Astonishing X-Men (2009–2012)
8/10
Gripping, powerful, and pretty comic-y
6 August 2013
I'm not a huge comic guy - I enjoy a lot of superhero movies and I know my way around a roll call but I am not good with all the various stories and off-shoots that are out there. I knew Joss Whedon had done some comic work somewhere along the way and pulled this up on Netflix. For some reason only "Season" 2, 3 and 4 are on it but that was sufficient. Unstoppable is the last of the available series and easily the best.

The animation is very much in the style of a motion comic; it's not fully animated, lips move but most of the action is things flying past each other as static images. It can be a bit jarring if you're unused to it but that doesn't last long. It works in this case, at any rate.

This particular incarnation of the X-men includes Cyclops, Wolverine, Colossus, Shadowcat, Emma Frost, and Beast as the primaries. It's their story that is told and it can be quote moving at times. At other times, it's downright hilarious (thanks Joss). There was a scene late in episode 6, I think, that had such great timing I had to pause the movie to avoid missing the next part because I was laughing so hard.

The characters all have real arcs, form relationships, and see them tested. I didn't recognize any of the voice actors, but they all do fine work. I'd put this over a lot of the live action comic stuff from the last few years without question - but it doesn't quite touch Avengers!
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