Personally, I still wanted a bit more "group action." These past two episodes have been nice, but it's better when you have a few "group" episodes and then the "singular" episodes dispersed within. If that makes any sense.
This was, without a doubt, Nightcrawler's episode - and quite frankly, I've never seen him more capable or badass in film or tv than I have here. LOVE that he got swords. Loved Sage and Pixie and Sammy. Still no sight of Storm (or Cyke for that matter) in two episodes.
The whole Mojo-world plot wasn't bad at all. It probably benefited from the fact that they were trying to capture them, but they didn't fully succeed - only to have the X-Men be captured by Mojo in a later episode. That seems a much better way to set it up rather than trying to cram it all into one episode.
Really, really hoping the next episode will at least show the brotherhood, even if it's not about them.
Great episode; maybe my favourite so far. Compared to "Overflow", it definitely gives you a better introduction to a new X-Man (better than "Thieve's Gambit" in that regard as well, though Gambit wasn't set up as an ally), mainly because Nightcrawler doesn't need rescuing (although perhaps that's meant to subvert the seeming formula set up by episode 4).
I liked that Sammy knew who Nightcrawler was; the X-Men would be folk heroes among the general mutant population; having the kids fantasize about being members and giving themselves codenames seems about right.
Very little of the rest of the cast this week (Scott, Emma, and Storm haven't had lines for the last two, even), but the Wolverine and Shadowcat scene in the Danger Room was hilarious.
Great episode indeed. I like the fact that Nighcrawler held his own without the other X-men helping him. By the way did anyone recognize his voice? It's Gaara from Naruto t:
Caught this online, and this was a very good episode this time around.
Nightcrawler was certainly the highlight, and the depiction here certainly didn't disappoint. We get Kurt both Kurt the humanitarian, Kurt the philosopher, and Kurt the swashbuckling Errol Flynn Adventurer all in one episode, not to mention some great usage of his teleporting abilities (especially the nice touch with how he got the water out of the ship's hold). Liam O'Brien (who also does the voice for Angel) does a really nice job with conveying Kurt's German accent without overdoing it, so that it comes off naturally and with all the right inflections. I also liked the usage of Kurt's flashbacks in how Xavier found him, and how this, apparently, formulated his idea that everyone has gifts even if we may not see them outright. Definitely looking forward to tmore appearenances from the blue elf in future episodes.
Course the other highlight was the arrival of Spiral, the Reavers, and glimpses of Mojo to set up a future plotline. Normally, I haven't been a big fan of some of the non-mutant elements that have cropped up in X-Men, such as the Shi'ar Empire, the Starjammers, the Brood, and Mojoverse, mainly because they seem too "Star Trek" and heavily sci-fi for a comic book series which is supposed to be about the emergence of a new race of humanity. Not that they're bad concepts, mind you, just somewhat distracting. Then again, we get stories about apocalyptic futures and time travel all the time in X-Men so I guess I shouldn't complain. Nevertheless, we did get a pretty nifty swordfighting sequence between Kurt and Spiral out of the deal, especially since both of them had teleportation capabilities, which was an added bonus. Likewise, Mojo rounding up mutants for death matches for entertainment purposes does make sense, especially for a race of beings who have been brainwashed by television.
Of course, we get other characters, such as Squidboy, who played the part of the hero-worshiping kid who needs a boost of confidence that his hero provides. And we get some appearences of some of the New X-Men like Network, Pixie, and Rockslide to also add to this theme.
Can't say much about the other X-Men who appeared. I got the feeling of the concept that Wolverine is modern Ronin during his practicing in the Danger Room blindfolded, for some reason. Beast was just there. And Kitty, at least this version anyway, still comes up as a stuck-up brat.
Still, this was a good episode and probably one of the better ones thus far.
I really like how Nightcrawler used his teleportation in very inventive ways, he really fought like he does in the comics and I appreciate that. Loved seeing some of the new X-Men in there and I'm excited to see where the Mojo storyline goes. Hopefully Longshot and Dazzler will be included- I love them
Thanks to the usual source for my viewing of this episode.
We're about 6 episodes in, or midway through a normal season of 12-13 episodes (this show has 26 for it's first). We're still in a team-building phase of the show and focusing entire episodes around solo characters, some of whom are not featured immediately again. "Overflow" focused a lot on Storm and Emma Frost, neither of which have spoken a line the next two episodes. And last week's episode focused greatly on Gambit, who is basically a guest star. This episode, even Wolverine, the title character, barely gets an extended cameo in an episode that is all about Nightcrawler, played by Liam O'Brien (who has a few roles on this show, including Angel, who was in two episodes).
