Masters of the Universe: Revelations

Started by BentonGrey, August 04, 2021, 03:43:52 AM

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BentonGrey

So, I watched the first three episodes of the new "He-Man" show.  There's a lot to like and a couple of things that annoy me, but so far so good.  I can see why people are frustrated, though (with the usual crazy overreactions of the Internet).  I actually just, this minute, realized that it isn't actually titled He-Man, because He-Man is everywhere in the promos and branding. 

Spoiler
His chest and symbol are actually the image that shows up on Netflix, and he's "killed off" in the first episode.  UE pointed out to me on the Discord that the powers that be put their cards on the table about that, but I had never heard it before he told me just in the last week or so, and I'm probably more plugged in about this stuff than the average bear.  So, if I could miss that information, I'm sure lots of folks did too, and I imagine it's got to feel like a bait and switch to some of them.  If they had named the show "Masters of the Universe: Teela's Journey" or something like that, I imagine they'd have side-stepped a lot of the drama.  Though, I suppose they were probably going for a certain amount of shock value, hoping to hook people with the unexpected twist of his "death."

It might also have helped if Teela was a bit more likeable.  She abandons her foster father and all of her friends because they kept He-Man's secret?  The reaction really bothered me and felt super disproportionate to the actual events.  I know, I know, it's supposed to be an irrational reaction, as she lashes out at those around her because she can't deal with the pain of losing Adam, but even still, it felt off to me.  It made her seem petty, childish, and selfish.  I actually found Evil-Lyn a lot more compelling and interesting, which says something, ha!  Randor's reaction really bothered me too, though we didn't see as much of him.  I actually really wanted to see him deal with the discovery that his son was everything he always wanted him to be.  But, in general, I like the shakeup that lets us explore some of the villains more, and their setting is interesting.  Things like Triklops starting a machine cult and Beast-Man still holding a torch for Evil-Lyn are creative and make a certain amount of sense.  Mark Hamil is clearly having a blast as Skeletor, and that's cool.

Of course, this thing is beautifully animated, and the creative team is clearly having fun exploring their setting, and for whatever faults the show has, it is actually fun, which is important and to its credit.  It's also fun to see the bad guys having actual forces of minions, making the stakes feel higher and the scope feel bigger. 
God Bless
"If God came down upon me and gave me a wish again, I'd wish to be like Aquaman, 'cause Aquaman can take the pain..." -Ballad of Aquaman
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HarryTrotter

This was pretty much what I should have expected from Netflix. Im not mad about that. Im mad that Netflix and Kevin Smith flat out lied about what it was. All the footage in the trailer comes from the first 10 min,like while
Spoiler
He-Man is still alive
.
In the words of Old Man Harrison: Those bastards lied to me.
''Even our origin stories have gone sour.''
Jon Farmer

BentonGrey

#2
What knowledge did you come into it with, HT?  Did you know it wouldn't be about He-Man going in?

So, I finished it, and overall, I quite enjoyed it.  It was an epic story with a lot of great moments and a good deal of interesting concepts.  Unfortunately, the main character was the worst part about it, as Teela remained rather unlikable for me throughout, though she had some good moments in the last episode.  I think her little arc in Subterrania could have been pretty cool and could have done some good character work, but it happened too quickly and without enough buildup.  On a more positive note, of which there are many, I'd heard that Orko was done really well, and that is very true.  His scenes with Evil-Lyn are fantastic, and they give this little comic relief character the most gravitas and emotional weight of the entire cast, which is really cool.  Of course, Evil-Lyn herself remains compelling and interesting, and she is still my favorite character in the ensemble.  I really hope there is more to what she does at the end than meets the eye.  If not, I'll be SUPER disappointed.  I hope she's got a plan. 

A few other random thoughts:

  • Mer-Man's voice is just plain wrong!
  • Most of the voice cast is fantastic, of course.
  • I strongly dislike Teela's design, as it leans too much into the modern trope that a woman can only be strong if she's masculine.
  • The scene with Cringer at the end really got me.  That was great.  As was his speech to Teela earlier (I forgot he could talk!)

