X-Men ’97 Season 1 (2024)
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X-Men ’97 Season 1 Review
X-Men ’97 is a superhero animated television series that premiered its first season on Disney+ in 2024. It’s a strong, but quite flawed show.
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“Gods abandon those that believe in them“
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This series continues the story right where the final season of the original show from the nineties ended. It’s very very much a continuation in style, tone and subject, which was done for better and for worse. I wished for a more unique and different take ultimately, though I did appreciate its classic themes and characters. Beau DeMayo is currently having a lot of issues with Disney behind-the-scenes, but as for his work, I found it to be just fine. He did not bring anything new to the table and I did not find the series to be as homoerotic as most said it is.
Cyclops was solid in this installment, but still not as good as in the comics. Jean Grey was forgettable, though the mutant clone storyline was interesting. Storm and Wolverine got some cool action sequences, but in terms of arcs, they did not get much to do here. Rogue, Beast and Gambit fared better, all of them getting a lot to do.
Magneto and Charles were the standouts for me personally and their arcs were the best of the bunch. Magneto was a terrific villain here and I appreciated how competent and also reasonable he was. His monologues all worked and that courtroom drama episode was my favorite due to the excellent themes employed.
The finale was also quite good and epic, especially the last part. But the middle section was less memorable and the show was overwhelming in action and not as well realized in characterization and plot, lacking in emotional and thematic resonance for the most part.
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The animation is also just fine, seeming a bit dated for the time. It’s traditional to its detriment. But the score is fantastic and the iconic opening returning was a great choice as it’s a classic for a reason. The dialogue on this show is very good and it is a mature, sophisticated tackling of the mythos, but the series was disappointing to me at the end of the day due to its overly frenetic pacing and rushed nature. Too often the episodes would just go through the major storylines and moments in such a hasty manner, leaving me feeling whiplash.
Overall, the first season of X-Men ’97 doesn’t have the best pacing and structure, but the voice acting is terrific, the score is superb and the show’s dialogue and action are quite strong. A couple of episodes here stood out for their mature themes and memorable drama, but too often the series would feel too hectic, overwhelming in action and underdeveloped in plot and characters. It’s pretty good, but nowhere near as great as most would let you believe it is.
Worst Episodes: To Me, My X-Men and Bright Eyes.
Best Episodes: Mutant Liberation Begins and Tolerance is Extinction Part 3.
