He-Man and the Masters of the Universe - Volume One
by Various
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: voice cast - Cam Clarke - Kathleen Barr - Lisa Ann Beley - Gary Chalk - Brian Dobson - Paul Dobson - Michael Donovan - Scott McNeilDirector: Various
Brand: BCI ECLIPSE LLC
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Animated, Box set, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 286 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-02-19
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Navarre Corporation
Movie Reviews of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe - Volume One
Movie Review: A Detailed and Worthy Overhaul of the 80's Icon
Summary: 5 Stars
I must address the defective disc 1 situation first. If you happen to receive the disc 1 with the missing scene from episode 4 (The Courage of Adam). You will know because at time marker 15:28 Adam will go from being locked in the cave with Cringer disguised as Panthor - to the miraculous jump cut of Adam and everyone else ready to do battle with Skeletor. I checked He-ManDOTorg (a long standing & reliable source for all things MOTU) and they posted a simple resolution in their Feb. 19 news a message from BCI Guy (you just have to email your info to the address provided or call a toll free number). You will receive in the mail a correct disc with the complete episode restored in its entirety. Amazon requirements prevent me from posting a URL or e-mail here, but it's not hard to find.
As for the show review itself, I have to admit that this series rekindled my memories of Filmation's original He-Man - but there is so much more to this version. If you watched the 80's show as a child, then this puts in all back in place with a more modern look. My absolute favorite part of this series is all of the back story and explanations that our former childhood show never touched. It's both a blessing and a curse to try to appeal to adults as well as children. Unfortunately the curse part is what finally ended this amazing show. Where all of the more mature sections help appeal to the Gen X viewers, it also kind of turned the stomachs of the Cartoon Network's executives. By the third season this show was headed toward an amazing confrontation between three (yes three!) factions of enemies (Skeletor & Crew, King Hiss & The Snakemen, and Hordak & The Horde), plus let's not forget He-Man and all of his allies. But ultimately the show seemed too adult for the intended viewers and ratings forced it to be cancelled. It's a shame really. This show is the Masters of the Universe you wish you had as a kid.
This DVD set (Volume I) has some great back story on Skeletor and who he really is (how did he get that face?... or the lack there of?). The episodes "The Beginning Part I" through Part III plays like one big movie to start off the season. In my opinion, these three episodes are the best of this set. Plenty of great information about Castle Greyskull and the history of Eternia... all of which seems much clearer than the history we knew from the old cartoon or the Mattel mini-comics, which often contradicted one another or avoided certain aspects of the mythos of He-Man during the 80's.
Also, look for the small setup characters throughout Volume I that will become more important roles in He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (2003) Volume 2 and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Vol. 3 (2002). All of the characters you remember will show up eventually (many of which get their own episode to explain their back story). Which is awesome, since many of the MOTU figures I had when I was kid just appeared for one or two episodes in the 80's version (with very little explanation where they came from or where they went afterwards). Some characters didn't even look like their toy counterpart (can you say Faker from the episode The Shaping Staff?). This show has those situations more polished; they realized the fans have certain expectations. This He-Man cartoon ties up almost all of the old loose ends. The show delivers a mythology that answers those questions we once pondered as children playing in front of the TV after school and saturday mornings.
As for the DVD extras, I was glad that BCI decided to add two collectible art cards in each box set, which started in the earlier dvd releases of the 1980's series. And my favorite, "End of Episode Morals" were included in this set. These little added scenes were originally included in the broadcast internationally (but not here in the U.S.) and now can be seen in all their glory. This gives this series more of He-Man of old kind of connection. I remembered the lead-out morales on the original series (similar to the popularity of vintage G.I. Joe "Now you know... and knowing is half the battle") that I thought was neat. Plus you get lots of commentaries, both audio and video, for more insight. I only hope that the future commentary tracks for Volume III will tell more of what would have been after the show was cancelled (He-Man Vs The Snakemen, MOTU Season 4), even if it only serves to tease our curiosity.
If you even have a passing interest in He-Man from your childhood (say enough to buy the vintage DVDs), then this is a worthy redo. I personally came across this while watching episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars on the Cartoon Network four or five years ago. I was instantly surprised and hooked. Believe me, I've been waiting a long time for this MOTU DVD set to release. My only complaint is that it took this long.
Update 3-14-08 - I received the corrected Disc 1 DVD from BCI, it also came with 2 Special Edition Bonus Cards (Emilian Santalucia Masters cast card & Emilian Santalucia Villains cast card). Two cool bonus items free with the disc, only took about 2-3 weeks to receive. Great news for those of you worried about the Disc 1 situation.
Summary of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe - Volume One
This was a revival of the classic 80's cartoon He-man and the Masters of the Universe for the modern age it focused on the early adventures of Prince Adam who having just become Eternia's most powerful guardian He-Man had to learn how to handle his new powers and lead his allies into battle against the evil Skeletor. With the aid of his own Evil Warrior henchmen Skeletor schemes to blanket Eternia in chaos and rule over the planet in dominion. Only He-Man guided and advised by the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull stands in his way.With the aid of his trusted friends and Masters he vows to end Skeletor's evil and the other evils that plague Eternia. The battle is joined as Good and Evil collide in a fight for Eternia's fate!This unique take on the retro fan favorite delighted and entertained the children of this decade as it did to those living in the 80's.Enclosed are the first 13 episodes from the award-winning series.Special Features:Each episode includes the original morals segments (never seen on Cartoon Network) World of He-Man DocumentaryHe-Man® Heroes Still GalleryNever before seen Sketch gallery (heroes)Audio Commentary on 5 episodes with director Gary Hartle Story Editor Dean Stefan and writer Larry DiTillio. Moderated by Ian Richter - Three commentaries have extended discussionsafter the episode ends and have been shot in High DefinitionAnimatics of the first 3 EpisodesComic-Con He-Man® PanelScripts for eps 1-13 (DVD-Rom)8 Page booklet2 Masters of the Universe® Collectible art cards by acclaimed comic book artists Ben Templesmith (30 Days of Night Silent Hill) and Dustin Nguyen (Superman/Batman Detective Comics)Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1) - Digital StereoSystem Requirements:Runtime: 286 Minutes Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ANIMATION UPC: 787364799794 Manufacturer No: CARTON QTY 30Similar DVD Movies
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