Warning: This review contains full spoilers for X-Men ’97: Season 1, Episode 4.
Nostalgia continues to be the name of the game in X-Men ’97’s fourth episode. The series has quickly developed a winning formula by combining the visual style and vibe of the original X-Men: The Animated Series with the best X-Men comics of the ’80s. But Episode 4 adds another wrinkle to that formula by tapping into the lingering love for Konami’s X-Men arcade brawler. The result is another highly entertaining, if somewhat unfocused, installment of the series.
With “Motendo/Lifedeath - Part 1”, the writing team made the interesting choice to focus on two mini episodes, not unlike how Netflix handled The Sandman: Season 1’s bonus episode. Though, in this case, the intent may have been more to mirror how many Saturday morning cartoons are split into two halves. That approach was definitely the right move. While it certainly would have been possible to recut Episode 4 so that Storm and Jubilee’s respective storylines intertwined more organically, the tonal clash between them is so severe that it seems better to have that hard line separating the two. Jubilee’s lighthearted video game adventure doesn’t necessarily blend with the more emotionally raw exploration of Storm’s grief.
That being said, there are drawbacks to the two-in-one approach. Namely, the “Lifedeath” portion of this episode feels a tad underdeveloped due to the limited runtime. This segment is directly adapting the critically acclaimed Uncanny X-Men #186 by Chris Claremont and Barry Windsor Smith. That issue is a highlight in Claremont’s long and hugely influential run, and it’s great to see X-Men ’97 pay such loving tribute to that story. It’s also one that gives a wonderful platform to Storm’s voice actress Alison Sealy-Smith. Sealy-Smith really shines here, capturing both Storm’s goddess side and the wounded, vulnerable woman she’s become.
But though this segment captures the tone of that story and the deep, instantaneous bond between Storm and Forge, there’s no getting around the fact that “Lifedeath” lasts fewer than 10 minutes before the credits begin rolling. This forces the segment to speedrun Storm and Forge’s relationship and Forge’s efforts to restore her powers. When Forge tells Storm he loves her, it’s simply too abrupt to feel like a properly earned moment. Episode 3 proved this series can get away with compressing and streamlining major storylines, but that was more a matter of trimming extraneous plot details. Lifedeath is a story built on emotion and introspection, and there’s little to be gained by speeding through the proceedings.
The good news is that this story isn’t done. The “Lifedeath” segment ends on a cliffhanger, and we know Episode 6 is titled “Lifedeath - Part 2.” Hopefully, that installment will have the opportunity to slow down and flesh out the relationship between these two lovers to a much greater degree.
And while “Lifedeath - Part 1” is a bit too rushed for its own good, “Motendo” feels just right by comparison. The X-Men ’97 team probably could have expanded this segment into a full-length episode; drag a few additional X-Men into the game and you can pad out the runtime. But it’s doubtful the story actually would have benefited from that approach. It would simply be a rehash of the original series’ Mojo material.
Instead, “Motendo” keeps things lean and mean by focusing solely on Jubilee and her reluctance to embrace adulthood. It’s a solid arc for a character who hadn’t had a great deal to do in the series until now. And it’s also one that allows her relationship with Sunspot to take a big leap forward.
Obviously, the biggest appeal with “Motendo” is the pixel-art animation and the way this segment recreates the look and feel of bashing 16-bit Sentinels in a ’90s arcade. Visually, this segment is a welcome change of pace. It’s even more colorful, and the music, sound effects, and pixelated characters are all 100% on-point. It’s great to see the series getting so experimental so soon out of the gate. Though, it must be said – Marvel missed a big opportunity here by not commissioning an actual, playable version of the game to release alongside the episode. The X-Men video game drought continues.
