It seems the 2020’s is the decade for capitalising on nostalgia, and Marvel’s latest release ‘X-Men ‘97’ hits the nail on the head.
The titular ‘X-Men’ one of Marvel’s under-appreciated superhero teams, are brought back to life in this animate series, a continuation of its much-loved 1992 saturday-morning-cartoon predecessor ‘X-Men: The Animated Series’; and despite being released over 25 years later, has old and new fans alike hooked.
But unlike poorly received sequels of competing pop-culture franchises, ‘X-Men ‘97’ isn’t just a rehash of what’s already been done; it brings a whole new level of action-packed awesomeness to the table.
‘97 picks up right where the original series left off. Without their namesake and leader Professor Charles Xavier (Ross Marquad), the X-Men must navigate new team dynamics, adopting members Sunspot (Gui Agustini), Bishop (Isaac Robinson-Smith) and Morph (JP Karliak) to the team, as well as longtime villain Magneto (Matthew Waterson) announcing a change of heart and stepping in as Xavier’s replacement, though not without some scepticism from AJ LoCascio’s Gambit.
The X-Men continue to face persistent threats, whether it be the ruthless robot Sentinels (Eric Bauza) or the return of Mr Sinister (Christopher Britton), and even in the face of considerable odds and losses, the team unite again to protect human and mutant kids alike against their biggest threat yet; cyborg extremist Bastion (Theo James), determined to enslave mutants and ‘upgrade’ humans to foster his twisted utopia.
The finale ends with multiple cameos, cliff-hangers and a short post-credit scene, leaving fans eager for more and slyly setting up the already confirmed second season.
The X-Men, a team of ‘mutants’ whose unique abilities have left them shunned and feared by society, have unsurprisingly long been preached as an allegory for social difference. But where the original animated series was more subtle against the threat of a less progressive time and people, ‘97 shows no fear it is overt tackling of current issues.
In only the second episode audiences are introduced to the X-Cutioner (Lawrence Bayne), a character bent on eradicating mutants and who even manages to terminate the weather power of African mutant Storm (Alison Sealy-Smith), echoing historical discrimination against people of colour. In a less obvious parallel, a pregnant Jean Grey (Jennifer Hale) is refused medical treatment as she goes into labour purely on the basis of her mutant identity.
Magneto’s Jewish and Holocaust-survivor identity is also explored more directly, with the entirety of episodes 5-10 featuring a chillingly comparable storyline of mutant genocide, complete with brief flashbacks of trains and concentration camps, a definite achievement in opposition to where the original series lacked against the more conservative standards of the 90’s.
Cartoons have too often been plagued with the stigma of solely being an agent of children’ entertainment.
But ‘X-Men ‘97’ offers a refreshing balance of addressing these complex topics, recognising the still young-at-heart fans of the original series, while simultaneously engaging current preteen and adolescent audiences of today’s superhero and action genres. The cherry on top? Even despite being a continuation of an older, deeply complex lore of not only the original series but decades worth of comics and novels, ‘97 is constructed in such a way that any casual superhero fan can jump right in with little background knowledge, yet diehard fans are not left without, seamlessly integrating beloved comic storylines onto the screen.
The original ‘X-Men: The Animated Series’ was praised for being ahead of its time in its messages of social issues; and unlike typical 2 hour superhero blockbuster-films, as a TV show concepts are able to be extended in a way that reflects the complexity of real-life issues. Even over the course of the original five seasons, the X-Men never reach a concrete end to mutant discrimination, and ‘97 continues on with the X-Men fighting the very same issues.
In terms of animation, it’s clear that producer’s of ‘X-Men ‘97’ aimed to mimic the original series and the traditional 2D animated style of the 90’s era. Admittedly, it is not as close to the original as it could have been, even when accounting for modern animation methods and greater attention to detail, which was often lacking in mass-produced cartoons. The heavy shading and linework used particularly seems forced in comparison to the original authentic hand-drawn approach. Hints of an anime-style also clearly provided the basis of new inspiration, indicative from the detailing present in the character’s eyes and facial features, which isn’t unsuccessful, but an issue of continuity with the original series.
On the bright side, this does draw the style closer to those used in other Marvel animation projects, potentially paving the way for the X-Men of this series to join the studio’s multiversal bandwagon.
In another move in line with contemporary standards, the character designs in ‘97 also cut down on sexualisation elicited by disproportionate body features in its female characters, a sure win against harmful and distorted representations.
Of course, cinematic works rarely achieve such success without the effort of its cast members. For the sake of nostalgia, the series saw the return of numerous voice-actors for their work in the original series.
With age there is an undeniable albeit subtle difference to be heard for those reprising their roles, but nevertheless familiar enough that fans are transported back in time upon hearing the iconic southern accent of Lenore Zann as Rogue or the gruff retort of Cal Dodd as Wolverine.
