Customer Reviews

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe - Volume One

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

While it was short-lived Masters of the Universe (2,002) series was a great show. It was begining to hit it's stride when it was cancelled. Thus so many children did not get to see the world of He-man. But with this DVD set they still can. And it is well worth the $16 pre-order for Volume One. As always the people at BCI will do a top notch job. The episodes had morals that were not aired in the US, moral similar to those on the '80s cartoon. These are included in these releases and so much more.

At long last, fans are treated to what many consider the most accurate and exciting rendition of the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe saga. Debuting in 2002 under the Mike Young Productions umbrella, this latest rendition of the He-Man source material closely follows the original Filmation standard set in the early 1980s with modernized animation quality and in-depth stories that further built upon the original characters and environments.

While the show lasted for 2 full seasons (26 first/ 13 second) it looks like the good folks at BCI (based on the 286 minute run time) have decided to break the show into three 13 episode sets. Keeping that in mind, it appears as though the first volume will contain the following season 1 episodes across 3 discs:


The Beginning Part 1
The Beginning Part 2
The Beginning Part 3
The Courage of Adam
Sky War
The Deep End
Lessons
Siren's Song
The Ties That Bind
Dragon's Brood
Turnabout
Mekaneck's Lament
Night of the Shadowbeasts

If it is anything like prior BCI/ Ink & Paint releases, there is a strong chance these sets will be absolutely loaded with extra features including writer commentary and director/ producer interviews. These are the same individuals who released the entire He-Man/ She-Ra DVD sets, which are generally regarded as beautifully packaged and digitally remastered to perfection. This is a must-buy collection for any fan of the He-Man Animated Universe.

BCI Guy has passed along some official information with regards to the February 13 news entry, about the replacement discs for the Volume 1 MOTU DVD set:

"The replacement disc for Mattel's He Man Volume 1, Disc One can be ordered by either sending an email to HeManDisc@gmail.com or calling 866-641-3472. Please include your name, your address, a daytime telephone number and the store name and location where you purchased your DVD.


He-Man and the Masters of the Universe - Defect Found on Upcoming Vol. 1 Set; BCI to Replace Disc via Toll-Free Number

Victims Will Also Reportedly Receive A Free 'Gift' For Their Troubles
Posted by David Lambert

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (2002) - Volume 1 won't arrive on DVD until this coming Tuesday, February 19th for most fans. But one fan managed to snag a copy very early at a local shop, who sold it to him before street date. This turns out to be good for publisher BCI, because the fan - who goes by the name "Aran" on the message boards at He-Man.org, soon posted a message letting them know that there was an issue with one of the episodes on these discs:

Houston, we have a problem ....

I'm missing a scene episode 4 "The Courage of Adam". The problem starts at the end of chapter 3 (ends at 15:30): Adam had been captured by Skeletor, Orko and Cringer are in Snake Mountain and Gringer[sic] has just found Adam, but is scared away by Tri-Klops's doomseeker, leaving Adam in chains.

The next scene shows Prince Adam, Teela, Man-at-Arms & Ram Man exiting Snake Mountain about to be attacked by Skeletor and his new bone monster.

The battle between the Faker-He-Man & the Evil warriors and the rescue of Prince Adam by Teela, Man-at-Arms & Ram Man is completely missing. I have no scratches on the disc, the clock doesn't make a jump and I checked on both my DVD-player and my computer. The problem happens with and without the commentary.

After a few days of investigating, a BCI spokesperson who posts to those message boards under the name "BCI Guy" gave an answer explaining the situation, and what the studio will do to resolve it. We thank readers Branon Fisher and Chad Carter for quickly e-mailing us here at TVShowsOnDVD with that information, and we immediately contacted BCI to confirm and to request a press release. We were told that a press release will probably be coming soon, but in the meantime we were asked to simply quote the "BCI Guy" message from the He-Man.org message boards:

Sorry for the delay getting back to everyone, but I needed to make sure we were totally sure what happened, how we could fix it, and what we could do about it before reporting anything.

