Masters of the Universe: Revolutions- Season 2 Review (and Critique)

Kevin Smith, the reknown director of Mallrats, Clerks, Dogma and various Jay and Silent Bob movies, is a bonafide He-Man fanboy. In 2021, he was given the keys to Mattel's Masters of the Universe Grey Skull Castle and created Masters of the Universe: Revelations. The 10 part series aired on Netflix and was an interesting show that tries some daring things. It featured He-Man but he is not the main focus of the series as he was taken out of the equation pretty quickly. Instead what we had was an intriguing character study of those left behind with a special emphasis on Teela.

I thought it was a brave move that expanded on the lore and motivations of the stable of characters but knew it would upset some of the fanboys who were looking for a more action-oriented, boys-own adventure featuring the main man, He-Man. Similar to Batman: The Dark Knight Rises, the focus of the story was on deconstructing the idea of what a hero is, looks like and does. The fellowship rallys after falling apart and takes on Skeletor and his army, seeing Adam and He-Man return in dramatic fashion. The show ended on a huge cliffhanger as Skeletor is defeated and possessed by Motherboard and Hordak.

MOTU: Revolutions sees the story continue from where we last left it; He-Man and his fellowship go to Subternia, the Eternian version of hell, to regain the souls of his fallen friends Fisto and Clamp Champ. They hope to revive Preturnia, their version of Heaven, to allow the souls of all the fallen (and gravely ill King Randor) to ascend. They succeed in regaining the two souls but upset the Scare Glow, the Hades like figure of the underworld, who vows revenge.

Teela, who is now the Sorceress, wants to revive Preturnia but needs to go on a mission for 3 maguffins that will synthesise the magic of the world into one. Meanwhile, Skeletek, the Hordak hacked Skeletor, becomes an acolyte and recruits new members to the Horde Army, giving them a Motherboard glow up as part of the recruitment process to take over and leech the magic of Eternia for their own nefarious purposes. However, the complex origins of Skeletor is revealed and it seems he is more connected to the royals of Eternia than first thought. Throw in some Techno Titans, high tech mech creatures revived from Eternia's past, doing battle with the people of Eternos and we have a heck of a series where various storytelling strands weave and intertwine in intriguing ways.

There is strong character development, especially of Prince Adam who becomes King after his father dies. Can he manage the intricacies of diplomacy that Kingship requires whilst balancing the role with He-Man? Evil Lyn shows growth as an anti-hero but, once again, Teela bears the heavy burden as her responsibilities as Sorceress and love for Adam conflict.

The final battle is suitably dramatic and ends on a note of optimism with democracy declared in Eternia. There is also a stinger at the end hinting at another season, which I hope happens as this has been a great show moving along at a cracking pace. To all the naysayers I’d say, give it a chance as it is more intelligent and nuanced that the original series with much better characterisation. I enjoyed my time and look forward to the next season (if we are so blessed).

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Masters of the Universe: Revelations- Season 1 Review (and critique)

Over the past couple of days, I have been watching the Masters of the Universe: Revelations series on Netflix and it’s an interesting show that tries some daring things. It features He-Man but he is not the main focus of the series. He is taken out of the equation pretty quickly and instead what we have is a character study of those left behind. It's a brave move that expands on the lore and motivations of the stable of characters but may upset some of the fanboys who were looking at a more action-oriented, boys-own adventure featuring the main man. However, with the He-Man name removed from the title that should have maybe been a clue as to what the intention of the show were by series lead writer, Kevin Smith.

He-Man’s presence is only fleeting in the first episode as the story starts with a bang as Castle Greyskull is taken over by the hordes from Snake Mountain. Skeletor traps the Sorceress and finds the secret contained inside the castle. Teela is made Man At Arms and she leads the Eternian army to battle and witnesses the deus-ex machina which changes the status quo we have grown used to from the old 80s series. The events of the opening episode act as a catalyst for an in-depth character study and so we have 3 episodes following Teela, Evil Lyn, Orko, Man At Arms and various villains as they try to find their place in an Eternia bereft of magic and He-Man. Similar to Batman: The Dark Knight Rises, the focus on the story is on deconstructing the idea of what a hero is, looks like and does and give other characters a chance to shine in the hour of need. In this case, Teela steps forward and takes centre stage. Much like with the rebooted She-Ra, the change of format of Masters of the Universe has upset some of the fanbase and I get (some of) it; this wasn’t what they expected but something bolder and different.

