Synopsis
Four episodes (two of which are a two-part story) make up this offering, which, what withMagneto and the X-Men joining forces and Wolverine learning about his past, will bear someresemblance, presumably, to some of the action in the new movie. This is just Saturday morningcartoon fare, however, no more, no less. So be sure you like the TV show before you pick up theDVD.
Audio
Not too much to report on the audio. The 2.0 mix is certainly clear enough…(not a word ofoperatically stilted dialogue is obscured), there is no distortion, and the music comes throughwell. The volume is a bit low — the menu has far more powerful sound. As well, the surroundaspect is largely given over to the (omnipresent) music. Notable opportunities to deploy soundFX are passed up (see, for instance, the opening laser battle).
Video
The format is fullscreen (naturally), and the colours are vibrant and deep. While avoidingmany of the transfer problems that seem to plague TV discs (for whatever reason), the print isn’tquite 100%. There are a few moments of grain (believe it or not), and the odd speckle. These areminor cavils, but I was surprised to see them at all.
Special Features
These are really the only advantage the DVD has over taping the episodes off TV, and thereis some interesting material here. The best is the 15-minute interview with Chris Claremont,longtime X-Men scribe, and the man largely responsible for the shape the X-Men mythos havetoday. Claremont also introduces each episode. Stan Lee also shows up in a brief interview todiscuss how he came up with the characters in the first place. There is also a bonus episode ofthe cartoon. The menu, it must be said, is very elaborate, full of big sound and flashyanimation.
Closing Thoughts
Were it not for the Claremont interviews, this would be a total cash grab. It’s still pretty closeto total. For obsessive X-Men fans only.
Special Features List
- “Who is Chris Claremone” Interview
- “The Power Behind X” Episode Introductions
- Stan Lee’s Soapbox
- Bonus Episode: “The Final Decision”
