Tag Archives: X-Men ’97

Awards – My Top 15 TV Shows of 2024

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This was an odd year for TV, with a bunch of shows that started strong and then just didn’t have the hold to keep me, but then we found a higher level of quality this year than many of the past, which has led us to a slightly longer list this year.

 
So this year, we will look at all the shows we reviewed last year, SEE HERE, and pick our Top 15 of the 35 shows we reviewed. For a show to count, it needed to end its run or season in 2024.  

Highly Commended – Buried, Citadel Honey Bunny, Doctor Who,The Gentlemen, Jurassic World: Chaos Theory, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters & Star Trek: Discovery

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The Works from 2024 That Showed Off the Wonderful Glory of Animation

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Animation is a form of filmmaking that is often related to second-tier status, something just for kids. This is done by both the organisations giving out awards and the guilds promoting their members’ work. However, they are not second-tier films; in many ways, animated films push the frontiers of filmmaking and what is possible, and they should be championed for their work.     

Animated films can be hand-drawn, stop/clay motion, or computer-generated; it does not matter, but all of them show the unique techniques of hundreds of artists that bring the work to life.

Our Highly Commended Films in 2024 are The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim & Moana 2

Our Highly Commended TV in 2024 are: Jurassic World: Chaos Theory, Knuckles & Star Trek: Lower Decks

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The Musical Scores of 2024 That Wowed Us

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One factor that I will always look out for in a film is the musical score. I can get caught in the world of music as it sits in my head in the days, weeks, months, and even the years that come. There is immense artistry in weaving emotions from music, having us slip into the world that is created, fear the oncoming dread even if we do not know why, or rejoice in the triumph of that final victory.

Music charts the cinematic world as it guides us, lifts us up, and yet it can also crush our souls with a couple of notes on a piano. This is its power.

Also, a reminder that this award is for Musical Scores and Original Songs only, so no needle drops or non-original songs, so prepping you for Wicked not being on this list right from the start. However, it would be remiss of me not to at least mention the cultural relevance of Deadpool & Wolverine using a choral version of Madonna’s Like a Prayer.

Our Highly Commended Films in 2024 are: Alien: Romulus, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Gladiator II, Hundreds of Beavers, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Transformers One


Our Highly Commended TV in 2024 are: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Shōgun & Star Wars: The Acolyte

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The Works of 2024 That Emotionally Wrecked Us

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As I have gotten older, I am not afraid of having a good old-fashioned ugly cry in the cinemas when the time calls for it, and hell, I probably got emotional just writing this list (Spoiler: I did). Sometimes, they are tears of grief or tears of joy, and even still, sometimes, they are tears of anger. 

Emotion is a core part of the cinema experience. If you can’t get us to respond emotionally to your characters and/or the situation, I am sorry you failed to make a great film.

Our Highly Commended Films in 2024 are: A Quiet Place: Day One, The Beekeeper, How to Make Gravy, Robot Dreams, Thelma & Turtles All the Way Down

Our Highly Commended TV in 2024 are: Agatha All Along, Earth Abides, The Penguin, Shōgun & Star Trek: Prodigy

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X-Men ’97 – Tolerance Is Extinction – Part 3 & Season 1 – TV Review

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TL;DR – It perfectly sticks the landing, balancing emotion, narrative, and a cameo or 10 to create an episode that had an impact.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ Service that viewed this series.

End Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit scene.

Bastion's eyes.

X-Men ’97 Review –

When I first started this series, I had this concern that maybe this new series would dent the old memories, or what if I was living in the world of rose-tinted glasses? The X-Men are the one side of the Marvel Universe that I have been the most connected to over the years, and the original X-Men: The Animated Series was the critical catalyst to that. This first season had its highs and lows, but I still wondered if it could stick the landing, so I needn’t have been concerned.    

So to set the scene, after Bastion (Theo James) lets loose his sentinels in Tolerance Is Extinction – Part 1 leading to Magneto (Matthew Waterson) declares war on humanity. The X-Men joined together under newly returned Professor-X (Ross Marquand) to try and stop him in Tolerance Is Extinction – Part 2 while also attacking Bastion. But as Jean Grey (Jennifer Hale) was despatched by her own son Cable (Chris Potter) and Magneto decided to rip every atom of adamantium off Wolverine’s (Cal Dodd) bones, all looked lost. But never count the X-Men out, even in the face of complete failure. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode and series as a whole, so there may be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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X-Men ’97 – Tolerance Is Extinction – Part 2 – TV Review

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TL;DR – The ending gave me pause, but this was still a fantastic episode.  

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ Service that viewed this series.

A painting of the Sentinels.

X-Men ’97 Review –

When you have a trilogy, the middle part is always going to be, well, for lack of a better world, the middle child. They are stuck following up on what went before while also having to set everything up for the final part. In that space, there is rarely time for them to shine on their own. Today, we will see if Tolerance Is Extinction – Part 2 will continue or buck that trend.

So to set the scene, at the end of Tolerance Is Extinction – Part 1, just when everything looks like it is about to fall apart, two critical events happen. Professor X (Ross Marquand) returned to Earth and called all his X-Men to him, and then Magneto was released from his prison. But this time, Magneto is not going to let humans get away with their crimes. This time, Magneto is going to war. The problem is that Magneto is destroying the Earth’s magnetic field, and in 12 hours, that might be irreversible. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there may be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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X-Men ’97 – Tolerance Is Extinction – Part 1 – TV Review

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TL;DR – This is a solid opening to the final arc of the season.  

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ Service that viewed this series.

X-Men opening logos with Rouge and Storm.

X-Men ’97 Review –

Over the last week, I have finally had the chance to dive into the heart of X-Men ’97. I did come into it a bit wearily because X-Men: The Animated Series was my first introduction to all things X-Men and Marvel. There was this concern that maybe this new series would dent those old memories, or what if I was living in the world of rose-tinted glasses? So far, it has been mostly fantastic, but the truth is in the landing, and we look at the first part of that today.  

So to set the scene, in last week’s episode, we discovered that Mister Sinister (Christopher Britton) is not the main villain pulling the strings because Bastion (Theo James) has returned. But as the X-Men still try to pick up the pieces after the Genosha genocide and discovering who Cable (Chris Potter) is. But there is no time for that because there is a more significant threat moving, a threat that might be closer to home than anyone knows. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there may be [SPOILERS] ahead.  

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