The rebooted, 5 series run of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power was a modern reimagining of the classic ’80s Filmation series and I loved it. She-Ra is a part of the He-Man universe and so holds a place in many fans’ hearts, and as expected this led to many debates about the redesign of the characters, reworking of lore etc. Some arguments seemed to be reasonable, like the complaints about the cartoony, super-deformed art style, or the redesign of She-Ra herself, but some seem purposely argumentative and toxic like why there was a wider LGBTQ+ and minority ethnic representation on the show and why She-Ra herself was much less 'feminine'. However, the fact was that the story was amazing and well paced, the characters were well thought out and the interplay between them felt natural and the whole show was an excellent piece of television.

With Masters of the Universe, the approach has been somewhat different:

  • The animation is Castlevania-level great (it’s made by the same studio) and, even though it goes for a more realistic style compared to She-Ra's cuter, chibi style, it’s still a knockout.

  • The voice cast is solid and Sarah Michelle Gellar's Teela does a lot of the heavy lifting, but the voice acting is uniformly solid. Mark Hamill's Skeletor leans to his Batman: Animated Series Joker a bit too much but that's fine as it suits the character well.

  • The show is uniformly played straight and, whilst there are a few asides and jokey bits, the stakes are high here so don’t expect any pratfalls or Skeletor shaking his fists vowing, “I’ll get you next time He-Man!’ schtick. However, there is an amazing ‘Oh bollocks’ bit by Evil Lyn that had me in stitches!

It doesn’t have much humour but Evil Lyn is my MVP.

It doesn’t have much humour but Evil Lyn is my MVP.

New He-Man Trailer Revealed

The new trailer for the He-man Netflix revival, Masters of the Universe: Revival, has just released and I am cautiously optimistic. Over the past few years, we have had excellent reboots and revivals of She-Ra and Carmen Sandiego so I am very pleased that He-Man is getting a chance to shine with a new coat of paint and a makeover. I loved the show in the 80s but it was nothing more than a glorified toy commercial, however this revival really has a chance to revitalise the charming but janky animation of old. The series remains true to the character designs and world from that series but hopefully will have a deeper and more fufilling story arc with Head Writer Keven Smith (of Clerks, Dogma, Chasing Amy fame) at the helm. The show drops on 23rd July so here’s hoping it good!

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power- A Retrospective Before the Final Season

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power on Netflix is a modern reimagining of the classic ’80s Filmation series. She-Ra is a part of the He-Man universe and so holds a place in many fans’ hearts, and as expected this raised the profile of the 2018 reboot, especially online.

Even before the show aired there were many debates about whether the new takes on the characters were any good. Some arguments seemed to be reasonable, with some complaining about the more cartoony super deformed art style, or the redesign of She-Ra herself, but some seemed purposely argumentative and toxic like why there was wider LGBTQ and minority ethnic representation on the show. People accused it of being a show for SJW’s with the common refrain, ‘Go Woke, Go Broke’.

So, away from the Twitter frenzy and YouTube comments, what has the show been like and has it proved the detractors wrong over the past 2 years and 4 seasons?

Warning- Spoilers Ahead As I Discuss the Plot Points of All 4 Seasons.


The story itself is classic hero fare: Adora is a cadet in the Fright Zone and a part of the Horde, who are trying to wipe out the 'evil' Princesses. However, after a joy riding accident in the Whispering Woods with her friend Catra, Adora finds the Sword of Power and has visions of She-Ra and the First Ones.

Adora is captured by Princess Glimmer of Bright Moon and Bow and realises that the Horde are evil and that the Princesses aren't a guerilla force but actually just peaceful rulers of their respective lands. Adora undergoes a crisis of Horde faith and joins Glimmer in her aim to unite the Princess Alliance which once fought the Horde but ultimately failed and fell apart.

Adora is then trained by Lighthope, a First Ones Yoda-type hologram, in the ways of She-Ra but makes slow progress. The Princess Alliance get used to being friends as well as allies and hold strong against the continuous daily onslaught of Horde robots.

The first two seasons of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power are bright and generally breezy but boy does season 3 crank things up a little. There are three main through-lines over the course of this season; Hordak's plan, which is suitably nefarious, involves portals and the Horde army travelling through space and time to take over Etheria; Adora and her Best Friend Squad deepen their bonds on a journey through the Crimson Waste to find more First Ones technology and learn what happened to Mara, the previous She-Ra, and Catra and Scorpia become closer as they search for the tech in the Crimson Wastes too.

