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"X-Men: Evolution" (2000) More at IMDbPro »

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80 comments in total

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26 out of 29 people found the following comment useful :-
Defied expectations, 17 April 2003
Author: gears_chatroom_god from N. Ireland

Okay, now, I'll be frank. When the first information on "X-Men: Evolution" was released, *everyone* thought it would suck. I did too.

Then, I saw it. And against all expectations, the product was a very, very good show.

There's a way to sum up people's attitudes - those who don't like it are largely those who can't get beyond the fact it doesn't follow the comics versions of the characters. Well, tough noogies, people, it's a different interpretation of the characters, and it's an interpretation that works extremely well. If you let a purist attitude blind you to enjoying them, then it's your loss.

Very few good cartoons have come out of America in the last couple of years, in part as a result of the over-reliance on Japanese animation, which is currently so popular. But of the few quality shows that were made, "X-Men: Evolution" is easily one of them. It's a series with a direction - underlying story threads and sub-plots are all intricately woven together, although sometimes they get a little buried under the focus of the episode, which can sometimes be something as boring as "new kids take jet for joyride."

Many of the characters aren't THAT different from their original selves, anyway, just made a bit younger. Rogue stands out as the character altered the most, but her new goth look is a brilliant take on the character, and a very welcome departure from the "Woe is me, Ah can't kiss anybody!" attitude that we've suffered through in the past. The show's "new" character, Spyke, is really quite needless, though - essentially a P-C version of Marrow (from the comics), he is reduced to a nonentity for much of the season season, because he just doesn't *need* to be there. And say what you will about Nightcrawler, but I just really wish they'd hired an actor who could DO a German accent.

Speaking of voice acting - "X-Men: Evolution" easily scores high points in that area, too (German accent notwithstanding...), with a lot of experienced talent lending their voices to the show. Beautiful animation - that's on a par with, and surpasses a lot of, the current wave of Japanese anime - finishes off the whole package - I swear, this is the only cartoon I have ever seen where *dancing* has been animated so well.

So, that's "X-Men: Evolution." Take it or leave it. But I recommend quite heartily that you take it.

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30 out of 41 people found the following comment useful :-
The best X-men cartoon ever!! Claws down!!, 2 July 2004
Author: Skeletors_Hood (skeletors_hood@hotmail.com) from Kansas City

For those that despise this cartoon because it takes liberties, then change the freaking channel, bub, and shut the hell up.

For those who remember the early early days of X-men, they were all teenagers in a school, learning to use their powers to benefit mankind. Well, in comic book continuity, these characters have all grown up, married, divorced, died, betrayed their friends, etc etc etc.

This cartoon went back to the basic principle that Stan Lee and Jack Kirby started out with back in the 60's. And it's revamped itself to fit today's standards and cultural influences. I like to see it as an animated version of the "Ultimate X-Men" title that marvel is producing, which does the same thing of reformatting the story to today's timeline.

And each character in this show is well written to the point that I like them even better than some of their comic book counterparts.

Scott -- we're seeing a leader developing here, but he's still a kid learning to deal with who he is and his place in the world.

Logan -- granted, he's toned down a bit, but he's just as gruff as he is in the comics, and has a better voice than he did in the 90's cartoon.

Kurt -- great interpretation. I always thought Nightcrawler was a little stiff for my liking (given his background), so I love to see him be a party animal, and to be one caught goofing off.

Rogue -- BIG BIG BIG BIG BIG IMPROVEMENT!! I'm sorry purists, but the little Southern belle thing annoyed me to no end! Someone commented that they didn't like this version of Rogue because she doesn't say "Suga." It's called good writing. I like Rogue better as a Goth girl, for one basic reason. Given her power, it would seem to me that she would keep herself isolated and sullen, to ward off anyone trying to get close to her, and the dark depressed goth girl would pull that off, not the friendly southern belle. Plus, it makes her an interesting contrast to Jean and Kitty, who are upbeat popular girls.

