Masters of the Universe reveal review: great for older fans

“You were who we did this for!” ” Kevin smith enthusiastically told me during our interview on Netflix Masters of the Universe: Revelation, right after I revealed that I was a huge He-Man fan. He wasn’t lying. The new series was clearly made for me and the other ’80s kids. Those who grew up playing with the Masters of the Universe figurines and watching the accompanying cartoon, shouting “I have … the power!” Every time Prince Adam raised his sword and spoke those magical words. I just don’t know if Revelation was done for someone else – and I’m not sure it matters either?

If you are not a He-Man fan I have no idea what you will think Masters of the Universe: Revelation. I don’t know what you will get out of it, or if you will get anything. The show was presented as a sequel to the classic cartoon, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, which means there is very little of a ramp for new viewers to enter the franchise. Admittedly, this is not a difficult premise to understand because Revelation is extremely dedicated to the original series—that was made for children. In fact, the first episode feels like it could be from the ’80s series, just with infinitely better art, animation, and music.

This is also what is so remarkable Revelation. Smith made an updated version of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe for adult fans who still feel like they have the DNA of the campy, childish cartoon of the 80s. Floating Blue Wizard Orko (voiced by Griffin Newman) is still an idiot. Prince Adam’s cat, Cringer (Stephen Root) is still a coward. Villains still miraculously jump off vehicles just before they crash or explode. The “adult” part of Revelation arrives late in the first episode when Smith introduces something that He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon never, even had: stakes.

Like virtually all children’s cartoons from the ’80s (the most notable exception being Robotech), He-Man and his friends defeated the insane ploy that Skeletor and his minions were pulling to gain the massive and ill-defined powers inside Castle Grayskull and the series reset. Nothing postponed, minus a few two parts. Nothing has ever changed. But after He-Man (Chris Wood) foiled Skeletor (Marc Hamill) last attempt to take power in Revelation, something is changing – something irrevocable that turns the world of Eternia in a whole new direction from the original cartoon, and the story of the series continues to build from there. Beloved characters make decisions that once would have been unthinkable. Relationships are unraveling. The boundaries between the forces of good and evil are blurring. And despite all this, Revelation always manages to stay true to its roots.

The fact that Smith has managed to create a series where the MotU characters can experience real depth and development while Orko can still be a buffoonish comedic relief is, frankly, remarkable. Honestly, I didn’t think it was possible when the show was first announced, but I’m incredibly happy I was so wrong. Honestly, I’m still a little amazed at how well Smith managed to stay true to the original series while still telling a cohesive and compelling story about He-Man. Not to continue talking about Orko, but there is a fantastic scene where the funniest part of the ’80s cartoon shows some real pathos, and it’s absolutely captivating, at least if you’ve had feelings about it. d’Orko before watching Revelation.

This is not the only paradoxical feat the show accomplishes. It’s, from top to bottom, clearly designed for older He-Man fans, full of those kinds of scenes that we always wished the original series had achieved, especially in terms of characters or toys that we didn’t. ‘ve never been able to see it on the screen. Prince Adam is ultimately portrayed as a young child instead of a less tanned He-Man clone. The puzzling “evil ghost of Skeletor” Scare Glow gets a clever explanation. The story of Castle Grayskull is explored more than ever in the 1980s. However, some of these changes take the story to places that will likely baffle some of these fans. I’m not saying the fact that some morons will inevitably describe the importance of He-Man’s ally and one of the original series’ rare female characters, Teela (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and (essentially) the new character Andra (Tiffany smith), but rather really unexpected developments that cannot be discussed without spoiling them. Suffice to say, time this official promotional image:

This is not a group of characters who would have hung out with each other in He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, and yet in Revelation, there’s a good reason why Teela is with the minions of Skeletor, Beast Man (Kevin Michael Richardson) and Evil-Lyn (the character of Lena Headey, who rocks this super novelty) – and it has nothing to do with it. with fan service. It would have been incredibly easy for Smith and the Revelation crew just by providing fans with cool action scenes and making sure every action figure has time to shine onscreen. Instead, the show is going in some really unexpected directions (let’s just say the first five episodes we saw end on a cliffhanger). Not all of these decisions translate into anything meaningful, and I imagine some fans won’t mind, but Revelation is a better and much more interesting show to do more than just run through a fan service checklist, although there is still a lot to do.

If you’re a He-Man fan, there’s a lot more to love Masters of the Universe: Revelation that there is to hate. It’s not perfect, but Kevin Smith pulled off a remarkable tightrope act doing a sequel to a show that never had a serial narrative, one that kind of retains the frame of a cartoon. designed for eight year olds while building a story designed for middle aged nerds who still have the original Castle Grayskull playset in their garage, attic or living room. If you are one of those people, Revelation was literally made for you (and me). Everyone … maybe go see you again Loki?

The first five episodes of Masters of the Universe: Revelation– which also features the voices of Liam Cunningham, Diedrich Bader, Alicia Silverstone, Susan Eisenberg, Kevin Conroy, Phil LaMarr, Henry Rollins, Tony Todd and more – will premiere on Netflix on July 23. It also includes writings by Eric Carrasco, Tim Sheridan, Diya Mishra and io9 alum Marc Bernardin.

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