A few spoiler-y thoughts:
Spoiler

  • Orko's death...I hope they bring him back, because that definitely broke my heart a bit, and it would make sense, since he's a magical, interdimensional imp.
  • King Greyskull being black: Whew, I imagine this has generated some outrage, but as I understand it, he was never seen in the original series, so fair play.  Plus, it gives us "David Palmer" as He-Man's ancestor, and that is awesome.
  • I liked the detail that Adam chose to be himself in paradise.  I'd have liked to see that explored a bit more.
  • Adam's fate upon returning...yeah, I can understand why He-Man fans are angry.  If you don't think about this as the set-up to another story, it really seems like this show's creators have it in for the big guy.  I'm reasonably confident that they'll turn it to good, though.

I'm definitely interested in watching the second season when it arrives.
God Bless
"If God came down upon me and gave me a wish again, I'd wish to be like Aquaman, 'cause Aquaman can take the pain..." -Ballad of Aquaman
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HarryTrotter

QuoteWhat knowledge did you come into it with, HT?  Did you know it wouldn't be about He-Man going in?
Like I said,the trailer and all the advertisement made it seem like it very much is about He-Man.
Spoiler
It wasn't. He dies TWICE.
The only good thing about this is
Spoiler
Skeletor winning
''Even our origin stories have gone sour.''
Jon Farmer

BentonGrey

Yeah, I feel you about the advertising.  I had the same impression going in.  It seems that unless you happened to read the interviews where they talk about it being Teela's story, there really wasn't much of a way to know about it.  I think releasing it in two parts has hurt them.  If this was the mid-season mark, but it was immediately followed by more adventures that centered on He-Man, I imagine people would be more accepting.  As is:

Spoiler
it literally ends with him dying, again.  Like I said, I feel fairly certain that's not actually his ending, but judging just from what we've got in the show, there's nothing that tells us that.

Are people overreacting?  Of course.  It's the Internet.  But I can certainly understand how the more normal folks, the ones not issuing death-threats, might see things the way the do.  And the contempt for critics taking the shape of the usual products of the outrage machine obscures that, methinks.

But HT, I think you're too hard on it.  There's a lot of good in this show, even if its creators were perhaps a bit shortsighted or irresponsible in how they presented the project (assuming they had anything to do with the marketing). 
God Bless
"If God came down upon me and gave me a wish again, I'd wish to be like Aquaman, 'cause Aquaman can take the pain..." -Ballad of Aquaman
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HarryTrotter

QuoteIt seems that unless you happened to read the interviews where they talk about it being Teela's story,
That was actually a fan theory/suspected leak that Netflix and Smith SPECIFICALLY said was untrue. So yeah,they flat out lied.
Again,these is pretty much what I would have expected from a modern reboot (you pointed a lot of tropes yourself),I just couldn't predict them tricking people into watching it.
Let's be honest here,most He-man fans just wouldn't care for a show about Teela and her girlfriend,and Netflix was clearly aware of that. Therefore,the trailer consisting completely of e1 footage.
''Even our origin stories have gone sour.''
Jon Farmer

BentonGrey

I heard that.  I'm curious what was actually said.

So, while their presentation may have been disingenuous, you have to admit that there is more to it than you are giving them credit for.  After all, it's only one episode that is just Teela and the new girl (who I liked reasonably well, by the way).  They're very quickly joined by an interesting ensemble team. 
God Bless
"If God came down upon me and gave me a wish again, I'd wish to be like Aquaman, 'cause Aquaman can take the pain..." -Ballad of Aquaman
Check out mymods and blog!
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HarryTrotter

Oh, it's everything I expected from a 2021 reboot. I give it credit there.

So the short version would be that some guy on yt said he had an inside scoop,Smith said on Twitter that guy was lying. Then when the show came out and surprise,the guy was right on everything...Smith played semantics. Like,He-Man didn't actually STEP DOWN,and it's never STATED Teela and whatshername are a couple...

In hindsight,why is Kevin Smith so beloved by nerds? He had an okay run on Green Arrow 20 years ago,and that's about that. No,I didn't care for Guardian Devil,he was just aping Born Again.

