TV Show Info:
Writers: Stan Lee and Others
Directors: Larry Houston and Others
Cast: Cathal J. Dodd, Cedric Smith, Norm Spencer, Lenore Zann, George Buza, Alison Sealy-Smith, Catherine Disher, Alyson Court, Chris Potter
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Release Info:
Original Air Dates: September 7, 1996-September 20, 1997
DVD Box Set Release Date: May 4, 2010
Online Availability: Amazon for $17.99
Episodes: The episodes are jumbled (some were meant for inclusion in season three), but they aired as part of the fourth and/or fifth season depending on how they are listed
I have had a chance to review all of the previous volumes of the X-Men television show from the 90s. You can check out those reviews out, which contain a synopsis for all the previous episodes. There is X-Men, Volume One, X-Men, Volume Two, X-Men, Volume Three and X-Men, Volume Four. This is one of the better X-Men animated series, but this Volume 5 release is also the end of the series.
This series is one that kids and adults can watch together. It’s not as mature as some of the other X-Men incarnations out there, but it isn’t so juvenile that it is going to bore adults. These are the final episodes of the series. It was winding down and the episodes did not amuse me quite as much as those in the beginning of the show. Still, the kids were thoroughly entertained, and I wasn’t aching to turn it off or anything like that. There are a few really good episodes included in this set. My favorite is Old Soldiers, where Logan/Wolverine remembers his time during World War II. “Hidden Agendas” is also reminiscent of all the earlier episodes, where the audience is introduced to mutants. It was definitely one of the better episodes.
The worst episode is “Jubilee’s Fairy Tale Theatre”. I am not a fan of Jubilee. She is my least favorite character and the most annoying. This set has a few different episodes that primarily focus on Jubilee, but this is the worst of them. Not only does her character stink, but her voice is the most annoying of the X-Men. Actually, other voices do get a bit grating after awhile, but hers is bad from the get go. Jubilee is a kid, so her voice is extra whiny. Unfortunately, she whines even when she isn’t whining. This makes those episodes that center on Jubilee less than desirable.
With the end of any series comes some sadness, if that series was good. I like this particular X-Men show. It attempts to stay true to the comics and I believe that is in large part due to the fact that Stan Lee was involved in its development and writing. Stan Lee is a Marvel legend and the X-Men are my favorite of the Marvel comics. All in all, this show had a great run and I am sad to say this is the last set of DVDs Walt Disney will be releasing, with new episodes in this series.
The X-Men (Marvel DVD Comic Book Collection) Episode Guide
There are a total of 18 episodes spread out across two discs, to make up this set. Some of the episodes make no sense if you haven’t seen past episodes of the series. A few episodes were supposed to air in season three, and it would make more sense if they were placed in the right order on these volume sets, but they aren’t, so you just have to deal with what is here.
Here is a list of the episodes and a synopsis for each:
DISC ONE
“The Phalanx Covenant, Part One”
Original Air Date: September 7, 1996
Sabertooh is causing problems, so Beast and Jubilee capture him. Back at the X-men mansion, they place Sabertooth in a protection area. Logan overhears Jubilee talking about Sabertooh and decides to guard him personally, but he soon realizes he isn’t Sabertooth. Whatever “it” is consumes the mansion and all the X-Men, excluding Beast. With the help of an alien named Warlock, Beast is able to escape. He soon realizes the Phalanx, from Warlock’s planet, is what is consuming everything and has come to take over the world.
“The Phalanx Covenant, Part Two”
Original Air Date: September 7, 1996
Beast and Warlock team up with a few other survivors, including Mr. Sinister, whose entire laboratory was consumed. They learn the Phalanx is not able to consume mutants as it can humans, but the information from the Xavier School/X-Men mansion and Sinister’s lab could allow the Phalanx to figure out how, absorbing all the mutant powers and becoming unstoppable if it does. In the end, Beast and his rag tag crew must turn to a downtrodden Magneto, who seems more willing to let death take him than to help save the world.
“A Deal with the Devil”
Original Air Date: September 14, 1996
In the Caucasian Mountains, located in the Former Soviet Union, a former Soviet “weapon” is discovered, encased in ice. The current government restrains Omega Red and when he awakens they try to bargain with him. Since he has been frozen, science has improved, so they can reverse the alterations and make him human again. All he has to do is retrieve a sunken vessel that contains Soviet warheads, near Hilo, Hawaii. He agrees to help them, but only if his “friends” Wolverine and Storm join him on his quest. The government underestimates Omega Red, and he ends up getting the upper hand, threating the world with nuclear missiles, and the destruction of the world’s 15 largest cities.
