'Masters of the Universe: Revelations' is not an outstanding series by any stretch of imagination, but it is still quite a good one. While everyone has the right to like or dislike a series, hating a series over nostalgia is a tad stupid. Stories can evolve to fit in to contemporary times. The makers of this series have attempted the same, and have pulled it off quite well, without any sermonizing that seems prevalent at times.
The original He Man animated series formed a big part of my childhood and I loved that series. However, I must confess that I couldn't really get into it when tried to re-watch it a few years back. The characters seemed a bit one-dimensional, there was a lot of deus ex machina involved, and there was actually a bit of sermonizing involved as well since each episode would have a 'Moral of the Story' at the end of it. And, that was understandable as the series was aimed mainly at kids and to sell the toys (not that this one isn't intended for the same purpose).
With this series, the creators have tried to add depth to a lot of supporting characters, especially Teela, Orko, and Evil-Lyn. I haven't read the Masters of the Universe comic books, so I do not know if the same backstory is added for these characters in the comics. The focus on other characters has also enabled the creators to expand the universe and add more complexity to it. While the worldbuilding does seem a bit derivative at times, it nevertheless holds good as the characters themselves are given decent backstories and emotional connections.
The animation is quite good. So is the score (though, I do think the original opening theme was better). The voice cast is outstanding, with Mark Hamill as Skeletor and Lena Headey as Evil-Lyn doing a particularly brilliant job.
The main area where the series suffers is the actual building up of some of the relationships. It seems a bit abrupt at times. However, given the short runtime, that was inevitable, I guess. The series also lags a little bit in the middle, I feel, which shouldn't be the case given how short it is. I do agree that the first trailer that was released was a bit misleading (though again, that is no reason the hate the series), but showing anything else would have given away couple of a major spoilers.
Despite these shortcomings though, I found the series to be quite engaging. I hope all the negative feedback does not discourage Netflix from going for a second season.
Review by GallifreyRangerBlockedParent2021-07-29T13:19:40Z
'Masters of the Universe: Revelations' is not an outstanding series by any stretch of imagination, but it is still quite a good one. While everyone has the right to like or dislike a series, hating a series over nostalgia is a tad stupid. Stories can evolve to fit in to contemporary times. The makers of this series have attempted the same, and have pulled it off quite well, without any sermonizing that seems prevalent at times.
The original He Man animated series formed a big part of my childhood and I loved that series. However, I must confess that I couldn't really get into it when tried to re-watch it a few years back. The characters seemed a bit one-dimensional, there was a lot of deus ex machina involved, and there was actually a bit of sermonizing involved as well since each episode would have a 'Moral of the Story' at the end of it. And, that was understandable as the series was aimed mainly at kids and to sell the toys (not that this one isn't intended for the same purpose).
With this series, the creators have tried to add depth to a lot of supporting characters, especially Teela, Orko, and Evil-Lyn. I haven't read the Masters of the Universe comic books, so I do not know if the same backstory is added for these characters in the comics. The focus on other characters has also enabled the creators to expand the universe and add more complexity to it. While the worldbuilding does seem a bit derivative at times, it nevertheless holds good as the characters themselves are given decent backstories and emotional connections.
The animation is quite good. So is the score (though, I do think the original opening theme was better). The voice cast is outstanding, with Mark Hamill as Skeletor and Lena Headey as Evil-Lyn doing a particularly brilliant job.
The main area where the series suffers is the actual building up of some of the relationships. It seems a bit abrupt at times. However, given the short runtime, that was inevitable, I guess. The series also lags a little bit in the middle, I feel, which shouldn't be the case given how short it is. I do agree that the first trailer that was released was a bit misleading (though again, that is no reason the hate the series), but showing anything else would have given away couple of a major spoilers.
Despite these shortcomings though, I found the series to be quite engaging. I hope all the negative feedback does not discourage Netflix from going for a second season.