DVD Review: X-Men Volume 3
X-Men: Vol. 3 DVD Review
For the lot of us, “X-Men” defined what we’d think of the characters and for sure, it is what made me a fan of the mutants and introduced me to their adventures in comics. The series may not have translated every single comic story to a T, but it was exceptional at honoring the characters and defined them for my generation. It was akin to Batman: The Animated Series in that regard although that masterpiece did feature better animation. Not to say that the stuff in “X-Men” wasn’t creative, quite the contrary. While the first season or two took a hit as far as how well the animation was crafted, the series did come into it’s own and was dazzling.
But as kids, we didn’t care. We wanted pure, all our mutant mayhem and “X-Men” delivered in spades. But again it wasn’t just about the action. The series kept us coming back because there was a real backbone to it, even if it did get too wordy at times. They also had a character everyone could latch on to, likely because almost every X-Man was included at some point. There was more than enough here to make this series great and enjoyable.
Volume 3 covers everything from the Dark Phoenix Saga to the origins of Wolverine at Weapon X. First let’s discuss the latter, which is something the series did better than the recent X-Men Origins: Wolverine monstrosity. Sure there are slight alterations to make the stories more kid-friendly but nothing is lost in translation. Same can be said for the The Dark Phoenix Saga, which aside from one change at the end and a different cast, is the exact same story Chris Claremont unleashed in the early 80’s. This is the adaptation we should have had with X-Men: The Last Stand but thanks to a certain, unnamed, bad director was mucked.
The other thing this series was great at was leaving you wanting more. Often times, episodes would end on a cliffhanger leading into next week. The creators didn’t short change us either, always knowing the right point to jump off and lead into the next episode. Of course, it was always tough to not think about the episodes week to week and then wake up early from pure excitement in preparation for the next chapter. I applaud the makers for opting to choose this, as it’s always been a great way to generate interest and is just another thing the series kept in common with it’s comic counterpart.
“X-Men” still holds up considerably well today and is the perfect nostalgia trip. Fans of the series will be more than happy to finally have all the episodes collected and not lose their minds by waiting a week for each installment. I’d even urge newer X-fans to this series as it’s how to properly adapt a comic book series beloved by so many.
Episodes include “Savage Land, Strange Heart (Parts 1 and 2)”, “Obsession”, “The Dark Phoenix (1-4)”, “Cold Comfort”, “The Juggernaut Returns”, “Nightcrawler”, “Weapon X, Lies, And Videotape”, “One Man’s Worth (Parts 1 and 2)” and “Courage”.
9 out of 10
The Video
X-Men: Volume Three is presented over two discs in full frame (1.33:1) and while these are dated, I feel Buena Vista could have done a better job translating them over. Understandably the source material wasn’t all that excellent but these transfers feature a very hazy presentation. There’s also a real murky look to everything as well as the occasional spec. While serviceable, I wish we’d received a much, much better translation of a series that Buena Vista knows will make them some change.
4 out of 10
The Audio
Audio comes to us in English, French, or Spanish in Dolby Surround 2.0 with subtitles for each of the languages mentioned. Much like the video, the audio does the job but seems dated. The sound is cluttered, down graded, and lacks that spark. Again, the source might not be the best, but the extra work could have gone in to making these discs sound and look a little more respectable than they do now. If anything though, it is nice to hear that familiar theme again.
5 out of 10
The Extras and Packaging
X-Men: Volume 3 comes to us with a holographic slipcover that features the Dark Phoenix on it. The DVD case is the same as the slipcover minus the holographic front.
You’re barking up the wrong tree looking for extras as there are absolutely none. Pathetic really, as it would have been nice to hear from the people who basically shaped X-Men for that generation. Would it really hurt to put some form of effort into these discs?
Overall
For any fan of this property, this is a no-brainer. The series might be a tad dated, but it still retains what made it all exciting and is a perfect nostalgia trip for anyone who wants to go back to their Saturday morning roots. While this is essentially a cash-in, X-Men fans should pick this up instead of that big-budgeted crapfest that just saw release.
On another note, since Disney now owns Marvel, I suspect they’ll right the ship when they get the rights back, and re-release these. Maybe then we’ll get a more pristine presentation.
DVD Overall Rating – 6 out of 10
