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| Available at Amazon.com |
There is just no excuse for the insane amount of horrible cartoons that are on the air today. Back when I was a kid, my afternoons when school was over and my Saturday mornings were filled with hours of commendable, enjoyable, and educational (lessons learned) animated series. But this is a day and age when cartoons come on all day and have channels fully devoted to showing nothing but the hand-drawn or computer generated characters. I still want to know where the heroes are. I still want to know where the lovable characters are. Why can’t we have series like Shirt Tales, Smurfs, G.I. Joe, or The Real Ghostbusters? And why when we’re given new series of our old-time favorites with new animation but are still very good are they taken from us before we can even get rolling?
This version of He-Man And MOTU is essentially the same as it was back in the day only now it has taken the advancements in animation and technology and put them to good use. Don’t go expecting a whole new show with new characters because that isn’t what you’ll get. He-Man, Man-At-Arms, Teela, Buzz-Off, Moss Man, Orko, and all the rest of the heroes are hanging around and defending Eternia. Who are they defending Eternia from? Let’s say Skeletor, Tri-Klops, Beast Man, Trap Jaw, Two Bad, Evil-Lyn, and all the rest of the baddies you’ve come to know and hate, or love like me. The premise remains quite simple as Skeletor tries to take over and get the power sword from He-Man while the MOTU stand their ground and try to keep peace in the land.
In the beginning of this series, which can be found in Volume One and Volume Two, Prince Adam was introduced as the laid back and doofus guy that he is. But when he holds aloft his magic sword and utters those magic words, he becomes the strongest man in the universe. You know the words so I’m not going to take away the small amount of dignity I have by screaming them in this review. But if you ever meet me on the street some day, I’ll so do it. Prince Adam learned in the earlier episodes that he was the person who must protect Eternia and that it is the power sword which gives him his strength. He also was introduced to the man that would become his arch-nemesis, Skeletor. The evil giant has since gathered together an army of supporters that are focused on taking out the He-Man the MOTU so that total control of Eternia can be theirs.
Here in the third volume from the series are the remaining thirteen episodes and by far some of the best yet. He-Man And The MOTU was a series that originally moved along rather slowly and would bring about characters a little bit at a time. It almost appears that the creators of this new series knew they wouldn’t have too long so they brought in numerous characters and had them in fantastic story lines. Fans will be amazed by some of the episodes in this set as they see the appearances of Fisto, Webstor, Stinkor, Kobra Khan, Sy-Klone, Stratos, and then a group of even more amazing characters later on…Hordak and his entire Horde. Yes, they started out affiliate with She-Ra (Aurora) and then became her mortal enemies back in the day, but here they come about as an opposition for the Snake Men. Anyone and everything you can possibly think of in the world of He-Man appears in this series and it makes it all so much more exciting.
This series goes into the history of the characters in much greater depth then the original series ever did. Sure we knew how He-Man came about and later on learned the secrets of his sister She-Ra’s beginning, but not many others. Volume three allows us to see a young Evil-Lyn while Keldor and Kronis receive the names they would so famously be known by, Skeletor and Trap Jaw. Teela has always been known as the daughter of the Sorceress and Man-At-Arms, but her origins told here reveal a big surprise that I didn’t even see coming. It’s that type of development that takes hardcore fans and newcomers so much further into the stories and makes them feel more connected to those they are watching on screen.
I really don’t think there is much about this newer version of He-Man that can be complained about. An older series had some new life breathed into it, and it was actually done in a very respectful and entertaining way. Even though it is darker then the original series was, which is evident in episodes like “The Price Of Deceit” and “Rattle Of The Snake,” it still keeps the same feeling of good always attempting to triumph over evil. What makes things take an even more drastic turn is that you aren’t always sure He-Man will win. Not only does he have to deal with Skeletor and all of his minions, but the Horde shows up, other random enemies, and then the huge army of Snake Men is also there to thwart the man of power and rule Eternia. A series like this is just what kids need today, and also what adults who like cartoons, like myself, could use since everything else just plain sucks.
Episodes
Disc One:
The Last Stand
To Walk With Dragons
Out Of The Past
Rise Of The Snake Men – Part 1
Rise Of The Snake Men – Part 2
The Price Of Deceit
Of Machines And Men
Disc Two:
Second Skin
The Power Of Grayskull
Web Of Evil
Rattle Of The Snake
History
Awaken The Serpent
The episodes are shown in 1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen and throw any of your misconceptions associated with the name of the show out the window. These are not the episodes from the eighties that still hold up very well today, but beautifully and brightly colored imagery of Eternia and everything in between. Everything on the darker side of the world including the blues, blacks, and purples of Skeletor and Snake Mountain also look awesome.