Toad -- they took one of the worst characters of comicdom, and made him likable. He works better as a lovable loser, who just can't get a break.

I will also give honorable mention to a couple other characters, like Magneto, who is actually a threatening presence in this cartoon, and Beast, whose transformation in this cartoon makes more sense than in the comics.

The best animated X-Men yet, and it will be very hard to top.

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16 out of 18 people found the following comment useful :-
Better than you thought, 13 September 2003
Author: John Gerlach from Philadelphia, PA

A lot of people have been putting this show down, and I'd like to set the record straight. For those who don't know, the show is about the X-men when they were teenagers. The creators probably thought that by making them younger, they could appeal to a younger audience (it's survived 3 years up to this point, so who's to say they were wrong?). And for the most part, this angered X-men "purists", who argued that the series butchered their favorite characters, and that this was an insult to "true" fans. Get over yourselves.

I'll admit, the first season was pretty dull. The writers spent the majority of time introducing new characters (a necessity for a show with such a large, diverse cast). They couldn't develop individual characters very much, or put them into the complex story arcs that the comics are famous for.

But that all changed with season two. Unfortunately, by that time, most older fans had already given up on the series and are missing out on some great stuff. The story has evolved (no pun intended) over the years, and now we're beginning to see some of the classic X-men arcs. With the escalated aggression of Magneto, the rising tension between humans and mutants, and the emergence of Apocalypse, I feel that the series has reached a turning point. The writers are able to explore complex issues such as prejudice and tolerance, while still presenting it from a kid's-eye view. They've reached a new depth that they're now just starting to explore. So give it a shot. Just because these X-men aren't exactly what you're used to isn't necessarily a bad thing. Heck, if they were just going to copy what came before, there would really be no sense in making a new series in the first place.

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12 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :-
Stands well on it's on, 25 November 2000
Author: Op_Prime from Ardmore, PA

Sure, it can not compare to the Fox animated series or the hit movie, but Evolution is pretty good anyway. It has an interesting new look for the X-Men. This show brings back the more popular characters and adds some that weren't a major part of the last show. And why should you expect the same character development? This is a NEW show with NEW people behind the scenes. This is a good show, give it a chance.

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6 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
can't get better, 11 January 2002
Author: bulbamew1 from USA

This has to be better than the original! I was excited when I heard about this one, and I am a diligent watcher. What other teen girls like Nightcrawler?? *raises hand proudly* I WAS going to think it was just a cheap imitation, but I turned it on one time and I love it.

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8 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
I hope it continues to evolve., 27 October 2001
Author: Figaro-8 (greyfigaro@hotmail.com) from Columbia, SC

Despite my limited knowledge of X-Men--or perhaps because of it--I love this show. The animation, voices and music are GREAT, and it is not from Japan (no offense to anime fans). I love how Nightcrawler and Beast look. And to those who said that characters like Beast were being ignored, the episode "Beast of Bayville" proves otherwise and also proves that the series is living up to its name and evolving, which takes time. I hope the evolution continues.

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8 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
should be taken independently from the real thing, 18 October 2003
Author: jasjgm from philippines

Although it seems many kids really enjoy and like the series, it should remain a fact that X-Men Evolution is barely an adaptation of the actual X-Men universe (comics & the original animated series). The series itself has excellent cartooning, good music, the characterizations by themselves are good; but they are technically false. I am sure most people really familiar with the X-Men would say that. And yes, the purists should give a chance for a little adjustments, and should keep quiet, but it is disappointing for something which real fans have followed for decades to just be radically distorted (which it is) and turned into something else. Yes, X-Men Evolution is a good animated series, but the best thing to do is to take it INDEPENDENTLY, as in SEPARATE from the real X-Men story line. Treat it as if it were another comic book adaptation. Kids alike will enjoy Evolution, and real fans should just step aside and let it go. However, to those who really want to watch the original, classic X-Men universe, watch the original X-Men animated series (which is not so much for kids, more for the older generations). The cartooning may not be that good, but the stories are classic and true to the comic, and the diverse dramatic world of the mutants, and their intertwining relationships with each other would really be shown. That is the real classic.

