MovieChat Forums > Masters of the Universe: Revelation (2021) Discussion > So I watched episode one, and here’s the...

So I watched episode one, and here’s the thing..

posted 3 years ago by [deleted]
14 replies | jump to latest

I think I might be just a little too old for Masters of the Universe now. I have extremely fond memories of watching the 80s original on Saturday mornings and collecting the toys, although I never got that Castle Grayskull I wanted, I think there’s still some unresolved resentment over that, but I digress. Nostalgia is a funny thing though, something that was thrilling and amazing for a very short period as a child (and let’s not forget that the original cartoon ran for only two seasons) can often seem silly and overly romanticised when you look back at it with the eyes of an adult. I think some people, myself included, tend to forget that in its original form it was not much more than a money making exercise by a toy manufacturer who concocted the characters as a kid’s alternative to Conan the Barbarian.

Still, I was somewhat excited when I heard that Kevin Smith was creating a sequel. On paper it sounded like a trip, a potentially joyous stroll down memory lane by a man of a similar age to myself who had the proven creative skills to reanimate the world of Eternia for his nerd peers and maybe give middle-aged Dads a part of their past to share with their own children. One episode in though and I find myself questioning why I was excited about this at all. It’s really always been a slightly silly concept for a cartoon, a world where none of the characters have (or ever had) any real depth and really only existed for their marketing possibilities. Watch the show, buy the toys!!

I have to give Smith and Co props for trying to mine some depth out of the one dimensional nature of the story (good guys vs bad guys) but so far I have to say it’s not giving me even half the feels I thought it might. Let me be clear though, this has nothing to do with me crying over some imagined woke butchering of a beloved classic. Enough has already been said about that by grown men here who fall to pieces any time a female character is brought from the sidelines to the centre of the frame. That’s someone else’s argument to have. No, my issue is more that I’ve grown out of something I loved almost 40 years ago, and no amount of flashy animation is going to take me back there, it seems.

I might try to get through the rest of it if I have some downtime, but I think it’s unlikely. I’ll probably just move on. That’s life, I guess.

[–] Nate Adams SA23 (902) 3 years ago

I'm with you somewhat here. I could only watch 5 minutes and turned off. Orko did it for me. Seeing him reminded me this was a children's cartoon and I was not the target audience here.
I always hated Orko, he is fucking annoying and I wish he could die.

I might watch it too when I get a chance again.

[–] cyguration (3951) 3 years ago

my issue is more that I’ve grown out of something I loved almost 40 years ago, and no amount of flashy animation is going to take me back there, it seems.

Ugh, so let me try to break this down so people here understand the psychology behind this and why there's an uproar and how this sort of feeds back into why people are angry (believe it or not, you and the people you deride about the woke butchering are more in line than you think).

Under the veneer of complaining about SJWism, the issue people have is that this pseudo-sequel didn't bring their nostalgia up to par to their expectations.

You know how Doom 2016 was a re-imagining/pseudo-sequel to the original Doom games from the 1990s? Doom from the 1990s does not in anyway hold up on a visual or storytelling basis compared to today's material. However, it was a nostalgia trip for a lot of people, and Doomguy is considered one of the best prototypical video game heroes of all time. ID Software's 2016 reboot/re-sequel(?) honors everything about the 1990s Doom: fast-paced gameplay, great graphics (for an updated era), fluid controls, awesome weapons that feel powerful, and lots of visceral gore. Oh yeah, and an awesome death-metal soundtrack.

That is to say, the cheesiness of 1990s' Doom was updated with a modern-day polishing that still respected the source material. Much like how 2002's Master of the Universe was an updated modern-day polishing (for its time) of the 1980s source material.

At 40, you're not expected to think the old 1980s cartoon was good compared to today's standards. What you SHOULD expect is that a reboot/re-sequel/re-imagining is going to honor the good parts about the original while adding a modern-day veneer to the property to appeal to the original fans, while also ushering in new fans, just like Doom 2016 did.

This Masters of the Universe Revelations didn't do that. It took a dump on the entire property, undermined the main character, and then attacked fans

[–] cyguration (3951) 3 years ago

...(continuing from the previous comment)

Basically people are angry that a lot of what they enjoyed about the 80s cartoon was stripped away in this Masters of the Universe sequel and then adapted to appeal to people who weren't/aren't fans (viz., Tumblr feminists and turbo lunatics on Twitter).

