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X-Men Evolution - Mutants Rising

Warner Bros. // Unrated // April 22, 2003
List Price: $19.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]

Review by Don Houston | posted April 21, 2003 | E-mail the Author
Movie: Marvel is known for making some of the most interesting comic books and characters in pop-culture history. Perhaps the most interesting group of super heroes to come out of the workshops of Marvel are the X-Men. They have gone through a number of changes over the years but started out as a group of teenagers who developed mutant powers that allowed them to do things others could only dream of. The series was an allegory to the stressful changes that all teenagers go through but with the enhanced powers angle used to sugarcoat the stories. In this latest update on the X-Men legend, X-Men Evolution: Mutants Rising, we see the characters all reworked to the point that long time fans will probably be upset while new fans may appreciate the ability to jump in (which would be difficult to do if you hadn't been reading the comics for years).

The dvd consisted of the first 4 episodes from season two which show the team having problems any teenagers would have, with the exception of the super powers involved. Here's a quick breakdown of the scenes:
Growing Pains: The team finds social interaction difficult with regular teenagers and they have the extra problem of saving the high school from a group of evil mutants (The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants to be exact). Can they save the day and keep their secrets?

Power Surge: Jean's (Phoenix) powers are increasing quickly and maintaining control over them is getting impossible. On top of that, she is being courted by two rivals, Scott (Cyclops) and a football star. Can the team save her?

Bada-Bing, Bada-Boom: Tabitha (Boom Boom) finds she doesn't fit in with the stuffy rules of Xavier's Institute and her past troubles have caught up with her. What she does is not typical for such a series to show.

Fun And Games: The kids throw a party while the Professor is called away. The return of Mystique, the introduction of Arcade, and Juggernaut's possible return are dealt with.

Picture: The picture was presented in the 1.33:1 full frame format. It looked very crisp and clean compared to the television version.

Sound: The sound was presented in Dolby Digital Stereo and was also clean if not outstanding.

Extras: Biographies of most of the cast along with a short scene of each of them performing their super power. A short quiz game on the X-Men and episode introduction to the individual shows by Producer Boyd Kirkland rounded out the extras here.

Final Thoughts: As a long ago X-men fan, I really found the concept pretty weak and watered down for the saturday morning kiddy crowd but it had some fun moments too. If you're a geeky comic book fan from way back, you'll want to avoid this one as it's not true to the comic but it does keep the basic premise alive. Perhaps if they got Frank Miller or Chris Claremont to write for the show, I'd be happier. In any case, releasing the show by full season would've also been a good idea as would putting out season one first. Overall, it's a rental to me but fans of the show do get a fair amount of show for the cost.

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