Critic Reviews

X-Men ’97 goes all-in on the requisite campiness, high-stakes action, and potent parallels that made the original, as well as the comics that inspired it, so much fun.

On par with the quality of its first season, "X-Men '97" returns with an emotional, action-packed exploration of an iconic Marvel villain, weaving high-stakes drama and countless characters from multiple timelines into an epic story that will leave casual viewers enthralled and comic book diehards satisfied.

What we have here, then, is something close to the best of both possible worlds: a nostalgic revival of a beloved series that matches our idea of what it was like to watch X-Men when we were kids, rather than one trying to specifically ape any specific elements of that series.

X-Men ’97 takes what worked so well in that first series and develops it into one of the greatest X-Men projects so far, quite possibly the best animated series to come from Marvel. It took nearly three decades to return to this world, but X-Men ’97 makes the wait well worth it.

It features a solid voice cast and a vibrant new visual style marked by several spectacular action sequences. It’s also a series that illustrates just how powerful the mutant metaphor is even three decades later. Marvel fans of any age would do well to give X-Men ‘97 a look.

The series is sincere but not self-important, slightly silly but not embarrassed about it. Its bright, flat retro style — a bit more polished than the ’90s series, but otherwise of a piece with it — looks downright distinctive in a sea of “3D” animation and “realistic” CG. Best of all, it works on its own terms.

Despite “X-Men ‘97” leaning too hard into heavier drama, this is an excellent continuation of a fan-favorite series. .... “X-Men ‘97” is the real deal.

"X-Men '97" Season 1 was hailed as one of the greatest Marvel Studios projects ever. Season 2 will not upset that reputation, but only reaffirm it with the same mix of flashy fun and true dramatic gravitas.

The series continues to be both a love letter to a particular era of the X-Men franchise and a source of deep, enjoyable character drama that can appeal to Marvel fans of all stripes.

Ultimately, featuring terrific animation that soars in dynamic, thrilling action sequences while updating the aesthetic of the semi-outdated ‘90s version, “X-Men ‘97” is pretty much what you’d want from a modern-day animated series. It acknowledges the past, the same vibe, and storylines, using the same formula of tightly-packed 30-minute melodramas within, but updates itself for modern times without ever overextending its innovations.