You don't find the new series appealing because it doesn't entrap any modern day sensibilities that a 40-year-old would find appealing from an animated show based on a cheesy concept from the 1980s. Most die-hard fans also don't find anything appealing about a show that has subversively undermined the core tenets of the original show to use it as a platform to broadcast the sociopolitical talking points of 21st century Liberal Progressives.

You and the actual fans of the original 80s show are disappointed because the new show fundamentally fails to appeal to anyone who was a fan of the original in a way that 1) honors the core characterizations from 80s cartoon, 2) updates those characterizations for older audiences without sacrificing what made them great.

Simply put, if Id Software could make Doom 2016 updated for the modern era while retaining many of its core tenets from 1991, Netflix could have done the same for Masters of the Universe Revelation, rekindling nostalgia and updating the property for modern day sensibilities of past fans, but they chose not to.

Does that make sense?

[–] kirbyredd (61) 3 years ago

People are angry because when the leaks said that He-Man would hardly be in the show, Smith denied it, doubled down and dragged anyone who dared mention the leaks through the mud online... flat out said that "what was leaked in patently untrue'. His little coat tail rider, Marc Bernardin said the same thing. Another liar.

But it was true. And now he's doing that Hollywood thing of blaming the fans for review-bombing his "courageous" (his own words) show.

Nope. You lied. Over and over again. Fuck you, Smith. Smoke another joint and suck a dick.

I thought the show on its merits was fine. But if you want to make the Teela show, make the Teela show.
Don't lie about it.

Smith has become everything he once mocked.

"You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain."

How true.

[–] cyguration (3951) 3 years ago

Oh that's absolutely valid.

My comment was an over-simplification of a much broader and bigger problem.

But you definitely point out one of the more significant issues with this whole debacle and that's the pervasive lies told by Smith and co.

[–] kirbyredd (61) 3 years ago

That's my only problem with it.

I didn't HATE the show. The fact that Teela got the spotlight is an interesting story idea.

So just admit that, Smith. But he didn't. He wanted to make sure that the He-Man fans watched it by saying it was about He-Man.

Yes, it is about He-Man, the same way The Search For Spock is about Spock. And they share about the same amount of screen time as well.

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

And agree with both of your reasons. Smith absolutely fucked this up and all my childhood feelings were shit on by his lies and gaslighting

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

Ok, I understand your reaction and respect your right to be upset by the show. However, as I was trying to say, I simply wasn’t entertained by the first episode and I think that’s because I have grown out the basic idea of the show. As a man in his 40s I wouldn’t normally watch this type of animation anymore and there was nothing in the first episode that compels me to make an exception, even if the original is a fond memory from my childhood.

[–] cyguration (3951) 3 years ago

As a man in his 40s I wouldn’t normally watch this type of animation anymore and there was nothing in the first episode that compels me to make an exception, even if the original is a fond memory from my childhood.

Which is precisely why I said the show FAILED to provide storytelling to be compelling for someone 40+. It very well could have, as evident with cartoons like the original Avatar: The Last Airbender, or the original 1990s X-men or Batman cartoons, all of which were very popular with young kids and older audiences alike.

The lens for which the story of Masters of the Universe: Revelation is oriented is based on millennial viewpoints, and doesn't even acknowledge the rich lore it has to work with.

An opposing but similar example is Netflix's Castlevania -- yeah it's based on an equally as old franchise, but the cartoon at least attempted to address more nuanced topic matter for an older audience.

I'm not saying Revelations had to go all in on the gore and nudity, but part of the problem that involves He-Man being side-lined is also endemic to the fact that the subject matter it does address is done to appeal to people who were never fans of the show in the first place. And thus, this is why you -- as a 40-something -- don't find it appealing.

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

Is there any part of you that identifies any arrogance in telling other people why they didn’t enjoy a particular show? Why would you assume that your experience applies to everyone?

As I said, I respect your opinion, but please don’t speak for me.

[–] Kowalski (77085) 3 years ago

THERE ARE A LOT OF DUDES WITH SORE BUTTS OVER THIS HE MAN THING...IT'S REALLY SAD.

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

And if you don't care go back to circle jerking about Clerks 3

[–] Kowalski (77085) 3 years ago

🍆

[–] cyguration (3951) 3 years ago

Why would you assume that your experience applies to everyone?

Never said anything about my experience in particular.

Is there any part of you that identifies any arrogance in telling other people why they didn’t enjoy a particular show?

Because you vaguely explained why in your own post.

As I said, I respect your opinion, but please don’t speak for me.

I offered to delineate the reasoning behind the potential dislike based on what you explained about how you couldn't identify with the show, especially after you dismissed other criticisms of the show out of hand.