X Men ’97 Series Returns with Campy Dialogue and Cleaner Animation!
Nineties kids know the lure of getting up on a weekend and bingeing Saturday morning cartoons. One of my favorite series was X-Men, Fox’s animated series that depicted Marvel “mutants” dealing with discrimination and fear in a world that refuses to understand their gifts. Disney Plus has released a sequel to the series which picks up right after the final episode and the death of Professor X. Disney Plus provided the first three episodes for us to screen so let’s get into the new series!
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Shortly after the death of Professor X, Cyclops is attempting to lead the X-men. In this rebooted series, the team fights together willingly but Cyclops is constantly frustrated that they aren’t taking their roles seriously, and that frustration threatens to explode when Magneto takes over the leadership of the team. Other episodes kick off another Jean Grey saga and viewers get to check in on the Morlocks who are still being harrassed by humans. Characters like Morph and Bishop join the team full time although they don’t have much to do as the focus is kept on the main X-Men characters.
Familiar tensions will remind fans of the original X-Men series like Rogue longing to be able to touch another person without hurting them, and being Gambit, her forever admirer who is kept at a distance. Wolverine’s unrequited love for Jean Grey still goes strong as does his grouchy attitude towards Cyclops. One major difference though? Storm finally gets recognition as a powerful omega mutant in a scene that shows off just how strong her powers are.
Several original voice actors return and I had to wince at some of the cheesy dialogue, especially from Rogue but it’s nice to have that continuity and recognition from the original series.
The animation is so much brighter and crisper than the original series, without swaying too much from the original. Viewers will see this reflected in the fight scenes and might be surprised at some of the subtle changes like Cyclops using his beam to physically maneuver around enemies. Another cool scene shows Gambit riding on Wolverine’s back after lighting up his claws with his purple kinetic energy. The action is easier to follow in this new series and it’s certainly a step up from the tweaking fight scenes of the original series. The animation in the new X-Men ’97 series reflects the nineties in the costuming and background scenes and everything feels updated including a new version of the iconic opening song.
With a combination of humor and nostalgia, X-Men ’97 captures what made the original series so fun and campy.
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