Review - X-Men '97 (2024)

        Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, I said I would have at least one Marvel review for this month, and it's definitely worth it. X-Men '97 is a Disney+ animated series, which serves as a continuation of the '90s Fox Kids animated series X-Men. This series was developed by Beau DeMayo, and has been easily the most popular Marvel series produced for Disney+. 

         So, X-Men '97 picks up some time after the ending of the classic '90s X-Men series. Charles Xavier is dead, and a question comes up about the future of the X-Men themselves. Meanwhile, we meet a teenage mutant named Roberto Da Costa, who is rescued and brought to the X-Mansion. Meanwhile, while Cyclops is undecided on whether he'll step up and lead the X-Men or not is tabled when it's revealed that in his will, Professor Xavier left both the Mansion and the X-Men to Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto. Also, we learn that Jean Grey was cloned by Mister Sinister, and Jean's clone, Madeline Pryor, gives birth to Cyclops' son Nathan, who of course will grow up to become Cable. 

        The overall lineup of the X-Men team is pretty on point from the classic '90s series. Wolverine, Storm, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Jubilee, Beast, Gambit, and Morph, as well as the likes of Bishop and Nightcrawler. And, what's awesome is that the voice actors for Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, Beast, and Rogue are all voiced by their original voice actors from the original '90s series. Cyclops' role was recast with Ray Chase as the original actor, Norm Spencer, sadly passed away. And, the same was the case for Magneto, where the role was recast due to the passing of original series voice actor David Hemblen. And, some of the new cast, like Jennifer Hale as both Jean Grey and Madeline Pryor, were actually pretty good. Now, one notable update is with the character of Morph the shape shifter, where the character is addressed as they/them. However, they are never referred to as nonbinary, as such a term didn't exist back in the '90s. 

         The animation style is really something. Not only does it feel reminiscent of the animation style of the original series from the '90s, but it also feels like a very stellar update. Occasionally coming off a bit too smooth and perfect by comparison to the original series, but it keeps the overall design aesthetic and color style from the original series, and it's really amazing. Also, the music is pretty good. I love how they did a really great modern update of the classic X-Men theme by Haim Saban and Shuki Levy, and the rest of the music by The Newton Brothers was really great, as well. 

       The story of the series, however, was a bit more hit and miss for my taste. Now, while I appreciated how they handled the storyline involving Madeline Pryor, Nathan Summers, and Mister Sinister, other story elements that involve the development of characters like Magneto and Rogue felt a bit more hamfisted and forced. And, it's unfortunate, as they spent a good bit of time building an endearing connection between Rogue and Gambit, but it got cut off just as it was getting started. Why? To put Rogue and Magneto together for some reason. Although, I will say that I liked the episode where Jubilee and Roberto get sucked into a cyber dimension ruled by the villain Mojo, and the only way out is to win his video game, which includes an appearance by Spiral. And, even I will admit that the massacre at Genosha was truly unsettling in, what I believe, is one of the series' finest episodes. 

         Overall, though, I thoroughly loved the way Beau DeMayo and his team crafted X-Men '97. It is, in many ways, the perfect continuation of the classic '90s X-Men series, and a fantastic way to usher in New stories for this particular version of the X-Men team. I'm giving X-Men '97 a rating of 4.75/5. And, what's really great about this series is that it makes the third revival of a '90s animated series that I've watched and enjoyed, with the other two being the Hulu revival of Animaniacs and the Paramount+ revival of Beavis and Butt-Head. But, much like those two shows, X-Men '97 is clearly more intended for fans of the classic X-Men cartoon from the '90s. 

       Alright guys, this is Chuck signing off, and I'll see you guys next time when I review the new Mad Max movie: Furiosa. 

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