Although Marvel’s mutants have experienced highs and lows over the decades of their existence, one thing has remained constant: X-Men is eternal. It’s not because of the cool costumes and creativity of the actors. This is because at their core, X-MenThe themes of prejudice and humanity’s capacity to hate as much (if not more) as to love are always relevant.that’s why X-Men ’97,continue X-Men: The Animated Series, making a stunning appearance in its two-episode premiere, now streaming on Disney+.very classic X-Menwhich always works.
Within a few seconds, X-Men ’97 It feels like no time has passed since its predecessor went off the air nearly thirty years ago. The iconic original theme song begins to play, and the opening scene plays as always. Well, not exactly. It will play the way you remember it. The crisp animations are more vivid and expressive, and there are some new characters that get some attention during their introductions.This is a running theme X-Men ’97: This is X-Men Cartoons are not what they are, they are how you remember them.
It starts with animation. While the original’s 2D animation was popular, it doesn’t quite hold up to rewatching. instead, X-Men ’97 Choose shades and colors to resemble the original 2D style of your 3D animation. This is an approach that has been used before on other projects, but it never quite worked for me.As someone who doesn’t like animation what if…? I was worried that the 2D look would be uncomfortable.Then I was very pleasantly surprised by how well the animation turned out X-Men ’97. Aside from a few awkward shots in the first two episodes, the animation is excellent. This is helped by its near-perfect replication of the intro and tense action scenes. The first episode really puts a lot of effort into the visuals during the climactic fight scene, which involves Storm turning the desert into glass and then shattering it into smithereens. So spectacular.
image: Miracle
But enough about how good this show is. What have the lovable mutants been up to since we last saw them? A year after the death of mentor and leader Charles Xavier, Cyclops (now voiced brilliantly by Ray Chase) struggles to fill Professor X’s shoes.Cyclops and Wolverine (voiced by Carl Dodd, who is one of several return sound from the original series) are still head-to-head. Gene and Scott are expecting a son. Jubilee is still cool. Although some progress has been made in mutant-human relations, many people who hate mutants and want them exterminated still exist, such as the Friends of Humanity. It mixes familiar elements with new ones.
The first episode, “To Me, My X-Men,” doesn’t do anything ambitious narratively.It tells a simple X-Men A story about rescuing a young mutant (hey, that’s Sunspot!) and fighting some evil humans, ending with the aforementioned fight scene.It’s the kind of comfort food that makes it easy to return to the series, and no matter your familiarity with it, there’s something for everyone animated series. Of course, everything is upended in the episode’s final moments, when Magneto (you know, the X-Men’s archenemy) shows up and breaks the news that Xavier’s will leaves everything to him.
This is the real star X-Men ’97The premiere consists of two parts: Episode Two, “The Liberation of Mutants Begins.” Xavier left the school and the X-Men and went to Magneto as a final challenge to his closest friend (side note: these two never beat the “ex-lovers who can’t get over each other” charge, and this show knows it ) attempts to imagine a more peaceful path forward for mutants and humans alike. This includes making amends for his past crimes against humanity, for which he is willing to stand trial by the United Nations. While he was on trial, disaffected people protesting outside the United Nations broke in and launched a violent attack, targeting Magento and three judges. “What did we do in the fire?” shouted one judge. “You gave a monster a test,” Magneto replied. “Now you are traitors to your kind.”
What struck me most about the scenes at the United Nations was that they felt like an allusion to the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. But the story isn’t entirely apocryphal. X-Men ’97it is adapting vigorously Magento footprint from Uncanny X-Men Chapter 200 Author: Chris Claremont. The book was published in 1985, though like many of the X-Men’s best stories, they always seemed to speak to the current cultural moment. X-Men ’97 makes this its own story, but the similarities are there, and here’s why – despite the fact that the X-Men’s current situation in the comics is mostly dire (one of the shining ones light of hope)—X-Men ’97 Able to bring out the best in the character.like animated series, X-Men ’97 The ability to draw from decades of stories and select the best of them to repackage and adapt for new audiences.
While Magneto was on trial, June was dealing with her pregnancy. It’s a quieter storyline than the UN attack, but no less important. Jean confessed to Storm that she was afraid of giving birth to a mutant, for fear that her children would go through the pain she went through. Storm admits that she often thinks hard about what life would be like if she were born human, but she’s happy being a mutant because she’s found a family. This conversation, along with another between Sunspot and Jubilee in the first episode about hating their identity, makes the X-Men’s ability to represent marginalized groups as sharp as ever.The episode ends with Magneto’s stunning monologue that solidifies “Mutant Liberation Begins” as a story where everything is good X-Men The story should.
Like the first episode, “Mutant Liberation Begins” ends on a very dramatic cliffhanger. As a long-time X-Men fan, I’m interested in how the show will leave its mark on this iconic story. X-Men ’97 Made me feel like I was falling in love with these characters all over again. The show perfectly balances superhero action and personal stories, as well as nostalgia and fresh insights into the characters.it is X-Men downright. What more can you ask for?