The writing and production crew clearly felt that Storm and Nightcrawler are X-Men who are so vital, so iconic, to the franchise that their introductions are worth entire episodes of focus. I agree. Shame that Colossus, who was created right alongside them, doesn't get that sort of attention here, or in any past cartoon. He's still trying to surpass showing up in 2 episodes in the 90's show. That's pretty terrible.
Y'know who also gets more focus and value than Colossus? Squidboy. Yes, Squid ****ing boy. It's enough to make an old school fan pull out hair.
But, more on the positive. This version of Nightcrawler is probably the strongest version put to animation. Avoiding the "preaching priest" of the 90's series and the goofy comic relief of EVOLUTION, this show is going for a more iconic, defined version based heavily on the comics. Kurt's origin sequence from GIANT SIZE X-MEN #1 is faithfully recounted as he stars in an adventure on the high seas, playing on the ol' swashbuckler stuff he used to be known for. Cargo ships are making a lucrative black market biz out of ferrying mutants to Genosha for cash money; however, some of these ships are starting to be attacked at sea, with their mutant passengers missing. Nightcrawler appears to act as a secret guardian of the mutants on these ships, often holed up in cargo bays and neglected basics like food and blankets. He steals these from the ship's crew, and them pummels the bums when they try to get back at the mutants. It's all pretty good stuff.
Then the plot takes a turn towards the whacked out. Turns out the pirates are led by Spiral, who commands a team of Cyborg Reavers, and a ship that is piloted by her manacled alternate ego, Ricochet Rita, to steal mutants on behalf of Mojo and his "entertainment" business. Specifics aren't given, but we know they come from "another world". I've never been a fan of Mojo or Spiral. Adventures with aliens or alternate worlds often have become distractions to the X-Men of their central premise. While the interesting detail of the black market mutant ferries to Genosha is a realistic idea, it quickly degenerates into an outlandish fight with a bunch of otherworldly cyborgs.
Granted, I can forgive some of that if the fighting is good, and it is. Nightcrawler is drawn very fluidly with some good animation for his teleportations. His fight sequences are among the best the show has had, making usage of the teleportation and acrobatics to disarm and dismantle the enemies, especially Spiral at the end. The episode makes full use of Nightcrawler's powers in many inventive ways.
It also moves into familiar "underdogs triumph against all odds" stuff with Nightcrawler leading the mutants with "sucky" powers like Squidboy into repairing the cargo ship and rescuing their comrades from Spiral's craft. The X-Men arrive when the action is finished and while Kitty is eager to have Kurt return, Nightcrawler feels his place for right now is with the mutants he has just saved. Logan understands. However, since he is part of the intro animation, I am certain Nightcrawler will show up more often than Gambit.
Aside for an interesting Danger Room sequence, Wolverine himself doesn't even have a lot to do this episode. It was all about Nightcrawler, and it was all done pretty well. A better episode than last week's for sure, although I would like to get back to more team-centric episodes.
Ya know what's funny? When Kurt first saves the girl from being tossed overboard and and takes out the crew, the music definitely sounds like a slight reworking of the PotC theme.
This was a good return to classic form in animation for Nightcrawler. I personally loved his two appearances in the 90's show, but it wasn't enough. It was another side of Nightcrawler, but this was more of a side of classic Nightcrawler we hadn't seen in animation before.
Chuck Austen IMHO ultimately tried and failed to bring Nightcrawler back to his roots, and in comics that's basically the "creative" way of stripping down all development or evolution of the character. Sort of degrading them. Had Nightcrawler leave the Catholic church because he wasn't happy about the molestation scandals, and he still wanted to give into his carnal desires for the ladies (X-Stacy almost seduced him). And then I think his church was involved in a mutant massacre, something like that. I don't think Austen really did a good job of bringing Kurt back to how he was originally if that's what he set out to do.
So some people like the sagely, Godly Kurt Wagner. Some people like the fun-loving, swashbuckling, ladies-man Kurt.
The version in this series, it's more like Kurt as we knew him from his early days, and that's fine. But he still has a strong moral, fiber. One of the things about Nightcrawler is that as a mutant he looks funky. He's not all sexy like a lot of the others. He has oddly shaped hands and feet, pointy ears, and a forked tail. So by human standards he could be considered deformed. That's tougher for a guy to deal with.
The danger room scene was a short, fun little scene. Hope we get more stuff like that. It was a great trick by Kitty.
