By Jamal Grootboom 
Jul 22, 2021
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Based on the popular “He-Man and the Masters of the Universe” animated show and Mattel toys from the 80s, “Masters of the Universe: Revelation” goes in a completely unexpected direction for a compelling first season.
Rating: 4/5
Set in the fiction world of Eternia, “Masters of the Universe: Revelation” sees a cataclysmic battle between He-Man (Chris Wood) and Skeletor (Mark Hamill), leaving the kingdom fractured and the Guardians of Grayskull are scattered all over the land.
And after decades of secrets tore them apart, it’s up to Teela (Sarah Michelle Gellar) to reunite the broken band of heroes and solve the mystery of the missing Sword of Power in a race against time to restore Eternia and stop the end of the universe as they know it.
Netflix has been on a roll when it comes to many of their original animated shows and, in conjunction with DreamWorks, made one of the best-animated shows, “She-Ra and the Princesses of Power”.
Which has been praised not only for its stellar animation and great storytelling but also for queer representation as She-Rah/Adora was one of the first openly queer characters for an animated show marketed for kids.
And while “Masters of the Universe: Revelation” and “She-Ra” are based on properties that were previously in the same universe, the new show is separate from the DreamWorks production and is produced by Mattel.
Clerks executive producer Kevin Smith is the man behind this re-imagined take on the show and it takes on a completely different journey than what you would expect.
I went into the first episode thinking we were going to get an origin for He-Man/Prince Adam. However, we’re thrown in the middle of the ongoing war in Eternia with a gripping first episode that takes a huge risk for such a huge property.
Who you think is gonna be the main protagonist turns out to be the last person you expect, and it’s refreshing to see the direction Smith went for this show.
It is a joy watching a show set in a fantasy genre that completely circumvents your expectation and takes you on a journey you didn’t expect.
The animation for the show is great, and there are some great action sequences.
The star of the show so far is the character arcs and storytelling that will leave you truly caring for these characters as they try to save their world.
Even if you didn’t watch the show growing up, the way this show is written is truly something great and is not often seen in animation shows that are both targeted at an older audience for the nostalgia factor and a younger demographic that will be introduced to the property.
“Masters of the Universe: Revelation” is worth the binge-watch and successful takes a well-known property and make it feel brand new while still keeping some of that 80s flair.
“Masters of the Universe: Revelation” will stream on Netflix from July 23.