The three storylines converge in dramatic fashion and, from episode 5, get pretty heady as the true area of development is character as we delve further into all our invested parties. We learn about Hordak's motivations, and even though he is the big bad in this series, it is hard not to feel a little sympathy for him. We see his friendship (maybe romance?) with Entrapta grow and so, what could have been a 2-dimensional bad guy, becomes more intriguing.

The storyline then goes to some pretty dark places, not Pulp Fiction level dark but for a 7+ kids show... pretty noir. Alternate realities, the darkest timeline and time and space being all wobbly wobbly feature in this series and actually play a huge part in the finale. We find out that Hordak's plan is to open a portal to bring Horde Prime and the intergalactic Horde army to Etheria, Adora finally gains some insight as to who she really is and where she came from and Catra goes full heel and sustained some cool but temporary evil looking scars to show how bad ass she really had become. It all reached a dizzying crescendo that culminated in the ultimate sacrifice from a figure that would change the structure of the Princesses Alliance forever and have grave implications for the Best Friends Squad moving forward.

The forth season kicks off as Glimmer has her coronation as Queen of Bright Moon. As she ascends the throne and has to deal with diplomatic concerns, Bow and Adora take the lead on missions. The excursions meet with initial success until a shape shifter, Double Trouble, enters the fold and adds some espionage into the unfolding drama. They' tap into the growing hostility between Glimmer and Adora and light the fuse to the powder keg, and we see the group splinter in spectacular fashion. Meanwhile, Catra bonds with Double Trouble, falls out with Scorpia and realises that victory is not all its cracked up to be as she and Hordak take over most of Etheria.

I really enjoyed the 4th season as it looked at the military industrial complex in more detail, specifically the many levels of bureaucracy that underpin it- heady stuff for a 'tween cartoon'. Glimmer struggles with the duties required from being a Queen, co-ordinating the campaign whilst sending her friends and colleagues out into the thick of battle whilst struggling with the guilt that mounting casualties unsuccessful campaigns rack up. Catra struggles with gaining resources to take the Horde war machine forward whilst Hordak struggles to move forward with creating the ultimate weapon without his colleague and potential love interest, Entrapta. The varying story threads all weave together wonderfully reaching an exciting and intergalactic climax as a deus ex machina is pulled and the status quo is shifted yet again.

All in all, it all added up to another great season that is building to a final battle between Etheria and the Horde Prime Empire. That is what season 5 will focus on.

What I have really enjoy about She-Ra is that the storyline has been intriguing, however the strong characterisation and the journey that each character goes through has endeared them to you; you become invested, be they hero or villain. There are definite shades of grey; Hordak seeks acceptance from his superior, Catra has attachment issues, Entrapta finds it hard to make friends, Scorpia is in a toxic relationship with Catra and Kyle wants to be loved and respected. The show also goes deep into lore and it is genuinely exciting to see the battle between Adora/ She-Ra and Catra as they realise that they want different things in life yet their paths are inextricably and destructively linked.

As for the animation style, I always liked the design of the '80s show but I thought the new art style was great too. I am a big fan of Noelle Stevenson (the creator and lead writer of the show), who created the amazing Nimona and Lumberjanes graphic novels, and her art style felt modern and stylised like Steven Universe. I didn’t understand why there seemed to be a small contingent of very vocal people criticising the show when many other cartoons had a more simplistic style compared to what they were years ago, after all, Phineas and Ferb, Adventure Time, The Amazing World of Gumball and Over the Garden Wall are all brilliant but less detailed and 'realistic' when compared to '80s fare such as He-Man, TMNT, The Mysterious Cities of Gold, MASK or GI Joe. However, what is inarguable and has been beyond dispute is that the storylines, dialogue and characterisation in the new She-Ra show have been much better than its predecessor. In a medium which has been uniformly hegemonic in portraying white characters and often sexualised females, the recent wave of real world representations in cartoons has been exciting and the fact that She-Ra has been backed up by engaging stories and well-rounded characters is a testament to what the series has achieved.