For others, the inclusive ideologies behind the principle of the X-Men coupled with modern appreciations of culture and identity made some recasts a no-brainer. Taking the spotlight in particular is Asian voice-actor Holly Chou, who proved more appropriate for Chinese superhero Jubilee, originally voiced by Alyson Court, who adopted a new cameo role as an older alternate version of the character.
In terms of music, The Newton Brothers are responsible for the uncanny soundtrack, including a faithful rendition of the renowned opening theme. Collectively it isn’t Mozart, but it certainly gets the message across, whether it be the fast-paced action of a fight sequence or a hard-hitting emotional scene; it works advantageously to the series as a whole, not outshining the other departments but proving to be the thread neatly tying everything together.
The series is undeniably off to a strong start. It’s unsure when the iconic team of mutant superheroes will make their next live-action appearance on the big screen, or what the will even look like. But one thing is for certain; we need more from the treasure trove that is ‘X-Men ‘97’.
Stream ‘X-Men ‘97’ on Disney+.
- Rationale -
500-600 words
This creative piece is a review on a television series, Marvel’s ‘X-Men 97’. Its purpose is to inform and persuade the audience into engaging with the material in mention, as well as to critique and unpack aspects of its composition.
This review employs a traditional book and film review template, with a four point structure: The opening three paragraphs introduce the content, form and basic details of the series, succinct and quick to the point to immediately capture the reader’s attention. This is followed by a summary of the plot and key elements and details, without spoiling the series but positioning the text in a genre and quality. The ensuing paragraphs provide an analysis of different aspects of the show, including story, animation and music, critiquing what succeeded and what didn’t (New York Film Academy, 2024). Finally, it concludes with a call to action to encourage the reader to engage with the show (Wolfe, n.d.); “...one thing is for certain; we need more from the treasure trove that is ‘X-Men 97’” (Krog, 2024).
The review’s template is less rigid however, interweaving each point more similar to an article or blog post. This would be more appropriate in the context of the target audience of ‘X-Men ‘97’, in that teenagers and adolescents would frequent these sites more often than traditional platforms for reviews such as newspapers or journals. Furthermore, blog-style reviews are also becoming increasingly popular through social media, websites such as Vox and Rotten Tomatoes, and even respected online news sources such as The New York Times (Kansal & Khera, n.d.).
This has subsequently influenced the style, language and conventions employed in this review:
The review uses third-person language to retain a degree of formality, but simultaneously a conversational written style, which limits technical words and uses simple language to produce a more engaging and relational form. This is particularly important in reviews to avoid confusing the reader, enable a broad target audience, and establish that the reviewer is on the same level as the reader.
A rhetorical question is used in paragraph 11: “The cherry on top?” (Krog, 2024). This further implements a relational tone with the reader, encouraging a moment of consideration, and also acting as a persuasion to the value of the series (Abiyoe, 2011).
Finally, a number of idioms, particularly metaphors, are also used throughout the review to compare aspects of the series, and also to ‘illustrate’ rather than ‘tell’. For example, the opening line uses the phrase “...hits the nail on the head,” to suggest the success of the series, while also hooking the reader with a creative flair. Other metaphors are also employed to bridge gaps in understanding and achieve a point more concisely. In paragraph 18 the metaphor “...it isn’t Mozart…’ is used in reference to the music of ‘X-Men ‘97’ to convey its complexity, or lack thereof (Krog, 2024); it also doubles as hyperbole, illustrating an extreme example [i.e: Mozart] and comparing it to the subject at hand.
Overall, this review of ‘X-Men ‘97’ mirrors traditional templates for movies and television shows, critiquing a range of aspects and features of both the content and form. It adopts a conversational and simplistic language approach to ensure understanding and accessibility, a necessity for reviews which are read by a wide audience, while also proving to be concise and relational to communicate its point effectively, using metaphors and idioms to emphasise an authentic and level relationship between the reviewer and reader.
References:
Abiyoe, T. (2011). PREFERENCE FOR RHETORICAL QUESTIONS AS AN INDEX OF TEXTUAL MESSAGE EFFECTIVENESS. International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 11. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/225292528_PREFERENCE_FOR_RHETORICAL_QUESTIONS_AS_AN_INDEX_OF_TEXTUAL_MESSAGE_EFFECTIVENESS.
Kansal, A. & Khera, H. (n.d.). Online Movie Review System. [PDF]. https://ijcrt.org/papers/IJCRT_195231.pdf.
New York Film Academy. (2024). HOW TO WRITE A MOVIE REVIEW: 10 ESSENTIAL TIPS. https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/9-tips-for-writing-a-film-review/.
Wolfe, S. (n.d.). Book or Movie Review Template. [PDF]. Thompson Rivers University Writing Centre. https://www.tru.ca/__shared/assets/Book_Movie_Review_Template30235.pdf.