The episodes are heard in Dolby Digital Stereo Sound and really put everything they are given to good use. All dialogue can be heard perfectly, but it’s the action sequences that kick in and sound great. Surround sound would have been a nice bonus here and would not have been wasted, but seems that wasn’t meant to be.
Audio Commentaries – “The Last Stand,” “Rise Of The Snake Men – Part 2,” “The Price Of Deceit,” “The Power Of Grayskull,” and “Awaken The Serpent” all have commentary tracks which are usually comprised of some combination of Gary Hartle, Ian Richter, and Dean Stefan (writers, producers, directors, etc…). The commentary tracks are actually very fun to listen to in that a lot of information is given out about what the episodes were trying to get across as a message and also what hidden little things that fans may have missed.
Video Commentaries – Writers, producers, directors, and more sit down together for these video commentaries on “Price Of Deceit” and “The Power Of Grayskull.” Like in volume two, these video commentaries are really fun because on top of the screen you see them watching the episodes, in the bottom left corner are sketches and drawings, and in the bottom right corner is the actual episode. There is a lot of good conversation here dealing with history, animation, and just everything they went through while making these episodes. “The Price Of Deceit” even includes extra conversation when the episode is over where everyone just speaks a little more on everything that went on.
“The Making Of King Grayskull” Documentary – This is a really good look at how toymakers have gone about making new modernized and articulated versions of the older He-Man toy characters. A lot of work went just into the research of how to do these figures while staying true to the older style toys from the eighties. Some designers, sculptors, and toymakers then go through the entire process of making the new articulated toys which is really awesome. This feature actually lasts close to twenty-six minutes and goes into great detail of how the new toy line came into existence.
“Four Horsemen” Documentary – All those in the Four Horsemen Toy Design Company sit down and talk about how the company came to be, how they got their name, and how they work with one another. They then talk about the original line of figures and how things have transformed into theirs. Here is another long feature as it clocks in at thirty-minutes and thirty-two seconds, and it’s great to watch and listen to these guys talk about something with such enthusiasm because they love what they do. Who wouldn’t love creating toys everyday and playing with them?
Interviews With Mattel Toy Designers And Marketers – This is rather similar to the “Four Horsemen” feature in that the designers and marketers from Mattel itself sit down for interviews. They discuss their everyday jobs of playing with toys, creating them, and trying to come up with new and exciting ways for them to reach the public and have people buy them. This feature runs a little over twenty-three minutes.
Galleries – There galleries for profiles, sketches, and backgrounds. Each one contains a lot of images and the profiles gallery even contains some background information in text form. Really cool to check out even though I wish more profiles would have been included.
Animatics – Hand-drawn sketch versions of “The Last Stand” and both parts of “The Rise Of The Snake Men.”
The Unproduced 40th Episode – In all there were thirty-nine episodes in the series with a fortieth episode that never got made. Here you can check out both the script for it and the episode in comic book form. Very cool and it’s quite a shame it was never fully finished. This feature can only be accessed by inserting the disc into a DVD-ROM drive and using an internet connection.
Scripts – Copies of the scripts for all the episodes included here. This feature can also only be accessed by inserting the disc into a DVD-ROM drive and using an internet connection.
It is really quite difficult to get better then this set, and I’m beginning to question my loyalty as well. Do I actually enjoy this series more then the original He-Man And The MOTU? Perhaps not, but it is sure close. There was no reason for this series to be canceled after merely thirty-nine episodes except for possibly low ratings because people just didn’t know what they were missing. I’d give anything for this series to be resurrected and pick up right where they left off so the stories could continue. I’m a huge He-Man fan and always will be, but my disappointment ran high with every attempt in between the original series and this one at bringing the Eternian strongman back. Finally there was something to enjoy again, but my disappointment returns because as for now, this is the end of it.
This DVD set comes with some fantastic special features that give close to four hours of extra stuff including the commentaries. All the scripts are there for you to peruse through along with some great documentaries that share loads of information dealing with the wonderful new toy line coming out soon. Fans need to grab this set up right away and if you haven’t done so already then get volumes one and two also. My He-Man DVD collection has grown immensely with the original series’ four box sets, the best of the original series, She-Ra, and now all the volumes from this new animated series. I applaud the Navarre Corporation and Mattel for bringing He-Man back in a respectful manner and making the power of Grayskull stronger then ever.
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Navarre Corporation presents He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe: Volume Three. Created by: Donald F. Glut. Starring (vocal talents): Cam Clarke, Gary Chalk, Brian Dobson, Lisa Ann Beley, Gabe Khouth, and more. Running time: 286 minutes on 3 discs. Rating: Not Rated. Released on DVD: August 5, 2008. Available at Amazon.com
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