Though much derided in some quarters, I quite liked Kevin Smith's MOTU: Revelation. This follow up series was, he later revealed, guided by the Netflix algorithm to be five episodes instead of 12 and honestly, I think the algorithm was spot on, as this is a much leaner and better paced run.
With Skeletor (Mark Hamill) haven fallen under the thrall of Hordak (Keith David) and Motherboard (Meg Foster) he attacks Eternia again, with his new technological powers. Though he's repelled by He-Man (Chris Wood), the assault brings about the death of King Randor (Diedrich Bader). Prince Adam then has to decide whether to take the throne or continue as his protector alter ego. Before he can decide though, Randor's estranged brother Keldor (William Shatner) returns and offers an alternative.
Never any issues with the look of this version of "Masters of the Universe" and again this looks tremendous. The vocal performances from the returning cast are good and the addition of William Shatner, Keith David and John De Lancie only improves things. There's a little less humour this time, not none, but a little less certainly 'knowing' humour. The best performance probably comes from Lena Heady, whose Evil-Lyn returns and continues to be one of the few characters on a genuine arc.
As with the second half of "Revelations" the story is focused and tight and is all the better for it. There are very few diversions, with even the potential "fetch quest" aspect of the Sorcerous' story being completed in just a couple of episodes. I hope that the viewing figures reflect the improvements that have gone into this run, as I'd certainly like to see more.
