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Masters of the Universe: Revelation (Part 1 – 2021) seems to be a show which manages to bring a decent storyline and decent characterization to what was actually a crappy Filmation half-hour toy commercial that wasn’t that faithful to the toys anyway. If this is your idea of woke or agenda-pushing, take a step back and ask yourself where cancel culture plays a role here. Or better yet, watch the show and decide for yourself before letting a YouTube outrage bandwagon make your mind up for you.
The 80s Filmation cartoon most people know was actually the third iteration of this property, after the toy line and the DC Comics (where Prince Adam was introduced). The old cartoon isn’t the original, but this new one still goes a long way to pay homage to the whole property. It’s not going to indoctrinate you or your kids or your frogs. The series is about character development, addressing the many one-dimensional characters from the original series, but giving them a voice, a purpose and a quest.
These characters now have definition, a shared backstory. Patience is required for good storytelling. Our childlike dedication to the ethos of the 1980s series requires an introspective review, now more than ever. When we were kids, we were not students of suspense and character development. We were the superficial children we were supposed to be, the ones who wanted to buy all the toys and play.
Now, as adults, we can see that the series is meeting the adult expectations of a real story because it evolved for its audience. The issue is not as many have reported in outrage – a gynocentric attempt to redirect the storyline. The issue is a lack of understanding, allowing faux-fanboy idiocy to manifest into rage.
The animation is ultra-modern and reminded me of Scorpion’s Revenge (2020) but with superior character designs.
Buy/Rent Scorpion’s Revenge via Amazon Prime Video by Clicking on the Image below:
The action is great but I felt it held back – though this could be due to the fact that I’ve gotten so used to gory animations like the afore-mentioned Scorpion’s Revenge and the Amazon Prime Original Invincible (2021).
Invincible is this year’s best American animated show. Stream Invincible Season 1 on Amazon Prime Video by Clicking on the Picture below:
I found Mark Hamill’s performance a tad overdone – as if he was trying too hard to remind everyone he is one of the most well-known personalities to have voiced Batman’s arch-nemesis the Joker. However, he still managed to to bring life to a character aptly named Skeletor.
Chris Wood (The Vampire Diaries, Legacies, Supergirl) did such a great job playing He-Man that I did not recognize his voice at all. Rest of the cast, from legendary figures such as Lena Headey, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Alicia Silverstone to modern artists such as Wood and Griffin Newman (Orka) whose voice work I considered the best amongst all of them.
Where Masters of the Universe: Revelation sincerely fails is its main storyline. I saw the ending coming a mile away and I do not vividly recall any of any previous live-action or animated portrayals of the various adaptations of one of Mattel’s most popular toy line-ups of the same name.
However, the performances of the cast seemed to be its saving grace. The animation is still of course the paramount factor, and so we shouldn’t be disappointed by these initial 5 episodes as Netflix places emphasis on quality over quantity. I am not a 100% sure how fans of the franchise, especially the 80s cartoon run, will find this new but otherwise old take on the Masters of the Universe. As long as we are entertained, then this latest offering from Netflix is yet to run its course, and plus this is only Part 1.
The Rating: 4 out of 5.
