The death of Professor X is only the beginning. And now, it’s a perfect world for the uncannyX-Men ’97, at least through 30 reviews from the critics. The latest series from Marvel Animation, which serves as a revival ofX-Men:The Animated Series, debuts with a pair of 33-minute episodes onDisney+.And the show has amassed a perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating on the Tomatometer, at the time of this writing. Alison Herman of Variety says in her critique ofX-Men ’97:
The pace can be dizzying, but when rendered in the pleasantly throwback, neon-colored, two-dimensional style of the original, it’s also engaging. There’s no time for things to drag when the plot is this packed.
Angie Han of The Hollywood Reporter writes:
The animated series is a throwback in the most ideal sense — so vintage, it comes all the way back around to feeling fresh again.
Without giving away any spoilers, Cyclops (Ray Chase) certainly gets his chance to shine in the first episode, which is titled “To Me, My X-Men.” Meanwhile, Season 1, Episode 2’s “Mutant Liberation Begins" definitely gives Magneto his own moments, and the story leaves off on quite the cliffhanger. In fact, Josh Wilding of ComicBookMovie.com callsX-Men ’97“eXcellent.” Wilding writes:
“A triumphant return for X-Men: The Animated Series, X-Men ‘97 is an eXtraordinary epic which, while a little overreliant on nostalgia, should satisfy fans of the original show and serve as an eXcellent entry point for newcomers."
Critics Give X-Men ‘97 a Perfect 100% Rating
While the latest Disney+ animated series about Marvel’s mutants dropped with a perfect Tomatometer rating, the fans are also reacting favorably to the new show, which has resulted in a 95% audience score. And, why not? After all, there are lots of juicyEaster Eggs in the first two episodes ofX-Men ’97. But the revival is living up to critics’ expectations, particularly where the storytelling is concerned.
Essential X-Men: The Animated Series Episodes to Catch Up With ‘97
To prepare for X-Men ‘97 or to tide over between each week’s new episodes, here are the best episodes of X-Men: The Animated Series to watch first.
Max Covill of RogerEbert.com adds about the storytelling:
The stories of those old episodes hold up, but the show itself is difficult to watch on modern television. X-Men ‘97 has none of those problems and it’s a joy seeing these characters animated in a new, crisp series.
And while Nick Schager of The Daily Beast admits there’s not a lot of innovation happening withX-Men ’97, the writer calls the Disney+ series “x-citing.” Schager also writes:
It may not reinvent the wheel, but in a certain sense, it does lay the groundwork for what Marvel hopes will be an, ahem, x-citing future.
Finally, Zaki Hasan of the San Francisco Chronicle praisesX-Men ’97as“X-quisite.” Hasan also says:
As Marvel’s first X-Men offering since reclaiming the rights to the property five years ago, this show is a welcome indicator of the franchise’s future. It’s not just good, it’s X-quisite.
The first two episodes ofX-Men ’97are now available to stream or binge-watch onDisney+.And be sure to check outMovieWeb’s review ofX-Men ‘97right now, which boasts “the mutants are back and better than ever.”
