Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
"Motion comic" has violence, deep dramatic themes.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 12+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Astonishing X-Men
What's the Story?
Told in little "chapters" of about 10-12 minutes each, the stories of ASTONISHING X-MEN -- written by Joss Whedon -- focus on dramatic changes in the lives of the X-Men and raise complex themes. On DVD, groups of episodes are separated into different story arcs with titles like Gifted, Dangerous, and Torn. In one episode, the team members must decide whether to take a "mutant cure" derived from illegal, immoral experiments. In another story, the mutants' practice space ("The Danger Room") becomes sentient and attacks them, using all the knowledge of their skills and powers. Additionally, Colossus returns to the team after a long absence and must deal with his traumatic experience.
Is It Any Good?
In this "motion comic," the focus isn't on slick or fluid movements; rather, it aims to stay true to the original comic book art. It's as if the original pages were scanned and figures were moved just a little bit to suggest action, instead of showing it. It takes a little while to get used to it, and it can look like "bad" animation, but the artwork is quite powerful, and it makes the drama a bit more mature than in a simpler animated cartoon.
Whedon has a gift for handling ensemble casts and giving each character a satisfying dramatic arc. A great deal happens in the brief running time, from big battles to dramatic turns of character. Problems like romance, adjusting to a new situation, and regret are concepts that any viewer can identify with. On the other hand, action scenes and battles with monsters and robots aren't as kinetic and exciting as they might otherwise be, so viewers will have to use their imagination a bit.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Astonishing X-Men's violence. Does it seem more intense and less playful than what you've seen in other superhero stories? Does the motion comic aspect make the action less intense?
Who's the most admirable member of the X-Men? Are any of them good role models?
Most of members of the X-Men are given problems to deal with, which makes them seem more human. How do they go about solving or dealing with their problems? What tools do they use? Can you relate to any of their problems?
TV Details
- Premiere date : October 27, 2009
- Cast : Brian Drummond , Mark Hildreth , Ron Halder
- Network : Hulu
- Genre : Action
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Superheroes
- TV rating :
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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