Masters of the Universe: Revelation / Revolution Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Masters of the Universe: Revelation / Revolution Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman June 6, 2025

Masters of the Universe is the latest 80s cartoon that has found new life in the 21st century. Others like it, such as G.I. Joe, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Transformers have all been revitalized in various forms and fashions and to varying degrees of success, but I'm willing to go out on a limb and say that Kevin Smith's ( Clerks, Mallrats) renewal of Masters of the Universe is the best of the 80s-updated lot. Why? That answer is simple: it's faithful to the original. Novel concept, right? Smith shows his true fandom by not only bringing the franchise back, but bringing it back as a direct sequel to the 80s animated series while maintaining narrative fidelity, holding fast to core plot elements, maintaining a common aesthetic (even if the animation style is updated to new HD standards), and pushing some narrative boundaries and going in unexpected, but very welcome, directions. This is a revitalization done right, and both Revelation and Revolution prove, well, revelatory and revolutionary simply by sticking to the foundation. It's fan service done absolutely right (even if some fans were not pleased), because its aim is not just mere fan service but building on a legacy of excellence.

To offer much of the plot of Revelation, never mind Revolution, would necessitate some significant spoilers because even right out of the gate -- a showdown for the ages for all the marbles between Skeletor and He-Man -- there is so much happening, so many plot driving, trend setting, and character evolving elements at play that to discuss even around the edges would dance with spoiling the awe and magic of everything that unfolds there, and after. Needless to say, the show heads in some interesting, unique, dark, and daring ways all the while remaining faithful to the source and using its characters as they were intended. It's really quite fascinating to watch He-Man if only to find just how much real detail, depth, and drama Smith brings out of a toy line that has its superficial foundations in muscled and colorful characters allied with either light or dark. It's superficially simple but Smith mines the depth for all it's worth, and then some, making some very rich and rewarding content that is sure to please fans and even newcomers with maybe little more than a vague idea of who, what, where, and why various things are playing out on the screen.

Revelation and Revolution walk a very fine line between maintaining familiarity with the source material and the more kid friendly 80s vibe while adding a modest darker element that is a natural progression for the story, picking up on it many decades later. Smith proves not only as one who understands the material, but one who loves it and cherishes it, and his take brings both life and light as well as mood and drama to the screen in ways that viewers will not expect. For all that the show does well (characters, aesthetics...see the paragraph below), it's the storytelling here that is its best asset. It's rich, detailed, authentic, and legitimate for drama and it oozes the passion for the material that was the driving force in making it in the first place. It helps to have someone like Smith at the helm, someone who doesn't cut corners, who knows what he's doing, who knows what the fans want, and won't settle for anything less than his perfect ideal of what Masters of the Universe can look like, should look like, and must look like in the 2020s.

As for the external content, it's all great. The animation is in the spirit of the original cartoon, here upgraded with superior rendering and coloring but still working hard to maintain a familiar aesthetic in terms of look and feel alike. It's more polished because the technology has advanced, but Smith and company have done a great job of brining He-Man into the 2020s without destroying the essence of the original. All the characters are here, too. I cannot claim to be the world's foremost expert on everything (and everyone) in the Masters of the Universe universe, but I enjoyed being re-introduced to dozens of familiar names and faces, names and faces that I hadn't seen or thought about since I was a kid playing with these figures in the 80s, and being introduced to a few I had legitimately never seen before.

Masters of the Universe: Revelation / Revolution Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Mill Creek brings Masters of the Universe: Revelation and Masters of the Universe: Revolution to Blu-ray with a highly satisfying 1080p transfer. I think it's important to give Mill Creek some serious props right out of the gate by recognizing that the studio has generously spaced the programs over three discs, giving the fifteen episodes (which run around 20-something minutes each) plenty of breathing room. Mill Creek could have (and maybe in the distant past would have) crammed everything on one, maybe two, discs, seriously compressing the show and leaving behind a fairly substandard product. But that is not the case here.