“No Mutant is an Island”
Original Air Date: September 21, 1996
Jean Grey is dead again (this happened before her resurrection), and the X-Men are having a memorial kind of service. Jubilee wants to believe she is still alive. The Professor asks Scott to go handle a situation, but he decides to leave the X-Men team. He returns to the orphanage where he grew up and runs into an old friend, Sarah, who now runs the place. Sarah tells him Zebediah Killgrave has helped the orphanage financially and adopted four mutant children, but this is a guy the governor opposes. When one of the kids returns and says Killgrave is bad news, Scott begins to suspect there is more behind the man’s kindness to the orphanage.
“Longshot”
Original Air Date: October 5, 1996
In another out of order episode, Logan is teaching Jubilee to drive. When Logan leaves the vehicle for a minute, a rebel, Longshot, drops in to introduce himself to her. Their meeting is interrupted by Spiral and her armed men who wish to kidnap him for Mojo. Jubilee’s powers allow Longshot to escape, and he takes her with him. Logan manages to help and he takes Longshot back to Professor X for answers. With Spiral’s failure, Mojo decides to go after Longshot himself.
“Bloodlines”
Original Air Date: October 26, 1996
Anti-mutant violence has increased and Graydon Creed is back. The Friends of Humanity council won’t let him take back control of the organization. They tell him his family tree is full of mutant blood. He wants to prove his loyalty by bringing the FOH mutants. It’s Halloween and Night Crawler returns to let them know his birth mother is in danger. He asks the X-Men for help. They head out to find Kurt/Nightcrawler’s mom, but it is a set up by the Friends of Humanity. Kurt does find out who his mother is, and that he has a brother, but the truth is as shocking to Kurt as it is to the X-Men.
DISC TWO
“Storm Front, Part One”
Original Air Date: November 2, 1996
It is storming badly and the bizarre storm is blamed on the mutants. Storm is affected by nature gone wild. She believes something else is controlling the storm. They defy nature. Storm goes out into the storm alone and the X-Men crash land in Washington D.C., after getting struck by lightening. Storm protects the buildings of Washington, injuring herself in the process. She is caught by Arkon, who created the storm to find Storm. His planet is dying because of storms like this. He forces her to go to his homeland, while the X-Men must figure out where he’s taken her and why.
“Storm Front, Part Two”
Original Air Date: November 9, 1996
Storm agrees to marry Arkon and be the Queen of Polemachus. Logan and Beast are concerned and suspect something is up. Storm tries to reassure them she is in love, but Logan is still suspicious. Arkon learns the power grid is the cause of the storms, but since it controls the laborers, he refuses to turn it off. To rebuild the planet, he also plans to attack Polemachus’ nearest neighbors, Belgania, breaking the peace treaty and forcing its people back to be slave laborers. When the X-Men discover what’s really going on, they must stop it and convince Storm Arkon is not as nice as she thinks he is.
“Jubilee’s Fairy Tale Theatre”
Original Air Date: November 16, 1996
Jubilee takes a group of school kids to caverns under the Xavier School and X-Men mansion. The kids have been promised this field trip for a long time, and Jubilee is just “thrilled” to be the one to babysit them. While in the caverns, a cave-in happens. To calm down the kids while she waits for help, Jubilee decides to tell them a story. The fairytale is based on the real X-Men, and Jubilee, the hero who fights the evil Magnus.
“The Fifth Horseman”
Original Air Date: February 8, 1997
A mutant boy manages to escape a sacrifice. Beast and Jubilee are going on an Andean dig, having spent time out on an archeological dig. When Fabian Cortez is unable to re-capture the boy, he sends out his minions, the Hounds, to find him again or another mutant powerful enough to play the host for Cortez’ master. When Hank and Jubilee are unable to go any further on the road. They must hike the rest of the way. Hank learns that a Mayan cult worshiping Apocalypse is in the area, and they want Jubillee to be his vessel, so Apocalypse can return to the Earth.
“Old Soldiers”
Original Air Date: February 22, 1997
Logan, who does not age, is spotted by veterans who served in WWII. They assume that the man they served with must be his dad. Logan sadly lets them move on without revealing who he is. He flashes back to his time during the war. Wolverine and Captain America teamed up to take on the Nazis. The two set out to free a captured scientist, Professor Cocteau. However, when they get there, they discover that Red Skull is behind the kidnapping and the entire thing is much more than they anticipated.
