Customer Reviews

X-Men Evolution - Season 1 Collection (UnXpected Changes / Xplosive Days / X Marks the Spot / Xposing the Truth)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This 4-DVD collection consists the following four DVDs: 1. UnXpected Changes, 2. Xplosive Days, 3. X Marks the Spot and 4. Xposing the Truth. All 13 episodes from the first season of the X-MEN: EVOLUTION anmiation series were included. Many of these episodes were done with the aim of establishing the foundation for the X-Men story. Of course, the origins of different mutants are altered slightly from the comics, yet they're acceptable changes needed to be done for a primarily kids-oriented show.

The first few episodes introduced the core of PROFESSOR X's X-Men team. While CYCLOPS, JEAN GREY, STORM and WOLVERINE were already members of the team, the early episodes brought in the likes of NIGHTCRAWLER, SHADOW CAT, ROGUE and SPYKE. Spyke was never a comic character, but coincidentally, he has the powers of the comic character MARROW. The bad guys, like TOAD, AVALANCHE, THE BLOB and QUICKSILVER were also quickly introduced, with MYSTIQUE and MAGNETO secretly forming the BROTHERHOOD OF EVIL MUTANTS to counter Xavier's team.

There're plenty of comic references in the show. The creators of X-Men: Evolution took time to explain the various technical jargons associated with the X-Men. For example, in the episode STRATEGY X, viewers were introduced to the DANGER ROOM and the CEREBRO. In GRIM REMINDER, Wolverine gets a blast from his WEAPON X past. In THE CAULDRON, Magneto's base, known to many as the ASTEROID M, was mentioned. Also, several mutants who do not regularly appear in the show also get their first taste of action, for example, FORGE and HAVOK.

The special features of these DVDs are also interesting. The producers have took pains to include EPISODE INTRODUCTIONS for every single episode found in the DVDs. That means 13 whopping interviews detailing the "whys" and "hows" of the shows. Also included are the trailer to the DVDs, and the following documentaries: 1. The Evolution of X-Men, 2. The Art of X-Men, 3. Tales of X-Men and 4. The X-Men Unmasked.

All in all, this 4-DVDs pack will be a nice addition for X-Men lovers. If you've been following the show in Season 2 and 3, you should already know that the plot will thicken in the later episodes. This 4-pack will allow you to start collecting all the episodes sequentially. Apart from great story-telling and awesome artwork on the animation, the special features on the DVDs also make this 4-pack a worthwhile purchase. A+

As you know,this DVD contains all the episodes of Season 1 which means the season has 13 episodes.First is Strategy X which contains the dealing with Nightcrawler and Toad.The second is The X-Impulse which deals with Shadowcat and Avalanche.Third is Rogue Recruit which deals with Rogue and her deadly power.Fourth is Mutant Crush which deals with The Blob and the kidnap of Jean Grey,fifth is Speed and Spyke which deals with Spyke and his arch-nemesis Quicksilver.Sixth is Middleverse,Kurt is trapped in a weird dimension.Seventh is Turn of the Rogue,Rogue finds out the truth and will she join the X-Men?Eight is SpykeCam,Spyke gets a film report and caughts Sabertooth's attention.Ninth is Survival of the Fittest,The X-Men and the Brotherhood are forced to go to camp and Juggernaut is on a rampage.Tenth is Shadowed Past,Rogue starts dreaming of Kurt's past.Eleventh is Grim Reminder,Wolverine starts seeing visions and is controlled by Stryker.And finally 12th and 13th is The Cauldron,Magneto is having the ultimate showdown between the X-Men and the Brotherhood while Scott finally found his long-lost brother Havok.This DVD will rockn your world and you will wish you were a mutant!

