Movies News Talk
Bob Iger promised that Disney films should "entertain first, not [push] messages," in what now seems like a poor decision meant to placate investors; X-Men '97 should be held up as the main example of why both can be achieved without compromising either. Looking to weaponize any show's most extreme, tough premise, the finale pays off some of them absolutely would be deemed "messages" by anyone.
First with the trailer shot of Wolverine and Gambit combining their powers, the concept of fantastic team-ups was underlined even before release. The entire season ran with the X-Men battling to come together due of their individual painful histories. Beau DeMayo discussed on X.com how the Genosha invasion of X-Men '97 episode 5 "Remember It" (which is now up for an Emmy, and rightfully so) was meant to mirror mass trauma situations like 9/11. Combining that idea with Magneto's renowned horrific past for one of the most emotionally charged climax scenes was just amazing.
Particularly with Dark Phoenix and New Mutants leaving black marks on the franchise, recency bias is always a minefield to be carefully traversed; X-Men '97 settles the issue. On film, it is the best X-Men have produced. Apart from romantic exaggeration, whoever inherits the MCU's X-Men legacy should research the narrative and quick-fire adaptation of so many classic X-Men storylines. Even with characters who have shown numerous times in other X-Men media, the character development was measured and remarkably paid off.
Although Logan's not an X-Men movie, technically, calm any heated responses, the successes of X-Men 2 and X-Men: Days Of Future Past cannot be disregarded. X-Men '97 rivals them and exceeds them in its daring. It is the ideal forerunner to the MCU's forthcoming Mutant Saga, slain characters, maturedly examined the X-Men's outsider metaphor.
X-Men '97 season one is thus completed, and the lad leaves his mark. Strictly speaking, of course, Tolerance Is Extinction was a three-part finale meant - as creator Beau DeMayo verified online - as a 90-minute event, but each of the three episodes delivered in their own regard. That is exactly the tail of the entire season: although Marvel's TV shows—especially the Netflix Defenders saga—have drawn criticism for their center drooping, X-Men '97 has practically zero fat.
Direct successor of the popular 1990s animated series X-Men: The Animated Series is X-Men '97. Starting where the third season left off, Marvel's comeback brings back well-known mutants such Wolverine, Storm, Rogue, Gambit, Cyclops, Beast, Magneto, and Nightcrawler, who fight villains including Mr. Sinister, the Sentinels, and the Hellfire Club.
Though it's not the best eoisode—that award goes to Remember It—Tolerance Is Extinction Part III achieves everything you could desire from a conclusion. It tied up several other narratives that had simmered over the season even beyond Bastion's story's resolution. Naturally, it also set up an even more fascinating future,
Of course, climaxing with Tolerance is Extinction's interpretation of Marvel's Fatal Attractions narrative, X-Men '97 season one had an almost-breathless history of significant X-Men stories. Remarkably, though, the program managed to provide satisfactory arcs for practically all the major characters (Wolverine's was perhaps less significant, but he possibly has a tremendous future). A few of those gathered for a crossover payback in the last episode.
Some of the programs had amazing scope, and live-action would have found it impossible to replicate their cost. Animation lets one have a more creative attitude free from the restrictions of distracting computer-generated imagery. X-Men '97 rejoiced in embracing its anime inspirations throughout the season, and in the climax the struggle between Magneto and Charles Xavier contains events that seem respectfully plucked from the genre. It's a wise decision as well, one that transcends supporters flaunting their favorites.
Extreme emotion has always been better shown in anime; there is a dedication to hyperrealism that often exaggerates expressions, and the melodramatic quality ideal for X-Men stories is evident. This is Marvel's soap opera, after all; as concerned in the relationships between the characters as it is with whatever the next implausibly powerful menace the Earth is. X-Men '97 knows exactly what it is, and its use of subtext—especially in relation to the resolution of the finale—showcases that.
I was sure X-Men '97 was a fantastic TV program when I clicked publish on my first Review. Such so that I gave it four stars. Based simply on the first three episodes, the observation was accurate; today I feel stupid to have undervalued how brilliantly the program would go on to be. X-Men '97 is a five-star experience overall, which is undoubtedly also a realization not usually possible with animated shows. The last episode featured a narrative climax, pulling up strands planted with the first episode (and before that in X-Men: TAS) and resisting the impulse to substitute escalation at all costs for nuance.
Of course, the ultimate question should always be whether the ending of X-Men '97 is really excellent. '97 isn't only good; it also meets three main goals at once without descending too far into a hyperbolic hole. Though laden with nostalgia, it is simultaneously a faithful and fulfilling rebirth ready for younger viewers who should now go back and see TAS. Though it's a good issue, it also sets the standard so high for Marvel's live-action X-Men remake that it's difficult to envy anybody Kevin Feige assigns with the job.