The masters that we received from Mattel are complete - the scene is not missing. The problem was in authoring. There is a layer break in the episode (Disc 1, Episode 4) and when the layer switches, it skips over about 3 minutes of the program. Unfortunately, it's during a transition and there is no visible or audible break, so the only way to notice it's there is through story continuity. And no one that watched the check discs caught that it was missing. Honestly, that's not a valid excuse - it should've been caught by someone, and the authoring house needed to realize that one episode was running 3 minutes short. It's inexcusable, and we're taking drastic measures to fix this problem once and for all. We're committed to giving everyone the best possible product - content, features, packaging and quality control. 3 out of those 4 is not nearly enough, so we're moving Volumes 2 and 3 to a new authoring house that has assured us of the quality and depth of their Quality Control department.

We have already reauthored Disc 1 and will have replacements available by street date - Feb 19th. We will be setting up an 800# to request replacement discs which we will ship out along with a new exclusive bonus item for your trouble and as an apology from us.

We are certain that all He-Man fans (and fans of BCI's other products) join us in gratitude for taking their commitment to quality so seriously. It's a big step to switch authorizing houses, but as we see that is among the steps taken here by BCI in light of this situation.

It seems likely that many of the fans reading this will get the "bad" version of the disc on this release when purchased on street date next Tuesday, but I for one don't mind since they will make it so easy to call and get a replacement (and a free exclusive bonus "gift" item, besides). Stay tuned and we'll have more information for you about that, including the toll free number and other details, just as soon as this is available.

Link to this page:
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I'm a big fan of the original He-Man and She-Ra shows. When I heard Cartoon Network was doing a remake of He-Man, I was very skeptical. Especially after that "New Adventures of He-Man" series. It was just TOO different from the original. I never felt connected to it and I hated the design. When I finally caught an episode of this series, I was happily surprised. This new series is very well done, and it's a shame it didn't get more seasons!

I think the animation is better than the original. Skeletor now looks like a scary villain, instead of a bumbling nemesis, and He-Man actually looks powerful. I think it's an edgier style of art, that is more in the line with the Batman Animated series and other more recent animated shows without straying into anime-land. I also appreciated the update of the characters as well. I know they weren't supposed to suspect Adam was He-Man, but the foppish boy from the original was too over the top. I like this spoiled prince better. And it's nice to see Teela as an active member of the guard instead of always whining, "wait for me" and chasing after the men. The original series was aimed at young boys. This series is aimed at adult animated fans. Though the stories aren't as good as the original (partly because I carry a lot of nostalgia for them), they aren't silly either. A lot of action seems to be the theme.

Unfortunately, I only managed to see a few episodes on tv since networks are notorious for moving animated shows around with no rhyme or reason. I gave up trying to find X-Men Evolution. When I saw this DVD set, I immediately pre-ordered it. It has the same high quality the original series sets have, with lots of artwork, great extras and a visually stunning package. Die-hard fans of He-Man will surely love this, even purists may find it worthwhile, and the rest of can just enjoy it for what it is - a good adventure. I only wish they had remade She-Ra as well. I'd love to see that with an edge.

Finally the newest He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series is coming to dvd! I really enjoyed the show though it was very short lived. It reminded me a lot of the original, and there were a couple of things that I thought were better. For one Prince Adam being a teenager, and then turning into He-Man. Cringer not talking was a bonus! I think this cartoon, and the revival of the classic toyline, would've been more successful if it had been advertised better, and on a different network!! Maybe we would've seen a new She-Ra series as well. Who knows? There's a rumor that a Masters movie is in the works at Warner Bros and if it does well will bring the revival of the toy line once again. We'll see.....