In fact, it looks quite good, and in most instances I would even call it excellent. Sure, a little compression is seen here and there, as is the odd bout of aliasing, but for the most part the material is sharp, crisp, and stable. Viewers will enjoy healthy lines, clear details, and abundant animation textures and goodness across a diverse array of characters and environments. In keeping somewhat with the nostalgic aesthetic, the show may not be a showcase for rich and complex animated details, but what's in the source animation appears not just present but full and rich across every frame. Never was I left disappointed by any lack of detail or definition.

Probably the most immediately obvious high point is the color expression, which is bold, vivid, and seemingly very accurate. The show is packed with a multitude of colors across characters, structures, clothes, and natural environments, each of them looking fully saturated with deep and vibrant colors that bring every frame to vivid, exacting life. Of course, you can throw out things like skin tones with so many characters appearing with so many different facial looks, constructs, and colors, but there is always a sense of fullness and rendered accuracy on display that reminds me of the toys and original animated series of course here bolstered by modern colors, high definition, and maybe tweaked, but not reworked, aesthetics. Balck level depth is excellent and white balance looks good, too.

Masters of the Universe: Revelation / Revolution Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Both Masters of the Universe: Revelation and Masters of the Universe: Revolution features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtracks. The presentation is consistent across both series. Clarity is excellent with high yield detail the norm for every moment in every episode. Action of course dominates the scene, with excellent movement to content and plenty of examples of discrete effects popping up, including through the surround channels. In terms of envelopment, the audio has been finely engineered to bring every moment to rich and immersive life. The subwoofer is used to great effect with some deep growls and sustained bursts at work, but balance is evident even in the most pronounced low end extensions. Light environmental content its nicely integrated as well. Music is rich, clear, and spacious, with prominent front end support and modest surround wrap. Dialogue is clear and precise from a front-center location.

Masters of the Universe: Revelation / Revolution Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This three-disc Blu-ray release of Masters of the Universe: Revelation / Revolution contains no on-disc extras. I'm disappointed, because I would have loved some Kevin Smith commentaries and behind the scenes looks at voice work and animation, but alas. However, there are still a few items to discuss here, anyway.

First, the set does ship with a small but welcome full color and glossy stapled booklet that incudes brief introductory paragraphs, synopsis for all 15 episodes, and some character artwork, a few of which are full-page and most of which are found at the back of the book and show a couple of dozen characters in thumbnail size.

Second, the series currently ships exclusively in SteelBook packaging. It's a nifty SteelBook, featuring a character collage on the front, with Skeletor prominent, center, and a tangle of characters below and beside him, including He-Man. It's densely colorful with some metallic pops around the artwork. The rear cover again depicts Skeletor hovering top center above a collection of characters, including heroes He-Man, Teela, and Duncan. Both front and rear panels favor a darker, purple-red color scheme. The spine is black with the show titles filling the length, with "Revelation" and "Revolution" flanking "Masters of the Universe." A Netflix logo appears at the top while Mill Creek and Blu-ray Disc logo appear at the bottom. The interior panels feature portraits of He-Man (left) and Skeletor (right). One disc sits on the left and two discs are staggered-stacked on the right. A plastic slipcover with additional content (primarily on the back) is also included.

Masters of the Universe: Revelation / Revolution Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

What a great couple of series. Kevin Smith has reawakened Masters of the Universe with a masterstroke combination of faithfulness to the source and new energy and vigor on top. It's compelling, well animated, wonderfully voiced, and easily the best resurrection of an 80s cartoon I can think of. Wouldn't it be great to see something similar in the Transformers and G.I. Joe universes (and, hey, I wouldn't complain if the original He-Man cartoon series made its way to Blu-ray, either). This is a great set, marred only by the absence of any on-disc extras. However, the video and audio presentations couldn't be much better and the SteelBook looks great, too. Highly recommended.