character being too self-aware of everything will begin to grate. However, Maslany's ability to flip-flop between talking to the audience, to other characters, to adopting the She-Hulk persona is done so effortlessly that it's easy to see why she was chosen as Marvel's latest in a string of more relatable superheroes given space to shine in serial format. She's the most self-aware character we've seen from Marvel so far, upending the traditional MCU formula - and thankfully she's a hoot; Jen/She-Hulk is a character we want to go out for a drink with, and we're curious about where her story will take us.

There is one caveat with the series, and it's that episode one is probably the weakest of the four we managed to see before release. The first opening five minutes sets the tone for the entire series going forward, but we're quickly taken out of the moment to the incident where Jen gets her powers. It's a necessary part of the plot of course, and it's great to see all of the Hulk vs. She-Hulk business, but don't let all of the action throw you off - this series is pure comedy.

Given that 'She-Hulk: Attorney at Law' is launching weekly, with no double-episode launch on day one, it's a worry that casual viewers might tune into episode one and not return for episode two, thinking that 'She-Hulk' is just another action series with some witty one-liners thrown in. However, the series finds its groove from episode two onwards and settles us in for what the press (and some of the cast) have been describing the series as 'Ally McBeal' meets Marvel.

Some things worth mentioning: stay watching after the credits roll because there's a post-credits scene for every episode; some of the episodes just end without much of a cliffhanger, and sometimes it feels a bit odd; the fighting sequences (although there's not that many) feel a bit clunky; the supporting cast of Benedict Wong, Ginger Gonzaga and Josh Segarra shine, showing that even small roles can have a massive presence; those hoping for cameo appearances are... going to have a field day.

Easily the most relatable and surprisingly hilarious MCU series on Disney+ to date, we hope that people can see past the CGI and fall in love with the newest superhero who wants to be anything but a superhero. We haven't felt this excited about what happens next in a Marvel series since clocking our eyes on 'WandaVision' - and that's saying something.