Entertainment

X-Men 97 is astonishing

We saw the first 3 episodes

Published

March 20, 2024

The X-Men Animated Series that first aired in 1992 played a big part in my superhero, power fantasy fixation. That, along with the Spider-Man and Batman animated series as well as Dragon Ball Z made me believe I could be capable of great things. I imagine the same is true for many millennials, that’s why X-Men 97 is such a big deal. It’s a reunion with our childhood heroes and a chance to introduce them to the next generation.

I was privileged to have seen the first three episodes of the sequel series. I’ll share my impressions here while trying our best to avoid key story details. Potential Spoiler Warning if you want to go into the series absolutely blind.

From the Studio that brought you Korra, Voltron

Animation and art style will always be big talking points with any animated series. Bringing to life X-Men 97 is the exact studio I had hoped would do so, which is Studio Mir.

Studio Mir is a South Korean animation studio based in Seoul and you might be familiar with some of their work. Most famously, they are the studio behind The Legend of Korra which is the sequel series to Avatar: The Last Airbender.

They also brought to life the brilliant Netflix animated series Voltron: Legendary Defender. But it was in another Netflix project that really got me hoping they would work on an X-Men animated series. That project is the animated film The Witcher: Night of the Wolf.

Here’s what I wrote about it back in 2021: “The animation is super high quality reminiscent of Nickelodeon’s Avatar: Legend of Korra and DreamWorks’ Voltron: Legendary Defender. It had me daydreaming about an X-Men Animated Series reboot in this specific art style.”

Classic style, modern look

Fast forward to now and my hope has come to fruition. Studio Mir has a pretty distinct art style which isn’t exactly present in X-Men 97. Instead, they stayed as faithful as possible to the art style of the 90s animated series while making sure it fit their animation style.

The result is the characters look exactly like you thought they would when translated into the visuals fit for 2024 standards. The studio was also thankfully spared from the weird rules of 90s animations like no punches should be thrown during fights. This was evident in the first episode where X-Men team leader Cyclops is seen throwing fists at enemies. Previously, he was relegated to just his optical blasts.

The animation, art style, and action in the first three episodes were a feast for the eyes. The movements are fluid especially in key fight scenes. The one on the third episode especially stood out to me with the amount of crazy visuals and elements that had to be on screen.

The team also faithfully recreated the opening sequence, improving the resolution and quality of the visuals while adapting it to a 16:9 screen aspect ratio versus the 4:3 one from the 90s. Speaking of which, that iconic music in the opening sequence is retained and remixed a little bit. It’s a perfect encapsulation of the series in general as it’s an updated version while honoring the original.

Uncanny story beats

I won’t dive too deep into the story details. But since this is a sequel series, it’s imperative to know that it does pick-up from where the original left-off. That much has been revealed in the trailers anyway.

If you want to rewatch the original series, it’s currently available on Disney+. But if five seasons seem daunting, you can just watch this brilliant recap by ScreenCrush.

As far as stories go, there are big clues seen from the trailers that have already been revealed. First is Magneto dawning a new suit. Second is Jean Grey shown to have a bun in the oven. If you’re familiar with the Uncanny X-Men comic books, you’ll have a pretty good idea of how the arcs of these two characters will play out. That’s all we’ll say for now.

Outside of them, the rest of the characters were handled pretty well. In the first episode specifically, they were all re-introduced without being expository. The storytelling was efficient, putting characters in certain situations with them reacting the way we expect them to based on what we know of them from the 90s animated series. Brilliant execution, all things considered.

The X-gene evolved

X-Men 97 retains the spirit of the 90s animated series, but is presented in stunning modern visuals. The action and animation were fluid while staying as faithful as possible to the 90s art style.

From the first three episodes, we could tell that this was handled with absolute care mixed with a healthy amount of ambition. This sequel series does not at all shy away from the ‘controversial’ themes the X-Men has always been known for. And they’re also swinging for the fences when it comes to adapting X-Men stories from the comic books.

X-Men 97 is astonishing and we can’t wait to see all the episodes with the rest of the world. The series is now streaming on Disney+.

Related Topics:Disney Marvel Marvel Animation X-Men X-Men '97

Entertainment

UNDERTALE: The Determination Symphony gets two more shows

Both shows will be held on the next day.

