Masters of the Universe and its inhabitants might seem a little clownish and dated to those seeing this for the first time but you got to admit that they are quite memorable.
For the uninitiated, He-Man might look like a cartoon equivalent of an 80s hair metal band joke, but Netflix’s track record puts this in the safe bet territory. Being a cornerstone of childhood for many just getting their Eldershield letters, it’s a big-money franchise that will be handled with care. With Kevin Smith at the helm, the odds are good that Masters of the Universe Revelation will be another hit in the vein of Castlevania.
The voice cast will certainly raise eyebrows – it’s a star-studded cast with Mark Hamill doing what he does best – voicing cartoon villains. He voices primary antagonist Skeletor in this one (original voice actor Alan Oppenheimer voices Moss Man) and Lena Heady continues her baddie run as the voice of Evil-Lyn. Buffy the Vampire Slayer voices Teela while Kevin Smith regular Jason Mewes takes the role of Stinkor – yes, it’s an 80s cartoon name thing, let’s get on with it.
The show will make its debut on Netflix on July 23rd and picks up where the original series left off. Smith has mentioned in previous interviews that the Masters of the Universe line of toys would serve as the basis of inspiration for artwork, so fans of the original franchise will be soaking in nostalgia.
If the animation style is familiar, it’s because you might recognise Powerhouse Animation Studios’ work from Netflix’s Castlevania. Chris Wood (voice of He-Man) belting out “I have the power!” with Bonnie Tyler’s I Need a Hero in the background is borderline camp, almost reminiscent of the (really, really) old HEYYEYAAEYAAAEYAEYAA meme from the early 2000s.
But in a nutshell, that’s kind of what He-Man needs to be. Over the top action, borderline camp, and not too serious.
