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| Available at Amazon.com |
As a kid, He-Man was the bomb for me. It was my favorite show and the one thing that could not be missed no matter how much I wanted to play outside. Sure there were other things to watch like G.I. Joe, M.A.S.K., or C.O.P.S. (which I also watched) but it was nothing like the strongest man in the universe. So when I heard that there was a new version of Masters Of The Universe (MOTU) coming on the air, let’s just say my skepticism started to boil. Why would they take one of the greatest animated series ever and try to bastardize for probably a few bucks in the toy line? Little did I know that it would end up being so much better then I’d ever imagined.
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, 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. It is then that he must…what words? Come on, you know what words. Ok ok!
“By the power of Greyskull, I…HAVE…THE…PO-WER!”
Happy now?
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. This collection of episodes shows the middle portion of a series that sadly only lasted thirty-nine episodes spread over the course of two seasons. It just never quite caught on and therefore ended up failing before it could even remotely reach the success of its predecessor.
There is no real continuing storyline in any of the episodes except the constant battle between MOTU and Skeletor’s crew; but each episode has its own specific plot. There are some really good appearances by other characters here and there, that you didn’t see often way back when, that make this series even cooler. I thought it was incredibly cool when Stinkor came out of nowhere and showed himself. Y’all remember him? Even his toy action figure stunk. It’s moments like that and just the overall battle between good and evil that made the original MOTU a success, but they just didn’t have the drawing power with today’s younger crowd.
Episodes
Disc One:
Underworld
The Monster Within
The Mystery Of Anwat Gar
Roboto’s Gambit
Trust
Orko’s Garden
Buzz-Off’s Pride
Disc Two:
Snake Pit
The Island
The Sweet Smell Of Victory
Separation
The Council Of Evil – Part 1
The Council Of Evil – Part 2 – Let it be known that this is the first episode in the series where He-Man is seen changing back into Prince Adam. I can’t even recall an episode in the original series where that was shown. It was always just He-Man would go into the woods or something and then Prince Adam would walk out.
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 – Writer Dean Stefan, executive in charge of production Ian Richter, and director Gary Hartle sit down on commentary for “Orko’s Garden.” Writer Steven Melching joins them for “Snake Pit.” The way they do these commentaries is really awesome. The commentators are shown at the top of the screen discussing while the episode plays underneath them on the right. The bottom left portion of the screen shows some hand drawn sketches of each scene at the same time.
The commentary is really good too because they provide detailed information about the episodes and where they were going with them.
Behind The Scenes – This feature takes us into the recording room as the actors record the voices for the characters. It lasts eight minutes and thirteen seconds and gives a cool look at the real faces behind the voices.
Animatics – Hand drawn sketch versions of three episodes; “Orko’s Garden,” “Snake Pit,” and “The Island.”
Image Galleries – There are three galleries: Villains, Sketches, and Backgrounds. The Villains gallery even comes with little text biographies on each of them. There are some truly beautiful images here.
Scripts – The scripts for all thirteen episodes are available to view by putting the disc into the DVD-ROM player of your computer.
This new version of He-Man And MOTU impressed me a lot when it first came on the air and continues to do so on DVD. It’s quite a shame that it didn’t last any longer then it did, but perhaps it tried to be too hip for newer crowds and too traditional towards older crowds and could never do enough to appease everyone. For older fans such as myself, I think it was well done without ever being insulting towards the original series and never falling too far off the beaten path. It incorporated newer animation techniques and some great technology to give He-Man and all the heroes, villains, and locations the true detailed work they deserve. Other versions of He-Man like in space or The New Adventures went off the deep end too far and never quite captured the essence that was the MOTU. This series looked at those mistakes and avoided them. Bravo.
Some excellent special features along with great episodes makes this a volume that any He-Man fan should own. Pick up volume one and then grab this one en route to the final volume that shall be released soon. The original series has been totally released in four box sets and can be enjoyed by all true fans. But this series gives us all what we’ve been waiting almost two decades for…brand new adventures.
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Navarre Corporation presents He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe: Volume Two. 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: G. Released on DVD: May 27, 2008. Available at Amazon.com
About Danny Cox
