Masters of the Universe: Revelation

:

Season 1
  • Network: Netflix
  • Series Premiere Date: Jul 23, 2021
Season #: 2, 1
User Score
2.1

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 612 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 88 out of 612
  2. Mixed: 26 out of 612
  3. Negative: 498 out of 612

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User Reviews

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  1. makaveli-313
    Aug 21, 2021
    9
    I can't say I was happy with the direction they took with some characters but overall I am very satisfied with the Part 1 thus far...
  2. RagnusLif
    Jul 25, 2021
    9
    The story is about the world and had a lot of deep lore into all the characters like Teela / Man at Arms / Orko and Evilyn, yes He-man made a small part in the series, but was only because that was a great way to show more about the others characters, the pacing, and animation was really good for only 5 episodes, with the stupid fanbase stop ruining the score of the series, maybe we getThe story is about the world and had a lot of deep lore into all the characters like Teela / Man at Arms / Orko and Evilyn, yes He-man made a small part in the series, but was only because that was a great way to show more about the others characters, the pacing, and animation was really good for only 5 episodes, with the stupid fanbase stop ruining the score of the series, maybe we get the chance of see He-man in the second season against a really powerful Skeletor… Expand
  3. M1rko94
    Jul 26, 2021
    7
    Review in pills:
    Masters of the Universe: Revelation - Part 1
    Pro: - Nostalgia effect; - Style / Design; - Screenplay: product with a more mature writing and a horizontal plot; - Good animations; - Easter eggs. Cons (not necessarily): - Product not for everyone: it is not a product for beginners because (although there is a short intro) it does not explain the characters and especially all    Review in pills:
    Masters of the Universe: Revelation - Part 1
    Pro:
    - Nostalgia effect;
    - Style / Design;
    - Screenplay: product with a more mature writing and a horizontal plot;
    - Good animations;
    - Easter eggs.
    Cons (not necessarily):
    - Product not for everyone: it is not a product for beginners because (although there is a short intro) it does not explain the characters and especially all the depth of their bonds given that it is a continuation and not a beginning.    … Expand
  4. PDYER23
    Jul 25, 2021
    10
    Loved it. Was just the first part of a story but am interested to see how it winds up.
  5. megatillo
    Jul 25, 2021
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Exceeded my expectations! The challenge with any sequel to a nostalgic kids show is bringing genuine peril, drama, and surprises to the story while also avoiding re-hashing an old episode. I found this story to be interesting and different. It showcased many of the classic characters while actually letting them grow/develop and react to their world in a realistic manner. It also ended in a place no 80s TV show could ever go...what happens when the villain FINALLY achieves what they are striving for? What happens next? Very interesting setup for part two.… Expand
  6. balljingo
    Jul 25, 2021
    9
    A very good update to the ‘80s cartoon that served entirely as an ad to sell toys to children. Actual characters and an actual story do wonders here, and make the first part a quick and fun watch. Anyone genuinely upset over the direction that the plot of a He-Man show takes needs a significant amount of counseling, and should probably not be watching cartoons on Netflix in the first place.
  7. Thornzero
    Jul 25, 2021
    10
    I didn't watch he-man when I was younger. I'm 34. I decided to watch this because I like the movies and tv shows that Kevin Smith had a hand in. This version of he-man resonates with me more than the older version. It saddens me that fans of the old one felt so butthurt that they had to artificially pad the negative rating for this newer version. I understand the nostalgia. There are manyI didn't watch he-man when I was younger. I'm 34. I decided to watch this because I like the movies and tv shows that Kevin Smith had a hand in. This version of he-man resonates with me more than the older version. It saddens me that fans of the old one felt so butthurt that they had to artificially pad the negative rating for this newer version. I understand the nostalgia. There are many different films and tv shows that I didn't like the reboots of. I didn't throw a fit and make it my mission to vote it into oblivion. So I enjoyed it. I want to see where it goes. Cry more. Go watch your DVD box set of old he-man. It still exists. Let everyone else try this new one out. Maybe in the end there will be more fans than before.… Expand
  8. YkStu
    Jul 25, 2021
    9
    It was a good season I like the expansion of the story and I'm glad that it wasn't just a remake of the origin series.
  9. Norminator
    Jul 26, 2021
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is a great rendition of the Masters of the Universe... Universe. The decision to not focus on He-Man is bold and makes perfect sense. He just won't work as a sole main protagonist in a show for all audiences, as he's too good, too flawless. Focusing on the other masters raises the stakes, because we don't have that one person who can swoop in and fix everything with a single punch.
    Most of the redesigns work really well. Especially Evil-Lyn, although I'm not a big fan of the look of He-Man and Skeletor.
    The voices are well done, but don't always fit the character in my opinion. Especially He-Man and Skeletor. Teela also sounds off, but it's tolerable.