I was fine with the use of Sammy Pare since it underscores the point of the episode. Sammy's another funky looking mutant like Kurt. They both physically look nothing like regular human beings and can't pass off like human beings. It also shows that young mutants do like and respect the X-men as well.
I considered Nightcrawler's characterization here a big improvement over Evolution. I was never happy with Kurt's portrayal there. I know he's a teenager but he always laid it on a little too thick.
Great Episode of Kurt kicking ass all on his own. There really isn't much I have to complain about, other than the fact that I would've liked to see some scenes of Cyclops and Storm as already mentioned by others.
This was a good return to classic form in animation for Nightcrawler. I personally loved his two appearances in the 90's show, but it wasn't enough. It was another side of Nightcrawler, but this was more of a side of classic Nightcrawler we hadn't seen in animation before.
Chuck Austen IMHO ultimately tried and failed to bring Nightcrawler back to his roots, and in comics that's basically the "creative" way of stripping down all development or evolution of the character. Sort of degrading them. Had Nightcrawler leave the Catholic church because he wasn't happy about the molestation scandals, and he still wanted to give into his carnal desires for the ladies (X-Stacy almost seduced him). And then I think his church was involved in a mutant massacre, something like that. I don't think Austen really did a good job of bringing Kurt back to how he was originally if that's what he set out to do.
So some people like the sagely, Godly Kurt Wagner. Some people like the fun-loving, swashbuckling, ladies-man Kurt.
The version in this series, it's more like Kurt as we knew him from his early days, and that's fine. But he still has a strong moral, fiber. One of the things about Nightcrawler is that as a mutant he looks funky. He's not all sexy like a lot of the others. He has oddly shaped hands and feet, pointy ears, and a forked tail. So by human standards he could be considered deformed. That's tougher for a guy to deal with.
The danger room scene was a short, fun little scene. Hope we get more stuff like that. It was a great trick by Kitty.
I was fine with the use of Sammy Pare since it underscores the point of the episode. Sammy's another funky looking mutant like Kurt. They both physically look nothing like regular human beings and can't pass off like human beings. It also shows that young mutants do like and respect the X-men as well.
I considered Nightcrawler's characterization here a big improvement over Evolution. I was never happy with Kurt's portrayal there. I know he's a teenager but he always laid it on a little too thick.
Kurt's portrayal on X-MEN EVOLUTION has always been a point of debate with fans. Some didn't like his voice actor and others found him too goofy. I thought it was an interesting portrayal of a younger Kurt who was saved by the X-Men maybe at a younger age than in the comics, who wasn't dripping with "woe is me, for I look demonish" angst (at least until later seasons). In a way, that was part of the charm of Evolution. Usually with the X-Men, they deal with angst atop angst about angst from angst before falling off the angst tree and hitting every angst branch on the way down, before being hit by the angst truck. Through secrets, psychics, and technology, the young X-Men tried to live "normal" human lives with peers at a local high school despite their hassles. When that facade came crashing down around them at the end of Season Two and then the fall-out over Seasons Three and Four, it was interesting to watch the change and appreciate what they lost. With most X-Men shows at the start, including this one, mutants are not only revealed, but so hated that the public at large has no reservations with giant robots killing them in broad daylight on city streets. It was something different.
But, I do agree that W&TXM's Kurt fit more along the lines of the iconic, classic comic book version before he became a priest, which was a plot angle that neither I, nor his creator Dave Cockrum appeared to care for (at least according to when I met him at a comic con for the first and last time in 2003). Kurt is naturally among one of the more garish looking X-Men, especially in the 70's when he debuted (back when virtually all of the other X-Men looked like typical white kids; even Angel could somehow fold his wings to escape all notice). He was aware of how off-putting it could seem (hence the disguise) but did not apologize for it. He had a strong moral compass but still had the flair and excitement of a swashbuckling hero. Combined with a good vocal performance and some strong action pacing at the storyboard phase.
Of course, like last week, it depended on if you were a Nightcrawler fan, much as last week depended on you being a Gambit fan. It is worth noting that the show's writers still felt that a Gambit episode still needed Wolverine to share the screen, whereas they felt Nightcrawler was strong and dynamic enough to fill the time with only cameo appearences by Wolverine. He's an older charcter so it makes sense.
Next week is the Hulk episode? Man, wouldn't it have been cool if the X-Men actually had a super-strong character to fight super-strong enemies with? Like someone who turned into metal? That would surely provide for some dynamic and vibrant fight sequences or combinations with other X-Men. Such a shame that, least according to this show, such tanker X-Men don't exist, or aren't worth bothering with.
Still, I look forward to ol' Jade Jaws showin' up.
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