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X-Men ’97, now streaming its first two 30-minute episodes on Disney+, achieves a retro/modern binary many revivals strive for but can’t quite nail.
Everything about it — from its opening credits and energetic theme music to its cheesy quips and character-specific idiosyncrasies — denotes a love for the material rivaling that of the most ardent X-philes, and for good reason. The people behind this belated continuation adore the comics and their various translations and incarnations.
Like X-Men: The Animated Series, this spirited follow-up pulses and pops with kinetic delights. The action is more fun and more fluid than ever, and the Newton Brothers’ catchy, up-and-at-’em score infuses the proceedings with a liveliness we’ve sorely missed.
Kicking off after Professor X’s death, X-Men ’97 follows the eponymous team of mutants (Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm, Wolverine, Morph, Rogue, Beast, Gambit, Jubilee and Bishop) as they contend with rising anti-mutant sentiment, fight new foes with old quibbles, and investigate the nefarious Mr. Sinister. Cyclops (voiced by Ray Chase) tries to lead them, but a surprise visit from Magneto (Matthew Waterson) threatens to tear the team apart before any real progress can be made.
Working with a 10-episode season order, X-Men ’97 wastes no time and has no trouble reminding us why this corner of the Marvel Universe warrants revisiting. For starters, it’s difficult not to get swept up in the dynamics that help define these characters. Gambit (AJ LaCascio) talking in the third-person as he flirts with just about everyone. Wolverine (Cal Dodd) tacking “bub” onto declarations that don’t call for it. Magneto’s complex history with Charles Xavier. It’s all back, and as brilliant as ever.
But series creator Beau DeMayo (who very recently parted ways with Marvel), along with director Larry Houston and original series showrunners Eric and Julia Lewald, proves himself an enthusiastic practitioner of “yes, and” storytelling. It isn’t enough that the characters retain themselves and indulge in silly, offbeat digs at one another’s expense; DeMayo & Co. wanted what happens to these people to matter, and they wanted to thrill us all to bits in the process. Well, mission accomplished. The writers front-load this season with dizzyingly well-placed twists (and a dash of body horror), and because only the first three episodes were screened for critics, it’s evident that they are prepping us for even crazier surprises.
Circling back to the action: An especially thrilling sequence in the first episode emphasizes the fluidity of its various fight sequences. Cyclops and friends confronting the dastardly Bolivar Trask in a Sentinel graveyard? Yes, please. Gambit hurling Wolverine through a Sentinel? Um, do you have to ask?
Luckily, DeMayo’s firing, days before the premiere, doesn’t appear quality-related in the slightest (which only adds to the mystery of that whole news beat). X-Men ’97 is confident and charming and bolstered by some excellent voice acting; everything Marvel has shown us so far suggests this long-awaited revival will be one for the books.
X-Men ’97 takes a beloved ’90s cartoon and, instead of sacrificing its charm on the altar of all things shiny and new, gleefully meshes vintage Marvel with real-world strife in an organic, unassuming way. It’s the follow-up the original series always deserved — and we can’t wait for what’s next.
THE TVLINE BOTTOM LINE: X-Men ’97 goes all-in on the requisite campiness, high-stakes action, and potent parallels that made the original, as well as the comics that inspired it, so much fun.
I watched it this morning. So many parallels to today’s political climate. Well done!
I got up early to watch it before work, too. Absolutely loved it. From the first notes of the theme music, I got chill bumps and was so happy that the show did not disappoint. It really does mirror so much of what’s going on today. The line about, “they will not replace us.” Eerie, how timely it was. I can’t wait to what happens next.
I recently rewatched the 90s series ahead of this, and this is definitely a more-than-worthy follow-up. Those saying it mirrors the political climate – true but also it always has. The first episode dealt with Jubilee’s adoptive parents not knowing how to deal with her being different; episodes talking of a mutant cure vs acceptance; a then-final season episode had bad weather blamed on mutants; etc. (And of course there have They did retcon a little it seems… Magneto mentions his helmet was in part to keep Xavier out of his head, but that was a later invention as Xavier does get in his head when he wears it in an episode of the old cartoon (it was Juggernaut’s helmet that was designed to keep Charles out). But a few details aside, it absolutely captures the spirit of the original…and so far soars past them. A lot of the original eps alternated focus on a few X-Men at a time; I like we’ve seen them all more present so far but we will see if that continues. Every week will be a long wait while this is on!
Hmm, not sure how my comment got truncated in the middle, but it should say “and of course there have always been civil rights parallels in the comics.”
You’re right. But given the recent backlash against diversity & inclusion in Marvel TV & films, e.g., The Marvels, She-Hulk, it’s refreshing to see that Marvel didn’t shy away from civil rights themes. It’s also funny that those who hurl the word “woke” haven’t commented on this review. They can’t say that X-Men went “woke” because X-Men has always been “woke” lol. They’re probably hate watching right now. 😂
Fantastic first two episodes!
Eagerly awaiting more…
THIS WAS FREAKING AWESOME! I also got up early for work to watch and I can see this happening the next 8 Wednesdays! Every character was just as I missed them and the animation was a lot smoother than I was anticipating. It’s like a mix of the old style and the new What if (which honestly I don’t like that animation style). It worked perfectly. The fight scenes were well done with great teamwork peppered in, the cameos were plentiful and made sense and the story line is playing out amazingly.
A few notes:
A 4 issue comic is coming out showing the gap between the last episode and today’s premiere. I am assuming this will explain Bishops membership. It’s called X-Men ’97 (in comics stores March 27th!)
Rogue is still making crazy cat comments, I was cracking up.
Morph was awesome, and no, nothing about it seemed off. His addition to the team allows for such fun cameos.
You forgot to point out for those who dont recognise the names – that over half of the original voice actors are back. That really helps it feel the same but different too.
Currently rewatching original. Cant wait to be ready to watch this. Very excited for more gambit!
This show was always political so i am glad theyve kept that
And some the orginal voice actors are now other voices like the original voice of jubilee is the un mutant ambassador I belive the guy who voiced senator Kelley is the executioner and you have Carl Dodd who much like Peter Cullen he’s known for one role and then now you have cyclops/scott summers and eric magnesson/magneto replacing the Charles Xavier/ professor x magento relationship but I loved the first two episodes and also don’t mind the language as had this been the old show you would’ve had Logan going oh crud when Jean went into labor but you need a real reaction which is oh c**p
Morph is pretty clearly in love with Wolverine
Those are great stories, I will continue to wait for the next series