    Oh and BTW, He-Man was *always* woke.    … Expand
  10. rhyobit
    Jul 26, 2021
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Ok so this show is nominally about He-Man, and whislt it's still a good watch, it's not what I expected as someone who loved He-Man as a child and feels like such a missed opportunity.

    The show opens and has a decent start, but by the end of the 1st episode He-Man/Prince Adam is quite literally dead. *spoilers* The rest of the series is then basically about Teela on a quest to ressurect He-Man.

    All of the plot development is around Teela, who forges relationships with randoms as well as the well known cast of characters we all remember from our childhood including Evil Lyn, with some strong foreshadowing of some season 2 things to come i'm sure.

    Eventually, she gets somewhere by going down the death rabbit hole to find Prince-Adam in an effective He-Man Paradise where she convinces him to come back and restore magic to eternia which he does. Shortly thereafter, he's dead again with a big cliffhanger.

    The story telling is good, the characterisation is generally strong - Lena Heady is a tour de force as Evil Lyn, although I feel the Sarah Michelle Gellar does get landed with some poor dialogue, especially around her spurning of Man at Arms, and the general Eternian Court over being lied to - she definitely comes off as naive or petty over it. Anyway, importantly, but this isn't a show about He-Man, it's a show about Teela where He-Man/Prince Adam is a supporting character.

    Don't get me wrong I enjoyed the show, and I love it's modern precursor, She-Ra on Netflix as did my kids. The themes in this though, it's not targeted at children, but it also doesn't seem to be targeted at men, or even "males" which is I would think, should be its' primary target demographic.

    I'll be honest here, I went into this cudded into a couch with my son really hoping for something like She-Ra targeted at boys. All through the first episode I was actually shedding nostalgic tears and revelling in being able to share something that was such a big part of my childhood with my boy. By the end of that episode, I was left with some doubts that the following episodes pretty much confirmed and blew away any hope I had.

    i've read some pieces that this "isn't about he-man" and that Kevin Smith has taken issue with that. I agree with that, this "is" about He-Man as a series, but the main character in it is not He-Man, it's Teela. There's nothing wrong with that in and of itself, but everything leading into this show subverts that reality. It's entirely possible that Smith intends to focus more on the eponymous character of this show in future seasons, but the manner in which the story is conducted gives me enough concern to grant the possibility that this won't be the case as a good probability.

    I like this show, but it's not what I wanted or expected, maybe in this day and age I should've, but I think it does a dis-service to boys and men. There's nothing wrong with strong female characters, and what's here is well written with a generally interesting story. The fact is that this "universe" already had an entire 5 season show dedicated to exactly that, that I thoroughly enjoyed. I was hoping that this show would dedicate a similar amount of time providing a male role model for my Son like She-Ra did for my Daughter. I was sorely disappointed, and it shouldn't be the case that I should have to explain to him that this character, who's historically the star of this show should be relegated to a bit part.

    More so, i'm a bit angry about that, the interplay between Prince Adam and He-Man is a really intriguing one which could show a whole gamut of masculinity between the more potentially feminine, and the overtly masculine. This could've been a show that gave someone to look to for the entire gamut of male sexuality, and instead it feels like it all ended up about Teela and her feelings about He-Man and Adam.

    I sincerely hope that Smith corrects this course in the second season, i'm a big fan of his and he's a very capable writer and director, and I know he has the ability. I'll definitely watch the second season in that hope and I'm sure I'll watch the whole lot even if he misses the mark for those exact same reasons. I don't think what I'm hoping for is asking too much, and he definitely still has the tools within the story to do so.