I am a big X-Men fan, i like almost anything Marvel has done, and it is true, this series cannot compare to the older x-men cartoon.

this one is better.

now, i will watch the older one whenever i can, it has started coming back on tv recently and i watch it almost every day, but honestly, there are many times that i find it...boring. i mean, i love the plot lines, but there is far too much talking, far too many flashbacks for no apparent reason, and far too much jubilee, and not nearly enough gambit.

but this review is supposed to be about the new series, sorry i got off topic there for a minute

x-men evolution, as the other guides have already mentioned, portrays the x-men as high schoolers (with the exception of a few), and gives some great development for characters. i especially like nightcrawler in this series, often times he is betrayed as a thing to be scared of, and very serious, but in evolution he is the fun loving character he should have been all along, a big furball, or the fuzzy blue elf as he is sometimes referred to. cyclops is very serious, and looks out for everyone alot, like always. jean grey is pretty much on the same level as cyclops, but not quite as extreme. they also have a on and off relationship, but they were always destined to be, right? spyke is new, basically a teenage boy form of marrow, big trouble maker and storm's nephew, though he has a few good plot lines through out the show. then shadowcat is also a main character, the girl that can walk through walls (or any other solid object), who is an average teenage...mutant...ninja tur-oh wait, i mean girl. wolvie is the same old guy, as is professor X, and storm is pretty much the same as always too, but luckily she has left her "catch phrases" such as "power of wind, get real windy!" back in the older show. oh yeah, and rogue, at first she is with the brotherhood, but then she joins the x-men, never really sure where she belongs. i guess never being able to touch another person will freak you out some.

there is also a large selection of bad guys. there is the "brotherhood of mutants" who at first is led by magneto, but they tend to go off on their own alot. they are made up of blob, fat and stupid, quake, he can...make earthquakes and has a thing for shadowcat, quicksilver, magneto's beloved (or not so) son, and toad, who has all the powers, and intelligence, of a toad. magneto has the same old plans for global domination for the "homo-superiors" (mutant kind), and mystique is his loyal as ever follower...when we know who she is at the time. there are also others that follow magneto, but arent part of the brotherhood (not in high school with them...) including sabertooth, wolverine's arch foe, pyro, the australian with attitude, colossus, the guy with the awesome body armour that comes out of no where, and gambit. this was a huge problem with alot of people, putting gambit as a bad guy, but i rather like it. gambit was trained by his father to be a theif, and as a bad guy he really got the opportunity to use those skills, and do some very cool moves with his powers besides throwing cards at everyone like when he was a good guy (dont worry, he still does though)


now i know i didnt tell you any of the plots of the episodes, but hopefully all you x-men fans that are afraid to try this show will see that despite some changes, it isnt the bane of x-men history like some have suggested. it is a great show.

Season One of X-Men Evolution is undoubtedly the weakest season of the show. The voice actors have not settled in to their roles (most notably Professor X and Wolverine), the show introduces a lot more the high school aspect of X-Men, and its constant changes to X-Lore take a lot of getting used to.

But Evolution will eventually win you over. It's fun to see the high school setting, the different interpretations of the characters and the show itself is good fun. X-fans may have to grin and bear at some of the more "unwise" decisions (most painfully the season finale with Magneto), but I think overall that this is worth any X-fans hard earned cash. It's a thoughtful show, unique, and never lets itself get pretentious, preachy, or too serious.

I won't try to talk you into liking Evolution, other reviews have done that.

I'll just say that if you're already an Evolution fan, these DVD's are excellent.

Each DVD has a special features section, and this is why you want to buy them.

There's a director's overview of every episode talking about the decisions they made during the creation, which is cool. It gives you more insight into the show that just makes it all the more enjoyable. Why is Spyke like Marrow? They answer that.

But by far the best are the other features, 1 per DVD. They talk about the art of the X-Men, how they settled on the character's appearences and animation styles and best of all, some face to face interviews with several of the voice actors (including the actors behind Wolverine, Xavier, Shadowcat, Spyke, Rogue and Mystique). They discuss what it's like to work on a show like this, how they were selected for their voice role and how they handle different voicing scenarios.

For the $... Amazon wants I'd say this is a good buy, just for these special features. I hope we see more interviews like these for the next seasons!