About the critics,and I said it before...they have a vested interest in hyping up the product. If they are not paid by the studio directly,they are paid in exclusive first looks,early access and behind the scenes access. The content they need to drive up clicks.
''Even our origin stories have gone sour.''
Jon Farmer

Silver Shocker

#8
I played Metal Gear Solid 2. And 5. And while I got enjoyment out of both of those, I know what it's like for a new installment to promote itself as one thing, and then deliver something noticeably different. The Last of Us 2 also did this. MGS2 and TLOU2 went so far as to have trailer footage with characters swapped out (something the trailers for Infinity War also did to various degrees).

I should stress I have not seen the show, so I can't say whether or not I think it's good.

Quote from: HarryTrotter on August 04, 2021, 07:39:27 PM

In hindsight,why is Kevin Smith so beloved by nerds? He had an okay run on Green Arrow 20 years ago,and that's about that. No,I didn't care for Guardian Devil,he was just aping Born Again.

I read Quiver years ago, and I thought that was pretty good, but it did have some of those overly edgy eccentricities that are very Kevin Smith, and, at the time, came off as excessive, but perhaps, depressingly, are more emblematic of some of the stuff DC put in their stuff since. Then again, Grell's run came first. Though that out of place edginess carried over to Spider-Man and Batman comics he did, and they felt excessive there.

Enthusiastic fanboy that he is, I've always though of Kevin Smith mainly as a comedian or comedy writer/director. As a non-comedy writer he's a mixed bag at best.
"Now you know what you're worth? Then go out and get what you're worth, but you gotta be willing to take the hits. And not pointing fingers, saying you're not where you want to be because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that, and THAT AIN'T YOU. YOU'RE BETTER THAN THAT!"
~Rocky Balboa

BentonGrey

HT, I understand your frustration, but the people behind it being dishonest doesn't make the show good or bad.  It stand or falls on its own merits, and it does have merit, perhaps despite Smith.  It definitely sounds like he/they lied to their fans, but the show is still a cool adventure (though Teela is grating). 

As for why Smith is beloved by nerds, I think it's because people view him as "one of us" who made good.  But I've never identified with him.  The crass, dirty, and juvenile approach to much of his fandom is something that never worked for me.  Like SS said, I have always viewed him more as a comedian, but his GA run is pretty decent.  I feel like when he is required to work within constraints, he can do a decent job.  But if you let him run free, he pollutes the work.

SS, I'll be interested to see what you'll think if you watch it.  I assume you didn't grow up watching the original, right?
God Bless
"If God came down upon me and gave me a wish again, I'd wish to be like Aquaman, 'cause Aquaman can take the pain..." -Ballad of Aquaman
Check out mymods and blog!
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detourne_me

BG, my own thoughts and criticisms mirror yours...almost exactly actually.
I'm interested in seeing where the show is going, but I would've preferred a more Batman: Brave and The Bold style approach, where the status quo doesn't really change, the show is bright, optimistic, and could be enjoyed by everyone.

Silver Shocker

Quote from: BentonGrey on August 05, 2021, 01:13:24 AM

SS, I'll be interested to see what you'll think if you watch it.  I assume you didn't grow up watching the original, right?

No, I only saw the first 12 episodes on Netflix a year or two ago, and the Holiday special on tv many years before that. I don't remember seeing the original as a kid, and if I did, I was young to have any strong memory of it. Fortunately, between what I have seen and the 2000's series I certainly know who the characters are, so seeing the entirety of the original might not be necessary in order to follow the story.
"Now you know what you're worth? Then go out and get what you're worth, but you gotta be willing to take the hits. And not pointing fingers, saying you're not where you want to be because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that, and THAT AIN'T YOU. YOU'RE BETTER THAN THAT!"
~Rocky Balboa

HarryTrotter

QuoteIt stand or falls on its own merits,
It's still a sequel to He-man and MOTU so there are some expectations there. As for it's own merit... not really. Teela is just so obnoxious and selfish here...Her flaw is that she is too perfect. Seriously, that's the plot of one episode.
Spoiler
Prince Adam:...I was dead.
Teela: Did you ever think how that would affect me?!!
Actual dialogue from the show.
Also,the show has to kill or demean every male character in order to build up it's own super special manly Teela.
''Even our origin stories have gone sour.''
Jon Farmer