    Given the way the world works these days though, who knows.    … Expand
  11. Averagecitizen
    Jul 28, 2021
    10
    This show is a bit of a bait and switch because it is an Eternia Without a He-Man story. Our hero acquits himself honorably and the show does him justice, but small spoiler, he is indisposed for most of the episodes. This leaves the show room to develop other characters, including but not limited to Teela. Once you get over the shock of the bait and switch you'll find that the show handlesThis show is a bit of a bait and switch because it is an Eternia Without a He-Man story. Our hero acquits himself honorably and the show does him justice, but small spoiler, he is indisposed for most of the episodes. This leaves the show room to develop other characters, including but not limited to Teela. Once you get over the shock of the bait and switch you'll find that the show handles the story, the characters and the nostalgia in really the best way possible. Not only is it ok for us to have a lot of story with "side" characters, we actually needed it for the world to make sense. This show lets us relive the nostalgia of the old show even though it was a shallow romp for children. This show is anything but, and that is only possible because of the big shakeups. Eternia and it's denizens here feel familiar but different, the early episodes paving the way for the show to use the dramatic changes in Eternia as a smooth excuse for our cast to start acting like believable people. It is all handled masterfully and Eternia and its heroes (and villains) are lovingly recreated but not held sacred, with exciting and skillful additions and developments adding interest.

    Do yourself a favor and give the show an honest chance. You won't regret it.    … Expand
  12. Gkuchera
    Aug 5, 2021
    8
    Great animation, cool story. I didn't mind the sacrifice in the first episode, but I can see how it could turn a few people off. Looking forward to the rest. A little ridiculous to see the review bombing here as the first like 100 reviews were 7 - 10 and the next few hundred were 0-2
  13. Game_Critical
    Sep 25, 2021
    1
    The only redeeming quality is the artstyle and voiceacting.
    Teela acts like an arrogant spoiled brat with leaps of logic that makes absolutely zero sense and we're supposed to think this is the next new superhero? How about no!
  14. PhoenixReveiws
    Feb 27, 2022
    2
    Masters of the Universe: Revelation has a great animation team, the art and concept designs are top-notch and amazing. The story is decent with the idea of technology taking over after magic has left.

    Now that all of the praise is out of the way MotU has many issues. For one the voice acting is subpar, although the motivation speech Cringer gave was pretty nice. And the worst part about    Masters of the Universe: Revelation has a great animation team, the art and concept designs are top-notch and amazing. The story is decent with the idea of technology taking over after magic has left.

    Now that all of the praise is out of the way MotU has many issues. For one the voice acting is subpar, although the motivation speech Cringer gave was pretty nice. And the worst part about it is you took a He-Man show, killed off He-Man, and made it all about female empowerment. No, I am not against it, but when it takes a character so beloved and kills him off for the sake of female and other political agendas being shoved down my throat, it starts to get annoying and I'm sick of it. It had potential, with an old cartoon being revived, but not only was executed poorly but was genuinely executed as a concept of an old character.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

2
#2 Most Discussed TV Season of 2021

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
72

Generally favorable reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. Collider
    Reviewed by: Rafael Motamayor
    Jul 26, 2021
    83
    It may take a little while to fully get into what Masters of the Universe: Revelation is doing if you are not already familiar with the franchise. But whether you're a longtime fan or just hungry for a unique blend of sci-fi and fantasy, this show offers an exhilarating adventure that justifies the era of the legacyquel, while proving itself a necessary and essential part of the Masters of the Universe mythos.
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  2. Decider
    Reviewed by: Joel Keller
    Jul 23, 2021
    80
    Smith eschews his normally wordy dialogue style, but keeps the characters smart and real, which helps us want to follow all of them as they go on their journey. He also hews closely to the convoluted world that is Eternia, where there’s layer upon layer of intrigue and mysticism that needs to be restored or captured. The animation is an upgraded version of the ’80s Filmation style the original show had, but with just enough retro touches to keep the show connected to its predecessor.
    Read full review
  3. CNN
    Reviewed by: Brian Lowry
    Jul 22, 2021
    50
    For those expecting something truly boundary-pushing, rest assured, no one will confuse this with "Clerks."
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