I've seen almost every episode up to date, and i feel that this is a great version of the x-men! Even though some characters are different from the comic versions, I feel that this show does its justice. Even though some characters are not shown to be as powerful as they can be, you have to keep in mind that most of the characters are still in high school. This season is an introduction to all of our favorite characters, as well as others that were not seen in the last cartoon version of the x-men. The last two episodes are great and are a must see. All together, if you are a fan of the x-men, this is a must have!

Many of the reviews here comment on the poor quality of the animation in this series. While the animation isn't as great as something like "Justice League," it works for the series, and the storylines more than make up for it. I never thought the animation was poor, and it looked like any other superhero cartoon to me.

Although I have never seen the original X-Men cartoon, I don't think it's fair to compare the two. "Evolution" focuses on the origins of the X-Men, and while not entirely true to the comic book, it makes for some great stories. The writing on it is incredible. The characters are very well developed. Over the first 4 or 5 episodes, Scott Summers and Jean Grey's relationship is developed even moreso than in the current X-Men films. This holds true for all the characters, and doesn't limit the amount of action in the series. However the show does focus a bit more on the inter-relationships of the mutants than on the whole "Good Mutant vs. Evil Mutant" concept. And that's what makes the series so great.

As far as the DVD goes, it contains solely the first season, with no extras, which is unfortunate. There's no real enticement for buying this set over simply watching the series (if it's still available in yor area). But if you have missed some episodes or have seen the series out of order, I definately recommend starting here. Unlike many cartoons, this show follows a storyline that makes more sense if you see the episodes in the order they were originally shown.

Disclaimer: First of all, if you are a die-hard X-Men comic purist, this show is not for you. I say this because X-Men: Evolution is about a group of teenage mutants who are fighting to be accepted and finding their place in the world...all during high school. It's not anything like most of the comics except for the characters' names and powers, so anyone who will be annoyed by that might as well not bother because it will just end up making them mad.

This show, after the three X-Men movies, was one of my first introductions to these characters, and no doubt I wouldn't have become quite so interested in the comics without it. A friend of mine gave me a link to watch the entire show online, and, being curious, I decided to give it a shot. In the first three episodes I was reintroduced to Cyclops, Jean Grey, Nightcrawler, Rogue, and Shadowcat in a slightly different form than I was used to, but I was instantly hooked. The driving force behind the first season is a mysterious villain who is working with the principal of Bayville High - where the young X-Men attend regular high school - for reasons unknown. (Of course, if you've seen the movies or know anything at all about the X-Men's villains, you'll be able to figure it out easily...but it makes for good suspense anyway.) There are occasionally cheesy moments (well, it IS a kid's TV show!) and moments where the animation is a bit off, but overall this is one of the best animated shows I have ever had the pleasure to watch. And it just keeps getting better and better each season. It's a terrible pity that they're too stingy to let us have Season 4 on DVD, though...it delved into darker and more emotional moments than I've ever seen in a kids' TV show.

Some of the reviews you'll read claim X-Men: Evolution is horrible and recommend "the original '90's cartoon". So really, what you have to do is form your own opinion because I found "the original '90's cartoon" unwatchable, yet I love Evolution. Here are my quick hits so you know what I'm talking about.
First, I place the phrase "original '90's cartoon" in quotes because it's not the first animated X-Men. I don't know if there was a cartoon done in the '60's when Spider-Man got his treatment or not, but I do remember "Pryde of the X-Men", a pilot episode that didn't turn into anything in the '80's. The story telling, art and animation were FAR superior to the Fox series. The only thing the Fox series had going for it was stories that were very close to the comics continuity, and a pretty cool opening sequence.
Second, X-Men: Evolution has simplified character design lines (but not "simple") that flow, much like Batman: The Animated Series, allowing for better animation and subtle expression. There are occaisional bad frames, sure, there are in ANY animation (Looney Tunes included) but on the whole it looks great. Plus, it's farmed out to Korean animators who do excellent work. Compare early "Simpson's" episodes to later seasons'.
Third, Evolution only uses the comics as very loose guidelines. You don't have to know 30+ years of comic lore to appreciate it and there's certainly know reason to get incensed if they do something different. If you do know all the characters sometimes it's cool just to see what the animators and writers will do with them.
Fourth, the voice acting is excellent, characters are well-defined (maybe even lovable), and it's a very entertaining show!

Personally, I love it, can't get enough of it, and ever since Grant Morrison destroyed the comic versions, and Mark Millar left Ultimate X-Men, it's all I've got left. Hope this helps, and I hope I didn't tick off too many Fox series fans.

Do you refer to all of the X-Men (including Wolverine) by their full names instead of their code names? Do you reassure yourself that the discrepancies between various versions can be explained by invoking alternate timelines? Do you while away boring tasks by mentally assembling teams with synergistic combinations of mutant powers? Can you use the expression "oh my stars and garters" with a straight face?

If you answered "yes" to all of the above, you should buy X-Men: Evolution Season 1. If, instead, you rolled your eyes in disgust and assumed I was joking, you should probably pass on it.

The first season is exactly what one would expect of an X-Men take-off targeted at the Saturday morning cartoon crowd. Major characters are accounted for, but the intellectual elements are missing, or at least obscured by the saccharine "feel-good" tone of the show. Like all things X-Men related, the stories are character driven. However, relying heavily on tired high school clichés, they have all the emotional depth of a Hallmark greeting card.

The scenario has teenage versions of Jean, Scott, Kitty, Kurt, Evan, and Rogue (ok, even I don't know her real name) attending high school with several members of the Brotherhood. Clearly, this must be some alternate timeline because otherwise serious liberty has been taken with the biographies of some major characters.

Despite the dubious tutelage of principal Raven Darkholme (a.k.a. Mystique), the young mutants learn that its important to know who your true friends are, home is where the heart is, your family is all those who love you, and teamwork should come before rivalry. Professor Xavier and his fellow faculty members, Ororo and Logan, exchange kids-will-be-kids looks and all is well with the world.

The central theme of mutants as a metaphor for various oppressed groups does not come into play, as the story assumes mankind is unaware of the existence of mutant abilities. However, those lovable teenage misfits in the Brotherhood make enough trouble to keep the X-Kids busy and make the series enjoyable. If you shudder at the idea of supervillians so adorable you just want to tousle their hair and pinch their cheeks, let me reassure you that the cuteness does have a limit; the major antagonists are taken seriously and represented as adults. You won't see the master of magnetism wielding his powers to steal road signs, or a teenage Mystique banishing a pimple with her shape shifting ability.

In all fairness, the aspects of the first season which so disappoint the basement-dwelling thirty-somethings make it perfect for children. The episodes generally stand on their own, requiring little or no effort to follow. Morality is fairly black-and-white and happy endings are the norm. There is a final confrontation at the end, but little was done to lead up to it. Don't expect to be dazzled (or challenged) with creative plot twists.

For adult fans, the greatest strength of the X-Men: Evolution series is the writers' uncanny talent for putting the characters' powers to use in amazing combinations. For example, in the first season, you'll see Nightcrawler and Shadowcat making synergistic use of their abilities. I personally found this rather refreshing, as I have often postulated (during a boring commute) that Kurt and Kitty would make an astounding team. Evolution is one of the few incarnations of the X-Men where power-related plot holes are difficult to find. Unlike many science fiction creators, the Evolution writers clearly define the "rules" of their universe and play by them consistently. These subtle indications of genius foreshadow what is to come in later in the series.

Considered in isolation, the first season is mediocre and rates three stars. I was tempted to give it four simply because of the inherent sentimental value in seeing my favorite superheroes (and a few villains) as adorable animated adolescents. The main reason for the die-hard fan to purchase season one, however, is the expectation of what is to come. The humor, intrigue and drama of the later seasons build upon the characters and relationships established in the first episodes, so if you intend to watch the series it is best to get in at the beginning.

And no fan should go without seeing the rest of the series. In the second season, X-Men: Evolution, like its protagonists, undergoes a rapid and dramatic transition from an immature, simplistic form to a thing of awesome and unlimited potential. The contrast is enough to elicit and exclamation of "oh my stars and garters".