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6 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
Rocks!, 21 January 2001
Author: SyxxNet from United States

Having been familiar with the ORIGINAL X-Men (Angel, Beast, Iceman, Marvel Girl, and Cyclops) and having caught up a bit on the more recent adventures so I wouldn't be a total doofus for the movie, I find this series EXCELLENT!

I like the alternate concept, and the way the series is being handled, even if it doesn't mesh with the comic version. Seeing Kurt Wagner as a girl-crazy teen is hilarious, and his antics with Scott Summers has been the best part of this series. It's nice to see Scott a bit looser than he's ever been portrayed in any previous X-Men project.

The show's music score and title theme simply ROCK!

Here's hoping the ratings warrant this one being around for a long time.

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2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
First Lame, Then Good, Then Epic, 6 January 2006
Author: Nicholai from Minnesota

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I had the opportunity to watch the first four episodes of this series when they first aired. Seeing all the producers and directors that were from "Batman: The Animated Series" being involved with this show and the superior production quality courtesy of Mook Animation ("Aeon Flux", "Spawn") and DR Movies ("Justice League") that was far superior than the cheesy Akom animation of the early nineties X-Men cartoon provided me with high expectations for this show.

Unfortunately, those episodes were long on the melodramatics and suffered from a poverty of the necessary action. I had to suffer through Scott Summers moaning and whining about his powers, Kitty and Rogue being freaked out by their manifesting powers and their subsequent confrontations with the X-men. But the episode that really made me groan was the one where the Blob is discovered, develops a possessive crush on Jean Grey and I guess turns evil when she rejects him.

What was this, Did "Dawson's Creek" and "X-Men" decide to hook up and have a baby? I wasn't even that much of an X-men fan anyways, never having watched the old nineties cartoon due to number of characters and story lines I had to keep track of. Also, back when "Evolution" premiered, I had "Batman Beyond", "Static Shock" and "Men in Black" to keep me entertained, I didn't need this crap. *Click*

Fast forward three years. "Batman Beyond" and MiB were both cancelled and Static Shock was in a prolonged hiatus, so I was left with practically nothing to watch, so I decided to see a repeat of X-Men: Evolution on Cartoon Network and it happened to be the season two episode "On Angel's Wing." That episode was well crafted to include the ambiguities of being a hero, religious allusions and a kick-butt battle between Rogue and Magneto at the end with a dazzling flight through the New York skylines and landmarks, in a way that reminded me of "Gargoyles". It got me hooked to see the rest of season two which brought about the great reveal of the existence of mutants to the outside world during the finale. Now these kids not only have to live their lives with their powers but now everyone will know them as freaks? Now it's getting interesting.

The series finale that featured the X-Men defeating Apocalypse was the coup de grace of the series which made me wish they made more episodes. I can honestly say that they managed to pull off the impossible during that event. With the half-hearted fare that the TV and cable stations are trying to feed us ("Coconut Fred's Fruit Salad Island!", "Loonatics Unleased") I miss that series more and more.

**** out of **** stars.

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2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
if your to young to remember the comics or original series its new to you!, 12 February 2004
Author: Owen Dukes from Turku, Finland

i have read one slash review for this series to many, STOP COMPLAINING! IT'S JUST A TV SHOW FOR GOD SAKES!!!!!!!! how bad could it be if Marvel gave it the ok to begin with. anyway, if children watch the show and get into the x-men they will be more inclined to get into the comic's and get the original story, the entire genre will be more likely to fade into complete obscurity over the years if todays children never hear of the x-men. so if you stop watching the series from a completely bias point of view you might actually enjoy it! (for those of you who are reading this and have no idea what i am talking about just watch the show! it's good! of course you cant anymore because it's canceled, so go to amazon.com and buy the DVD's!)

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