The powerful defender of Castle Grayskull returns to battle the forces of evil in the new animated adventure series "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe". After years of imprisonment behind the great barrier that encloses the harsh lands around Snake Mountain, the evil sorcerer Skeletor and his fearsome henchmen have broken free and once again threaten the inhabitants of the planet Eternia. Now, the carefree and headstrong Prince Adam must fulfill his true destiny and wield the Sword of Power to become the great warrior He-Man and defend Eternia and the secrets of Castle Grayskull. "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" is a very amusing remake of the 1980s cartoon favorite based on Mattel's successful toy franchise. The animated series premiered on Cartoon Network in August of 2002. The TV series shares similarities to the original. The stories, action and characters are well updated for a new generation of viewers. Many of these episodes provide some solid character backgrounds. Unfortunately, the 2002 TV series failed to gain strong ratings due to its lack of hype and a poor time slot, and was shortly cancelled after finishing the second season.

The most powerful man in the universe comes to DVD in "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Volume One". All 13 episodes of the first season are presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen format and include the never-before-seen original moral segments. The 3-disc DVD features a sharp and colorful video transfer and a good 2.0 Dolby Digital sound. Its supplemental extras include the 25-minute "The World of He-Man" documentary, extended video commentaries on 3 episodes, several character and sketch galleries, animatics of the first 3 episodes and audio commentaries by the series creators on 5 episodes. Unfortunately, there is a layer break in one of the episodes in the first DVD and buyers should notify the studio immediately to receive a replacement DVD and a bonus item for the trouble. Despite this flaw, "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Volume One" gets a "B".

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.

I loved this update of the classic series, however for those who buy this in 2009 or later, there are no more replacement discs mentioned in some of the reviews below, so we are out of luck. I know because I tried to get one and the phone number is disconnected and the email listed just sends an automated response saying call the number--and the BCI GUY mentioned above was on a He-man website and said that BCI is going out of business. So no replacements. Supposedly you can buy an "Orko Approved" version that has the full episode, but the one I bought here on Amazon wasn't one of them. I was really into that episode too. Anybody got a replacement disc to sell? Or know which stores sell "Orko Approved" versions?

The 2002 update of the 80's MOTU is wonderfully consistant and ruthless in its application of getting rid of some of the unneeded excess of the 80's MOTU. The storytelling is far more engaging, the animation is sleek and powerful, and the dialogue has removed itself from the often hamfisted writing of the 80's MOTU.

However, this series is not perfect. The music by Loduca is generic and not really all that heroic (as it really should be), and a few of the voice casting decisions hurt the production but not to its total detriment. Also, the action-fight choreography is kinda overblown (let's see that sword/staff/weapon twirl one more time).

As for this DVD release it's extremely good quality. Colors and compression are wonderful, rivaling and often besting Marvel's recent releases of the Avengers and Iron Man. The only consistant problem is the complete lack of true blacks (coming off as a very dark ashen grey) and I don't know if this is an inherent problem with the animation itself, or somehow a problem of the authoring of the DVD. I would have liked to have seen blacks along the lines of the Spawn or the Batman series but with the stunning color that this 2002 MOTU offers. With only a stereo soundtrack the sound design is a little flat (no bass response whatsoever) but with the possibility that we might see this title on blu-ray sometime later this year or early next year (according to BCI) it will be interesting to see if these two minor nitpicks will be addressed and upgraded.

It really is too bad that this series was cancelled well short of its lasting potential, but I think this has more to do with the current ideological landscape rather than some obscure marketing/time slot faux pas. The Nietzschien ideal of the super-man that He-man represents just might not grab the current generation for whatever political/religious/social reasons. Still, this comes very well recommended to both fans and the curious who never even saw the show in its original run of episodes.

I bought this dvd set because it was on sale. I am a 30+ adult who has watched masters of the universe since i was a young kid.
I loved this dvd set. It adds a new modern touch to an old series. It appeals to adults and kids. I never watched the new series until i bought this dvd set, and i was surprised how good it was. with all of the disappointing stuff on tv now, this is a great watch.

The importnat thing to me is that it kept faithful to the original series. I have the original series and its great too. very highly recommended.