X-Men ’97 Gets 100% On Rotten Tomatoes And We Can’t Wait To Watch

In the age of review-bombing and notoriously finicky fanbases, the audience score alone is proof that X-Men ‘97 really has managed to recreate the magic of the beloved X-Men: The Animated Series. The original series aired on Fox Kids from 1992 to 1997, and the new series picks off right where the old one left off. While plenty of people are going to rush right to Disney+ to stream the first two episodes tonight, there will undoubtedly be quite a few of us waiting until Saturday morning to watch it with a bowl of sugary cereal like the old days (this writer included).

X-Men 97’ seems to have achieved the rare feat of delivering nostalgia while also telling a worthwhile story. There have been plenty of cynical nostalgia cash grabs that just use the name recognition of recognizable IPs in recent years, but this, thankfully, doesn’t appear to be one of them. This is saying something, considering the series comes from one of the biggest corporations of all time.

Max Covill of RoberEbert.com summed up his review of the series by saying, “The stories of those old episodes hold up, but the show itself is difficult to watch on modern television,” and X-Men ‘97 has none of those problems and it’s a joy seeing these characters animated in a new, crisp series.”

An audience review on Rotten Tomatoes expressed a similar sentiment, with user Danny B saying, “After pressing play I had goose pimples straight away,” and “It took me back to my childhood but also massively entertained me as a full grown adult.” If you’ve even just skimmed Rotten Tomatoes before, you know it’s rare for critics and audiences to agree, so it seems like fans of the original are going to be plenty happy.

Of course, the incredible hype and excitement for X-Men ‘97 was slightly marred last week when it was announced that creator and showrunner Beau DeMayo was departing the series. Brad Winderbaum, the head of streaming, television, and animation at Marvel Studios, recently spoke to Entertainment Weekly about this development, saying that he “can’t talk about the details.” However, when asked if he considered the departure a firing, Winderbaum clarified, “I don’t,” adding, “’We parted ways’ is the best way I could say.

Beau DeMayo had already finished writing the second season of X-Men ‘97, so his storytelling presence will still be felt in Season 2 if the series is renewed. Clearly, the series looks like it’s going to be a runaway success, so the question is what will happen if Season 3 is in the cards. Hopefully, something will be able to be worked out to get the train back on the tracks.

In the meantime, fans can at least guarantee that they’ll get to enjoy a full season of X-Men ‘97, starting with today’s two-episode premiere. The first season has a total of ten episodes, and new episodes will be released on Disney+ weekly. Make sure to tune in if you want a dose of the best kind of nostalgia possible.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes