Review of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: The Beginning

This is one of those rare occassions where a "revamp" exceeds the original in every possible way. Sure, most of us 20-somethings recall the campy, cheaply hidden moralizations of the original 80's show, a prime example of what some call 80's hypocrisy: Here's a show designed to sell toys, but the censors couldn't deal with the inherent violence of a barbarian hero and a demonic villain, so every show was written around some heavy-handed yet simplistic morality-fable, featuring the bumbling Skeletor and his moron henchmen, or some bland generic foe the kids barely even noticed. Sure, there was a few groovy stories, but not nearly enough, and watching a sword-carrying hero never fight with his sword got pretty old. Thank the Stars for this new show, then! Great animation(No stock footage!), interesting music, and finally, bad guys who are not all fools, and a serious threat! Even the dumb brutes like Clawful and Whiplash compensate for their lack of intellect by just being vicious, overwhelming powerhouses! And Evil-Lyn gets to be a mystical butt-kicker, and a wicked schemer to boot! Tri-Klops gets to be an inventor and reconnisance expert, TrapJaw is a seriously mean thug, but tactically sound, and Beastman and Mer-Man get to be seriously useful! The show also excells by having Prince Adam, He-Man's alter-ego, grow as a character, and learn about the use of his powers, his responsibilities, as he goes along. Best of all: Skeletor is a scary, creepy sonofagun, who doesn't mind cruel punishments and more "permenant" ways of dealing with his foes! The guy resorts to attempted murder often. And he's capable of going toe-to-toe with his foes, unlike the goofball of the old series. Orko's still a goof, but he's actually powerful now, Man-at-Arms is a true leader, warrior and brilliant inventor, rather than the borderline senile twit portrayed originally, and the other heroes all rock too! This show kicks! Watch it!