April 28, 2009

By now it should be apparent that comic book movies, TV shows and games are here to stay. With past blockbusters like Iron Man, Spiderman and the Incredible Hulk, it’s safe to say that directors and writers won’t run out of material to work with when it comes to one when of my favorite past-times.

If you can’t tell by my review list, I love cartoons. Well most of them. Growing up I was introduced to the Transformers G1, GI Joe, and other amazing cartoons. As I grew older I moved my sights to what ever showed up on the tube and one of my favorites in the 90s was the X-Men animated series. I remember spending countless hours in front of the TV on Saturday mornings watching the X-Men. So with the newest movie in the X-Men universe hitting theatres in a few short days it’s no surprise that Marvel gives its fans something to wet their appetite with the first of many X-Men DVD Volume releases. So sit back while I give you my review for the Marvel Comic Book Collection: X-Men, Volume 1 (2-Disc) on DVD.

The X-men was one of those series that had a great intro into the series. So much in fact that the giant tin cans that the first two episodes (Night of the Sentinels pt. 1&2) are named after show up frequently in the first season as well as in the third Live action movie for a bit. The 2 disc Volume set features the first 16 episodes which is the first season and three episodes of the second. While I love all of the episodes I will select a few that I really like for the sake of not making this review a novel.

OF course my top two episodes are the two-part Night of the Sentinels where we first meet Jubilation Lee as she is attacked in her native habitat by Sentinels only to be saved by the X-Men. In these episodes the X-Men learn of the group behind the Mutant Registration Program and seek out the Sentinels and the files on all the recorded mutants. After destroying the files, Morph is shot and presumed dead while Beast is electrocuted and captured. Cyclops gets the rest of the team out much to Wolverine’s displeasure of leaving teammates behind.

My next favorite episode is called “The Cure.” In this episode a scientist on Muir Island claims to have found a cure to the mutant gene. Rogue, the only mutant among the X-Men who feels cursed with her powers, leaves to Muir Island to seek out the good doctor and possibly take the treatment. Only the real Dr. Adler is gone and Mystique is impersonating him and is working for Apocalypse. Did she get the treatment? Do you remember what happens?

And finally the two part episode “Till Death Do Us Part” where Mr. Sinister and the Nasty Boys capture the honeymooning Jean and Scott. Morph is back from and not to happy to see his old comrades. Is he truly Evil or is there something more to it? Can the X-Men stop fighting each other to stop Sinister?

Filmmaking: 8
The Marvel Comic Book Collection: X-Men, Volume 1 (2-Disc) DVD set brings back all the memories and the cool factor that I remember. I was a big fan of the show when I was younger and nothing has changed that. The carefully picked material that was chosen from the actual comic books is what made this show so good.

Visuals: 9
The X-Men TV series was done in a time when Widescreen just wasn’t an option so you’ll be watching all the action in 1.33:1 full screen ratio. The show has aged well and has transferred well to DVD. I remember when you could get these episodes on VHS so having them in DVD form is so much cooler. The colors are just as I remember them and show no loss of quality at all.

Sound: 8
The sounds of the episodes are quite good and are presented in Dolby Digital Surround Sound with French and Spanish Language tracks available. The voice acting for the X-Men is still amazing after all these years. They picked an excellent cast and it shows.

Value: 7
The Marvel Comic Book Collection: X-Men, Volume 1 (2-Disc) set features 16 episode of the one and only X-men TV series from the 1990s. There are no special features to be had in this DVD set so the value section does take a hit. But on the plus side this first volume retails for around $16-18 dollars at most stores so you can have this set for pretty much a dollar an episode give or take. Not to shabby and it’s a must buy for any fan of the X-Men.

Overall: 8.5
Overall, The Marvel Comic Book Collection: X-Men, Volume 1 (2-Disc) set is entertaining and fun to watch. I’ve been waiting for them to start releasing this series for a long time and at long last I’m getting my wish. In small Volume sized packages mind you but still its awesome to see them again. The action is good, the voice actors are the best and I wouldn’t have the X-Men any other way. I highly recommend picking up this DVD as soon as possible. You won’t regret it.