MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE: REVELATION Review – He-Man Grows Up, While ‘Fans’ Do Not

We have new Masters of the Universe in the year 2021, and I could not be happier.

With the release of the first five episodes of Masters of the Universe: Revelation on Netflix, from filmmaker Kevin Smith, we are again transported back to Eternia, a place some of us have not visited since the 1980s.

The Review

And thus ends our generic (but honest and clever) opening for a review post of the new Master of the Universe show. For those of you that wish only to see if this is a positive or negative review, a fast forward: I love the show… I want more and I want it now!

The animation is gorgeous; the voice acting is phenomenal. A story that is addictively paced, with a more mature spin to elevate it above the old Filmation series, or even the 2002 show. The plot and stories being told are clever, multi-layered, and clearly go over the heads of a plethora of people around my age.

Look, anyone that goes into Masters of the Universe: Revelation expecting a He-Man-centric show either a.) never watched all of the original Filmation episodes, b.) clearly didn’t pay attention to these episodes, or c.) all of the above.

Does every episode feature He-Man? Yessir, it does.

Is He-Man the main character that we follow throughout these episodes? No, we do in fact follow Teela, however, the story of Revelation is, in fact, a He-Man story. Rather these negative and venomous “fans” want to admit to it or not.

So for anyone that is searching through reviews trying to decide if they want to watch this show, do yourself a favor and stop. Just go watch it. It may or may not end up being your cup of tea, but I promise you, you want to make that decision on your own versus reading someone else’s thoughts. (he writes in the middle of his own review).

This is Part 1 of a Complete Story

When it comes to storytelling, Revelation is superb. The nuanced threads throughout the episode of the pull between technology and magic. The development of characters like Orko, Evil-Lyn, and Roboto. Not to mention the badassery of Man-at-Arms. If you approach this like a mature adult and treat it for what it is meant to be: entertainment, you won’t walk away disappointed.

Why some people want to complain about this show is beyond me. You cannot tell stories that revolve purely around Prince Adam or He-Man. You just can’t. To tell stories, to expand this universe, you must explore characters. You must develop their stories. Smith does just that with Revelation.

I’ve seen online some people compare He-Man to Superman. With Adam having his own “Clark Kent” moment, showing his true self. Well, what is Superman if not for his supporting cast? Without Jimmy, Lois, Perry White, Lex Luthor? We have a more complete universe building versus a one-dimensional show.

But hey, you’re still going to have plenty of butthurt fanboys crying and complaining that their He-Man show doesn’t have enough He-Man and has too many girls.

Well, boys and girls, this show is Masters of the Universe: Revelation, not He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. So they’re starting you off early with just the title of the show. Smith himself has said that they LEGALLY could not do a direct sequel to the original Filmation series.

Am I disappointed I’ve not seen Ram-Man, Stratos, Mekaneck, or Man-E-Faces? Damn skippy!

For (Emotionally) Mature Audiences

Am I going to go cry and bitch and moan about the show because it wasn’t what I wanted it to be? No, because I’m an adult who can view things for what they are. Does the lack of some of my favorite characters still give me pause and disappointment? Sure! But I’m not letting it take away from the show.

Partially because we’ve only seen HALF of the story. We’ve seen the first chapter. The foundation for what’s to come. And Lord knows we all need to decide the quality of a story based on only the setup and none of the payoff or conclusion. What’s A New Hope by itself compared to A New Hope with Empire Strikes Back? A New Hope with both Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi?

People need to learn to sit back and chill out.

The reality is, we do not know where the story is going. The story started with Teela. The hate online would make you think it’s purely because of the “woke” mentality or some other nefarious purpose. What if pray tell that gasp we have Teela’s character established upfront, not because it’s now Teela’s show, but because she plays an integral part, or perhaps an evolution in the second half of the story that helps He-Man in defeating Skelegod. Teela has always been an essential character, but if she becomes the next Sorceress, will following her story in the lead-up not add more depth to that?

We know the story of He-Man. We know Prince Adam. Why is adding depth to these other characters viewed in such a negative light?

He-Man then, He-Man now.

When you were a fan growing up when you were wanting He-Man action figures. Even now for collectors that are grabbing up the Masters of the Universe Origins line as soon as they’re available. Were you only wanting He-Man and Skeletor, or were you wanting all the figures? Were you wanting Beast Man, and Evil-Lyn, Mer-Man, or even gasp Teela? Exactly! He-Man has always been as much about He-Man as it has been about the characters and universe that is around him.

The saddest part of all of this, if it was a random male character, or even a newly introduced male character that they retconned in, people would be complaining less than they are. (King Grayskull notwithstanding) People’s main issue is that, of all characters, Teela is the one leading the charge to what essentially returns He-Man to Eternia and greatness.

What’s funny is, in all the bitching and moaning, I’ve never once seen someone suggest a better story. What character could fit into the role that Teela is filling in this opening chapter? What’s funnier, is that if you go back and check out the DVD set of the 10 best episodes of He-Man, 3 of those 10 episodes end up being Teela-centric.

Venomous fandoms ruining it for everyone, and that sucks.

The review bombing could likely bring about Netflix having no interest in ordering additional episodes, which only hurts us fans that want to have new MOTU content. Burning a book after reading just the first chapter, only destroys the potential enjoyment from the rest of the book. You never know until you reach the conclusion of the story. You cannot judge a story by its parts if you do not have the sum of its parts.

Thankfully, my son is way too young to truly be a hardcore fan or to have interest on a level that he could be exposed to the vile and nasty that the proclaimed MOTU fanbase has become. Hopefully, by the time he reaches that age, we’ve matured as a society to where we can simply sit back and enjoy a well-told story for its entertainment value and nothing more.

Bottom line, if you have an interest in checking out Masters of the Universe: Revelation, do so with an open mind. Don’t go in already having an established opinion. You’re doing the show, the fans, and yourself a disservice doing so.