A radical return to Eternia, REVELATION is a direct sequel series to the classic era of MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE. Featuring fan favorites He-Man, Orko, Cringer, and Man-At-Arms, the story pits our heroic warriors and guardians of Castle Grayskull against Skeletor, Evil-Lyn, Beast Man and the vile legions of Snake Mountain. But after a ferocious final battle forever fractures Eternia, it’s up to Teela to solve the mystery of the missing Sword of Power in a race against time to prevent the end of the Universe. Her journey will uncover the secrets of Grayskull at last. This is the epic He-Man and the Masters of the Universe saga fans have waited 35 years to see.
I remember hearing all about He-Man and the Masters of the Universe as a child, but I was not a diehard fan of the franchise. Friends of mine were and that’s as deep as my knowledge of the source material went. Outside of seeing and hearing commercials referencing it ever so often that’s as far as my reach extended. It was a cool concept, and it made perfect sense why children in the eighties would be overjoyed with each new episode and toy released. The fate of the universe in a good vs evil battle mixed with magic sounds nothing short of amazing for back then. But thirty-five plus years later there was a hesitancy on taking on the sequel picking up right where the original left off when your memory was cloudy at best of what all it had to offer. Fortunately the talented creator Kevin Smith takes care of that issue with ease making this sequel palatable for newcomers and appears to deliver exactly what hardcore fans from the past were looking for in a follow-up.
While not perfect there’s still a ton to admire within the series. The intro provides an easy-to-follow guide setting up the world of Eternia if you’re visiting for the first time. The narration is clear, and the illustration did an excellent job showcasing what’s at stake while easily distinguishing who’s good and who’s evil. The animation is the next great addition that pops vividly bright with every color on the rainbow. If you have a big display to view it on you’ll definitely be satisfied with what you’re seeing on screen. The score put together by Bear McCreary serves each episode well creating an adventurous tone for the journey our heroes must take on.
The story doesn’t take long to commence either. Within the first few moments of the first episode, you’re already on the ride enjoying yourself which was unexpected. While the story is simple in nature, it doesn’t take away from the enjoyment of the overall experience. One of those reasons is the entire voice cast that gives this feature more life through the dedication of their characters. Mark Hamill as Skeletor is simply amazing. There’s so much passion in his performance he may make you cheer for him, and he’s the bad guy. It’s performances like this that you can always take seriously whether it’s live-action or animation. He’s not the only one though. Sarah Michelle Gellar as Teela, Lena Headey as Evil-Lyn, Justin Long as Roboto, and Chris Wood as He-Man were all phenomenal voice roles.
As far as the action, it’s as good as it needs to be. If the animation and voice roles weren’t that strong it may be something to complain about but with each character’s commitment to their performance it’s passable at the very least. Also as far as what age group this series is aimed for it’s hard to decipher leaving any potential answer on the fence of children vs mature. While other animated properties promote much more anguish the amount of violence is a step-down. DC animated films still lead this race by far, for any short comparison when it comes to brutality for mature audiences. There are moments here for children, while at other times it’s dialed back.
It’s always great to hear He-Man power up by the power of greyskull, a maneuver that never gets old; but he takes a back seat in his own sequel, giving shine to other characters and it works beyond without a flaw. This is only the first part of the series leaving much room for more character development on his end, but this series focuses more on Teela and her confrontation with fear and becoming a new leader. All of the women take center stage during this journey, and I’m here for it all the way. It was an organic transition of the story, making logical sense for progression, and was outstanding. Now every encounter they went on wasn’t pulled off with great execution, but the majority were and should be recognized for it.
In the end Masters of the Universe: Revelation is exactly what it needed to be for its audience, delivering what was loved from the past and leaving you wanting more. There’s so much more to be explored in this world of magic in Eternia, and it’s very exciting just thinking about it. There’s something about this franchise that brings out the kid in you, filling you up with a passion to do good and help others. At least that’s the feeling I got while watching it, and it’s hard not to call this series fun.
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Image via Netflix