Summary
Masters of the Universe: Revolution strips He-Man back to basics for a more straightforward story that suffers from being too short.
When you work on the internet, it’s hard to be surprised by anything, but one must admit that the amount of confusion and controversy surrounding a cartoon based on some Mattel toys is slightly odd. Masters of the Universe: Revolution Season 1, another Kevin Smith Netflix effort, exists in a very weird context, so here’s a brief primer.
Smith’s original series for the streaming giant, Masters of the Universe: Revelation, was intended as a continuation of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, aimed at the now-adult fans who’d grown up with the syndicated series in the 80s. Then it killed off He-Man in the premiere (don’t worry, it brought him back) and got annihilated online for deliberately misleading the very fans the project was conceived to cater to.
Fast-forward to 2024 and here we are, with Revolution – which is a weird title, surely the revolution comes before the revelation? – attempting the right the wrongs of the previous series and repair Smith’s reputation. But at just five episodes, even its back-to-basics, more fan-friendly approach feels like it amounts to very little and is probably unlikely to win over the fans who felt seriously betrayed by Revelations.
So, following the Revelations ending, He-Man isn’t dead, a technologically advanced Skeletor wants to rule Eternia, and it’s up to the familiar gang to stop him. It’s a simplistic stripping-down of the show back to its simplistic roots as a very silly fusion of magic, technology, and a decidedly 80s steroidal aesthetic, and it’s immediately a more welcoming place to be for existing He-Man fans.
I’ll be the first to admit that the peddling of nostalgia – in the setup, the visuals, the character designs, everything – is prevalent to an almost cynical degree here, but I’ll also be the first to admit that it doesn’t matter. This is, crucially, a continuation of a show that was based on toys, not the other way around. It’s intrinsically a marketable product pitched at certain sensibilities. You don’t come to He-Man, a nearly naked barbarian with a pageboy haircut, for nuance.
This is why the visuals feel like a modernization of the same Filmation style; why the character designs look just like the toys did. Contemporary CGI embellishments are fun and welcome, but they’re icing on a cake made almost entirely of Mattel plastic. The animation even has that janky Saturday morning cartoon style you used to get back in the day.
There’s something pleasurable in the enthusiasm that Revolution has for a kid’s idea of what’s cool and funny. I could imagine non-fans coming to this and feeling utterly mystified by the one-liners, or the overly dense exposition, or the obvious punch-the-air vibe to characters getting a bigger sword or a new outfit or whatever. But it’s a treat for the audience the show is aimed at, the one Revelation was supposed to be aimed at too; the adults who found this cool as kids.
That isn’t to say Revolution is totally devoid of anything meaningful or more grown-up. It has surprisingly nuanced character arcs and a real sense of heart, albeit one that only gets to beat for five half-hour episodes. It’s still primarily a fun, silly romp through 80s adventure-land, but you can see how twice as many episodes would have produced a much better show.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHC-VTmLlpU
A double-edged sword
Ultimately it’s hard not to recommend Masters of the Universe: Revolution to fans of the franchise, especially those who thought Revelation deviated too far from what was promised. But it’s equally hard to pretend it’s going to leave any kind of lasting impression given how brief and ultimately straightforward it is. The nostalgic and – this in a bit of a whisper – safe approach is a double-edged sword, which might be the kind He-Man likes but probably won’t be for everyone.
Then again, He-Man has never been for everyone, has it? It’s a silly toy cartoon, and most of the people who like it love that about it. Revolution has this quality, and if nothing else it’s refreshing to get more or less what was advertised in the first place.
What did you think of Masters of the Universe: Revolution Season 1? Comment below.
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