X-Men’97 – Rise of Apocalypse Part 1 review S2 E3
Rise of Apocalypse Part 1 is a calm before the storm installment this season and is weirdly placed in the kickoff for X-Men’97 Season 2. Clearly from its title, Rise of Apocalypse Part 1 doesn’t tell a comprehensive story like the previous two episodes. The arc gets completed with Rise of Apocalypse Part 2, which gets a standalone release next week.
That leaves this episode, the least eventful of the four screened for critics, to end the premiere night on a weaker note. Given the excitement of the first two, Rise of Apocalypse Part 1 isn’t that exciting in its various table setting for next week’s episode.
While it doesn’t make for the most effective conclusion to the three-episode premiere, Rise of Apocalypse Part 1 was included to catch viewers up on the plight of all of the X-Men. Yes, there might have been some questions about the whereabouts of Rogue, Beast, Nightcrawler, Professor X and Magneto, but it would have been so much more satisfying to get Rise of Apocalypse Part 1 and 2 on the same night.
In last season’s epilogue, the X-Men and Magneto were transported to ancient Egypt 4000 BCE where they encounter En Sabah Nur, the mutant who will one day become Apocalypse.
One issue that quickly stands out in this episode is that the team of X-Men are hardly the heaviest hitters. Storm, Cyclops, Wolverine, Jean Grey and Morph are in the future. At the risk of going too old school, maybe Morph and Nightcrawler should have been switched since Morph is a one-mutant powerhouse anyway.
Some time has passed as Xavier and company have settled into their temporary new home. While Beast has Rogue and Nightcrawler fetching items he can use to transport them through time, Magneto — and to a lesser extent, Xavier — has become an advisor to En Sabah Nur.
Magneto might not be the best mentor as he’s preparing En Sabah to be a god among insects. Apocalypse’s god complex? Totally Magneto’s fault.
En Sabah is preparing his forces to battle the mighty army of the Pharoah. And not just any battle but a survival of the fittest. In another vast Marvel continuity flex, the pharaoh is none other than Rama Tut, who will eventually/already be a major thorn in the sides of the Avengers and Fantastic Four.
That was too easy a connection to make and this was a smart pull from the greater Marvel lore instead of trying to shoehorn The Living Pharaoh, since he already has some ties to the X-Men.
Rise of Apocalypse Part 1 probably could have used more of Xavier questioning the logic of training the future Apocalypse. It’s a valid point and belong to refine the skills of one of the team’s greatest adversaries does not seem like the best idea. Nor does messing around with history.
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Magneto is convinced that teaching En Sabah a different way can potentially spare the world from him ever becoming Apocalypse. This is an intriguing departure from the norm as it’s Magneto who’s the hopeful, optimistic one while Xavier is more cautious.
What makes this optimism so unique is that it’s not exactly a stretch for Magneto to see Apocalypse in the same way as another crazed leader who thinks only the strong should survive and would annihilate those he deems unfit.
Given the opportunity to be back in time to prevent the Holocaust would Erik Lehnsherr really find himself trying to show a young Hitler a different path or would he just kill him and save millions? It feels like he’d favor the latter making this subplot very intriguing.
In a tremendous bit of foreshadowing, En Sabah’s silhouette shifts into Apocalypse for a money during the battle against Rama Tut’s army.
Rama Tut is fascinated in watching this conflict play out. He can arrange the pieces of the battlefield like a chess board since he can maneuver to a totally more advantageous position across time if needed.
Xavier’s fears are temporarily allayed when En Sabah decides against killing Rama Tut’s general. Maybe they are getting through to him?
Slightly bothered that he’s losing his advantage, Rama Tut triggers a bomb to wipe out En Sabah’s army and the X-Men with the ominous words: “Let us see who’s fit to survive — the slave of the conqueror.”
That makes for a fitting point for the Rise of Apocalypse Part 1 cliffhanger and what a hook to leave viewers dangling for another week.
Rise of Apocalypse Part 1 ends on a promising note that some major shakeups are imminent. It won’t take long, but that promise does get fulfilled as X-Men ‘97 Season 2 is just getting started even if this installment is more of a solid setup than explosive payoff.
Rating: 8 out of 10
Photo Credit: Disney
After watching Rise of Apocalypse Part 1, pick up the Marvel Legends X-Men ’97 Bishop action figure from Amazon.
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