By: Jennifer Ariesta.
A well-crafted nostalgia trip for millennial kids, X-Men ‘97 is geared up mainly for those who grew up with the original 90’s cartoon. But its polished storylines and thrilling production value might morph a new generation of viewers into fans.
A direct sequel to X-Men: The Animated Series, X-Men ‘97 picks up a year after the end of the former show, which ran from 1992 to 1997. From the get go, it feels like the creators specifically tailor made the show to feel as though no time has passed since X-Men leader Professor Charles Xavier was (spoiler alert for a 27 year old ending!) killed off at the finale of the original series. The iconic opening credit with the theme song that all 90’s kids grew up watching is back in its full glory. The 2D animation style is also preserved for the revival, bringing the original gang back the way they looked on lunch boxes and backpacks nearly 30 years ago. It’s a full on trip down memory lane.
On the show, though, everything has changed for the X-Men. With Professor Charles Xavier gone, the rest of the mutants are struggling to move forward. Scott Summers a.k.a. Cyclops has taken the leadership mantle, but the weight of continuing Xavier’s legacy is getting too much. As Scott and Jean Grey await the birth of their first child, the couple are torn between staying on the team or leaving to start their family. Meanwhile, the team must contend with the continued prejudice against the mutants as well as new threats.
Preceding its live-action iterations, the series marks the first full-blown X-Men project since Disney’s purchase of 20th Century Studio brought the property back to Marvel (Beast and Professor X did cameo on MCU films). Though we would no doubt see more live-action going forward (Deadpool & Wolverine coming up this summer), this show serves as a litmus test of Marvel’s capability in handling the IP. Let’s face it, the last few years haven’t been great for Marvel entries, particularly their streaming series. Viewerships are dwindling amid less-than-marvelous reviews and audience receptions. Mercifully, X-Men ‘97 actually bucked this trend, scoring a high 98% on Rotten Tomatoes. A good start!
This has a lot to do with the show’s keen sensibility to not only rely on nostalgia factor. True, people tune in to the familiar characters and aesthetics, but that alone would not be enough. X-Men ‘97 did well carrying on the storylines from the original. From the complex racial allegory that serves as the basis of the mutants’ fight for acceptance to the interpersonal drama among the mutants themselves, the writing is PACKED. Perhaps, knowing its main target audiences are those who are now in their 30s-40s, the series liberally explores darker themes that they would relate better – all while keeping it PG for the younger audiences. The slight downside, though: some newcomers might get a bit disoriented since the show doesn’t really bother initiating you into its lore.
All things considered, it is really well made for the intended target audiences it’s going for. The series airs on Disney+ and will have 10 episodes for its first season.