“Descent”
Original Air Date: September 6, 1997
This is another episode set in the past. This time it is Victorian England. In London, Dr. James Xavier tells the inspector that Dr. Nathaniel Essex is responsible for sinister going-ons in Whitechapel. Dr. Xavier explains how he met Essex, who was obsessed with the theories of Charles Darwin. He is fascinated by his own theory that the evolution of the human species, through mutations, is the next evolutionary step for mankind. He found mutated humans to prove his theory, but the men of the Royal Society thought him to be a fraud. This drives Essex to become obsessed with his research. With “Sinister” plans for the future, it is up to Dr. Xavier to stop him.
“Hidden Agendas”
Original Air Date: September 13, 1997
Sam Guthrie and his father get stuck in a mine accident, in Kentucky. Sam is a mutant, so he is able to save them. The two work in the mines together, but his mom worries about him wasting his life there. Government officials want him to come serve his country and go to a great school. Rogue decides to go check out Sam Guthrie and the life he lives, especially since she grew up in the south. He’s living a pretty good life, though some people are scared of him. Beast, Professor X and Gambit are trying to figure out what the government is up to, they send Gambit to investigate, as Rogue decides it is best she stays in Kentucky one more day.
“Graduation Day”
Original Air Date: September 20, 1997
At a Human/Mutant Relations Summit, Henry Peter Gyrich and Professor Xavier get into a debate about mutant rights. Gyrich uses an energy disrupter, which knocks Xavier out and paralyzes him. The X-Men contact Moira MacTaggert and take him back to the mansion. This upsets Magneto’s former group, who believe the mutants will never have peace, since humans want to wipe them out. Moira cannot save him, but Hank thinks Lilandra might be able to. In the meantime, the mutant resistance has hit full force, and Magneto sees his opportunity to have his mutant army make their move. Before they can, he learns of Xavier’s condition. Jean tells Magneto that he is the only one who can help Xavier get in touch with Lilandra. It is up to him to decide whether to help his greatest enemy/oldest friend or take over the world for the mutants, as he has always dreamed.
Storyline/Plot: 
Replayability:
Acting: 
Directing:
Audio/Visual:
If you have watched the other seasons of X-Men you should have a pretty good idea of what to expect in regards to the video quality. The cartoon makes use of a 1.33:1 aspect ratio. Overall you get cartoon quality. This wasn’t made in the last five years so it doesn’t look brand spanking new, but it doesn’t look bad either. The detail could be a little better in some instances, but the colors are acceptable and there are no glaring visual errors worth reporting. All in all, for a cartoon, there isn’t much to complain about here.
Where the sound is concerned, you have the ability to pick from three language tracks; English, French, and Spanish. The stereo sound runs a tad loud, especially during the action sequences, of which there are many. For this reason, some volume toggling was necessary during these episodes. Other than this the audio was your basic cartoon audio. The booms and crashes you expect in the X-Men are alive and well in this set. In addition to the general audio, subtitles in French and Spanish are also available.
Visual:
Audio:
Bonus Features:
Fans that already own the other seasons of X-Men should not be surprised when I say that there are no special features available in this set. Other than previews, fans have nothing to watch here beyond the episodes. A little something would have been nice. Unfortunately, you won’t find any extras here.
Bonus Features:
Bottom Line:
This is the weakest of all the X-Men volume sets. The episodes are okay, but not the best in the series. If you own the other volumes, you can complete the collection with this set. If you are just looking to own a few of the episodes, I’d go for one of the first three volumes, which have the best episodes. If you’ve never seen this series, at all, I recommend you start with volume one. Kids will love this series, and this particular volume, more than adults, but any X-Men fan can find joy in all the X-Men volume sets. This DVD set is recommended for fans who love this series and those who have kids that love the X-Men. Otherwise, pass this one up.
Overall Rating:
Technorati Tags: DVD Review, TV Show, X-Men, Volume 5, Marvel DVD Comic Book Collection, Stan Lee, Wolverine, Rogue, Professor X, Charles Xavier, Magneto, Cyclops, Jean Grey
Written by Dominick Evans – Visit Website
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Dominick is in his late 20s. He lives in Michigan with his life partner, Ashtyn, their 14 year old son Robert, and their Shih-Tzu, Oliver. Dominick is a writer and the head editor for both LI Kids and Literary Illusions. He enjoys composing music and is an aspiring director/screenwriter. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his family, playing and watching sports, playing video games, watching movies, and singing.
