In the 1970s, X-Men was on the brink of cancellation, but Marvel decided to give the title one more shot. Young writer Chris Claremont was tasked with writing a new team of international X-Men. Five years later, it was the biggest title in comics, and Claremont one of comics’ biggest stars.

This film tells the story of Chris and his small team of collaborators, who worked together to tell stories that inspired a generation of comics readers, and led directly to the creation of the blockbuster X-Men film franchise.

The story of his groundbreaking seventeen-year run on the title is also the story of a company in transition, of how Marvel moved from the free-thinking “house of ideas” to a top-down corporation, and how the success of the X-Men took away the very freedom that allowed Chris to create.

The X-Men is a modern mythology, and this is the story of its creation, in the words of the people who made it happen.

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Video Quality

Chris Claremont’s X-Men comes to Blu-Ray from ETR Media with a strong HD master which presents this documentary perfectly well. This feature largely consists of newer talking head interviews along with an array of archival materials to help put developments into context. All materials seem to be derived from the most stable source available at the time of this film’s production. Some of the older elements reveal their age, but everything looks more than acceptable. The new talking head interview segments look nice and clear with natural skin tones and detailed facial features from the controlled filming locations. The colors present are saturated very well. The encoding is respectable in terms of compression artifacts and other such digital nuisances. This Blu-Ray delivers what it needs to.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray disc comes with a consistent DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that honors the sonic qualities of the feature without any shortcomings. Dialogue leaps forth from the center channel as you get engaging anecdotes shared in a controlled environment. This is almost exclusively an interview showcase with a parade of talking heads to go along with some older, odd sources. The music from the film comes through with a crisp fidelity that fills the room. The material is full and capably rendered. There are no serious digital anomalies, drop-outs, or other issues spotted. This track is a fine piece of work. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Director Patrick Meaney provides a commentary track in which he discusses how the project came about, securing various interviews, motivations behind certain creative choices, and more.

Extended Interviews: There are 30 minutes of additional unused interview material provided. There are some interesting anecdotes here but the camerawork can be a bit shaky.

Official Trailer (1:57)

Final Thoughts

Chris Claremont’s X-Men is a straightforward yet entertaining look at a creative figure who shaped one of the biggest comic book properties into the heroes we know and love today. The film successfully ensures that fans will not let his legacy be forgotten. The film is especially reverential of the titular figure so do not expect any hard-hitting angles, but those who want to know the history behind the X-Men will be pleased. ETR Media has released a Blu-Ray featuring a terrific A/V presentation and a few worthwhile special features. Recommended

Chris Claremont’s X-Men is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: ETR Media & OCN Distribution have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.