Third season started off with a two parter that was pretty good leading off with Wolverine the most popular character. The upped the animation budget and it looks much better but is kind of jarring with a lot more close up to the face reaction shots.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2023-05-01T20:50:45Z
[6.0/10] The second part of “Out of the Past” is pretty silly. A giant glowing alien scuzzball is sucking up the “spirits” of everyone it encounters. The big trouble-making goober looks more like something you’d see in a commercial for allergy medication than an actually intimidating monster, despite its billing as an unstoppable extraterrestrial predator. And my goodness, the ending. The creature is impervious to all of the usual energy blasts and laser beams, but for some reason it can be felled by a high dose of electricity? It’s a good thing Storm’s conveniently absent from this one, I guess, since otherwise the episode might be over in five minutes.
The other side of the coin is that there’s some nice touches here. As much as it feels like something out of Power Rangers, having the “souls” of people you care about captured by the Spirit Drinker adds something extra to the peril. And as much as I gripe about the design of the monster, its little light show resulting in the faces of those it gobbled up appearing in its covering to plead for help is legitimately disturbing. The green glow also allows the animators ato get a little funky with the lighting for the battles, which results in a more distinctive aesthetic for the episode.
I do still find it weird that they establish the monster is vulnerable to adamantium despite being seemingly impervious to everything else, and yet it’s not Wolverine who stops it, but rather the third rail of the subway. But whatever. Par for the course, I guess.
I’m a little uneasy about the exotic tone the show adopts for Lady Deathstrike (Do we really need bowing and a gong as she exits?) And as much as I like dipping into Logan’s past, her high volume “I still want revenge” routine neuters what could otherwise be an interesting dynamic. I do appreciate that Wolverine is devoted to Jubilee and that's part of his big motivation for defeating the monster.
The tease of more alien presence and the Phoenix saga is a little cheesy, but also exciting for folks who know the story. Overall, this is a weaker duology and less-than-encouraging way to start the season, but with Phoenix on the way, hopefully the best has yet to come.