X-Men Volume 5 DVD Review And Giveaway

Of all the comic book turned animated series efforts of the last dozen or so years, none stands out quite so much as X-Men, and you can now complete your collection with Volume 5. While there have been bigger productions in the comic world, and some would argue the merits of the Batman series, X-Men handled its own complexity so well, and offered up so many characters, that it rebuilt the idea of cartoon adventure.

Of course, that could be my X-Men bias talking.

Though Volume 5 kicks off with the two-part The Phalanx Covenant, which is an unfortunately goofy story, the rest is not only among the best the series produced, but also showcases some great characters. If you know your comics, the cover alone tells that story pretty well. Longshot may test some, but with Captain America taking center stage on the cover art, you know you're in for a lot of strong guest appearances.

It feels like a planned end from the very beginning of the volume (I don't know if it was), with characters getting more time than usual, and a run of episodes that seem to try to get spotlights on several things before the shop closes. Nightcrawler comes back, with an emphasis on getting a lot of his story on screen. Magneto returns, because how can we see him again? Storm gets a big two-part focus. Jubilee gets an episode with at least her name in the title. And, on and on.

You get the idea that we're pulling out all the stops here, and it becomes a truly worthwhile effort. There are sadly no special features, but it doesn't really need them. Still, with the bonuses we've seen in some similar releases of late, that might be a stumbling block.

X-men stars voice talents Iona Morris (Law and Order, Spider-man, Fantastic Four), Lenore Zann (Law and Order, Dragon Tales) and Alison Seasly-Smith (Honey, Degrassi: The Next Generation).

Own it on DVD today!

Win it!

Leave a comment below, and you are automatically entered to win your very own copy of the DVD release. U.S. only. Winner will be randomly selected May 25th.

Check out some clips below.

The X-Men Escape

Betrayal

Missing Jean Grey

Trouble Brewing

Disc 1

Episode 63 The Phalanx Covenant (Part 1)

Episode 64 The Phalanx Covenant (Part 2)

Episode 65 A Deal With The Devil

Episode 66 No Mutant Is An Island

Episode 67 Longshot

Episode 68 Bloodlines

Disc 2

Episode 69 Storm Front (Part 1)

Episode 70 Storm Front (Part 2)

Episode 71 Jubilee's Fairy Tale Theatre

Episode 72 The Fifth Horseman

Episode 73 Old Soldiers

Episode 74 Descent

Episode 75 Hidden Agendas

Episode 76 Graduation Day

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About Marc Eastman

Marc Eastman is the owner and operator of Are You Screening? and has been writing film reviews for over a decade, and several branches of the internet's film review world have seen his name. His reviews have brought him personal praise from the director of a major motion picture, and have been used as required reading in a course at a major University. These priceless rewards, along with just bags of cash, keep him from straying from freelance writing. He is also a member of The Broadcast Film Critics Association and The Broadcast Television Journalists Association.

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