After 4 stunning seasons and a cliffhanger ending building to a final battle between Etheria and the Horde Prime Empire, I can say that it’s been a heck of a journey but it seems like a good a place as any to end on a high. I can’t wait for the fifth and final season and I would advise everyone to ignore the detractors and naysayers and check out the show, it is one of the finest animated series around and well worth a watch!

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She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Complete Season 3 Review

The first two She-Ra and the Princesses of Power series have been a bright and generally breezy reboot of the classic 80s Filmation series, but boy does season 3 crank things up a little. There are three main through-lines over the course of this season; Hordak's plan, which is suitably nefarious, involves portals and the Horde army travelling through space and time to take over Etheria; Adora and her Best Friend Squad deepen their bonds on a journey through the Crimson Waste to find more First Ones technology and learn what happened to Mara, the previous She-Ra, and Catra and Scorpia become closer as they search for the tech in the Crimson Wastes too. The three storylines converge in dramatic fashion and, from episode 5, get pretty heady.

This series has a laser focussed storyline but the true area of development is character as we delve further into all our invested parties.
A surprising addition to this is that we learn about Hordak's motivations, and even though he is the big bad in this series, it is hard not to feel a little sympathy for him. Special mention must be made of the cool artistic style to present Hordak's back story, all art deco edgy stuff, similar in style if not colour palette of Batman: The Animated Series. This episode, episode 2, also sees his friendship (maybe romance?) with Entrapta grow. What could have been a 2-dimensional bad guy, becomes more intriguing and the storyline goes to some pretty heady places, not Pulp Fiction level dark but for a 7+ kids show... pretty noir. Alternate realities, the darkest timeline and time and space being all wobbly wobbly feature in this series and actually play a huge part in the finale.

Fans of this blog will already know how much I like this series but this series ups the ante and delivers powerful, tour de force storytelling whilst remaining humorous and true to the characters it has developed. I've said it twice before, but I will say it again: miss this show at your peril.

She-Ra Season 3 Airing This Friday

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power on Netflix is a modern reimagining of the classic ’80s Filmation series. She-Ra is a part of the He-Man universe and so holds a place in many fans’ hearts, and as expected this led to many debates about the redesign of the characters. Some arguments seemed to be reasonable, like some complaining about the more cartoony super deformed art style, or the redesign of She-Ra herself, but some seemed purposely argumentative and toxic like why was there a wider LGBTQ and minority ethnic representation on the show and why She-Ra herself was less 'feminine'.

I personally thought that She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Season 1 was an excellent 13 part animated series with a lot of heart. I knew that it would not please all fans of the 80s show but as a father 2 young daughters I liked the strong female lead, the characterisation of the entire cast and the well told Heroes Journey tale.

I thought that the second series continued well from where the last series ended with She-Ra still being trained by Lighthope and making slow progress. The Princess Alliance was holding strong against the continuous daily onslaught of Horde robots. At only 7 episodes the second series was light on storyline but it really focused on the characters and the world of Etherea. Along the way it tackles some heavy topics like toxic friendships, ageism and bureaucracy through the lens of animation.

So, it is with bated breath that my daughter and I have been waiting for the third series to drop and with the trailer dropping this week, it seems like the wait isn’t going to be so long! I am ecstatic and super excited to see where writer Noelle Stevenson et al. take us next.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power- Episode 1 Review

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is a reboot of the 1985 series. The series is a modern reimagining of the character and world of Etheria, which is a good thing. He-Man and She-Ra are fondly remembered, however if you revisit both cartoons in this modern age you realise just how bad He-Man really is and how much better She-Ra was.

This modern take of She-Ra is written by Noelle Stevenson, author of The Lumberjanes and Nimona, both of which I love. She has a habit of creating plucky and interesting characters and so it is with this series.

Raised as an orphan, Adora/ She-Ra is a strong and willing fighter for the Horde, battling against the insurgent Princesses and looking to rule over Etheria in the name of Hordak. However, after retrieving the Sword of Protection from the Forbidden Forest her latent powers are revealed and her secret origins flash before her eyes.

As a first episode, 'The Sword part 1' has me invested. The characterisation of Stevenson's cast is excellent and the interplay between them is wonderful. There are some wonderful one-liners, ''Are you brain-damaged? Please don't be brain-damaged. Shadow Weaver will kill me.''

I am looking forward to seeing if this series lives up to its promise and will be providing a full series review soon but in the meantime, check out the first episode as it is a well done modern interpretation of a classic cartoon.