Published

August 21, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

The Philippines has an unquenchable love for game-based concerts (so *wink wink* please bring more of them). Though these concerts do generate a lot of hype, the drawback is that they often sell out way before most fans can grab tickets. If you’re an UNDERTALE fan, that experience might be rocking you right now, as both shows have already sold out. But fear not: UNDERTALE: The Determination Symphony has just opened two more shows.

Late last month, Film Concerts PH, in partnership with SOHO Live, announced UNDERTALE: The Determination Symphony happening on October 17. As expected, both shows, at 3pm and at 7pm, sold out very quickly after sales opened.

Today, the concert experience is opening two more shows on the next day, October 18. Like the original date, the two shows will happen at 3pm and at 7pm, allowing more fans to experience the concert.

The concert will be performed by the Filharmonika Orchestra and conducted by Thanapol Setabrahmana. Personally curated by creator Toby Fox and developed by Lambert Jackson with Materia Music, the concert experience showcases the game’s most recognizable tunes laid over gameplay footage playing simultaneously. Plus, for the world tour, the experience will have expanded scoring.

Tickets are available through Ticketmelon. Both dates will be held at The Proscenium Theater in Makati.

Entertainment

Here’s what you should watch before Avengers: Doomsday

The road to Doom begins here.

Published

August 18, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

As of today, the entirety of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will take around 650 hours to watch. So, if you wanted to catch up with everything before this December’s Avengers: Doomsday, you would need to allot around 5 hours per day to watch content from Marvel. For a lot of us, that sort of commitment is completely untenable. Thankfully, Marvel has released an official watchlist, paring the list down to something much more manageable.

Before the MCU got as big as it is today, it was fun to do a movie marathon heading into a major Marvel release. For example, when Avengers: Endgame came out, some theaters held continuous marathons lasting a few days. Take note that this was before Marvel officially included every TV show and legacy movie (like the X-Men universe).

Now, heading into Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel will not ask you to devote the rest of your year just for homework. Instead, here’s an official list you can use to catch up:

X-Men
X2
Captain America: The First Avenger
The Avengers
Avengers: Infinity War
Avengers: Endgame
Loki
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Captain America: Brave New World
Deadpool & Wolverine
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Thunderbolts
The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Compared to the extensive list of everything Marvel, this official list is much more manageable, especially since there’s only one show (Loki). It’s also a veritable who’s who of the MCU, so it’s hard to get bored.

The official list as seen on Disney+

There are, however, a few surprises and spoilers. For one, if you’ve been avoiding the teasers and trailers, the X-Men films might be a shock to you. Likewise, the inclusion of the critically panned Brave New World is interesting.

The exclusions are just as noteworthy, too. Though the two earliest X-Men films are included, the list doesn’t add Days of Future Past, one of the first Marvel films to use time travel. Thor: Love and Thunder isn’t on here, despite Love, Thor’s adopted daughter, appearing in the trailers. Brand New Day is also missing, but that’s likely because the movie isn’t on Disney+ yet.

Avengers: Doomsday premieres in cinemas on December 18. Four months should be enough time to catch up on these titles.

Entertainment

Marvel Studios unveils new X-Men cast

Adam Driver, Inde Navarette, more join Sadie Sink for film set for May 2028

Published

August 17, 2026

GadgetMatch

Courtesy: Marvel

At the D23 Disney fan event, Marvel Studios has officially unveiled the cast of the new X-Men movie, which has been announced for a May 5, 2028 premiere.

Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige and director Jake Schreier were joined onstage by Sadie Sink, who made her debut as Jean Grey in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, for the showcase.

The trio then welcomed Sink’s new co-stars: Kit Connor as Scott Summers/Cyclops, Christopher Abbott as Professor Charles Xavier, Samara Weaving as Emma Frost, Inde Navarrette as Rogue, and Maya Boyd as Storm.

Finally, Adam Driver crashed the panel with one final video surprise, where he revealed that he will be playing a very sinister figure named Nathaniel Milbury, a.k.a. Mister Sinister.

Mister Sinister has been a recurring antagonist throughout various X-Men media, including in Season 2 of the 1992 animated series and in the first season of X-Men ’97.

Now, he will serve as the main villain in the new X-Men film that jumpstarts the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Mutant Saga.

Given the initial cast, this X-Men reboot will be set in the earlier stages of the team’s lifecycle, taking audiences back to how the school built its foundation for a faithful setup based in the comics. Although within the MCU chronology, it will be set in the present day.

The rebooted X-Men film is now the third confirmed feature film in the post-Multiverse Saga MCU, after Black Panther 3 and Ghost Rider.