It's taken me a long time to get this review going and now, it's finally here! Like many 80's kids, I grew up watching He-Man and She-Ra (big fan, of course), so I was intrigued when the trailer for Kevin Smith's He-Man Revelation was released. It is a powerful trailer at that and truly captures the essence of He-Man in all his glory however once you dive in, you're met with a different kind of story.
I will admit that by the end of part 1, I shared a lot of the sentiments expressed by He-Man fans: WTF did you do to our hero? However because it's Kevin Smith and I saw the after party reflection from Kevin and some of the cast, I thought, "Okay Kevin, as a fellow fan I will give the benefit of the doubt, impatiently await part 2 and see what you're giving us." I waited...waited...waited...and much to my delight, it was worth the wait. You see, when you like someone's work, as I do Kevin Smith's work, you have faith that they're going somewhere with this.
Part 1 was enjoyable as the focus went from He-Man to Teela. I enjoyed this refreshing angle of He-Man's story and that Teela receives a bigger role than in the original series. I love seeing her backstory, how she finds her own path, and uses that to grow into the warrior we all know she is and could be. Here is the WTF moment from part 1 that really did not sit well with fans: He-Man dies twice in the first and last episode. This is the "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?" question we yell at our screens however once watching the after party, at least for me, became "Okay, breathe, there's still a part 2 to look forward to."
Part 2 delivered like I hoped. We see our beloved hero come back; everything comes to some kind of resolution; and the cliffhanger is EPIC!!! It keeps you yearning for season 2 (which I'm hoping is not too long of a wait). The only part I will argue with all due respect to Kevin Smith's genius, is that the Sorceress is not supposed to die by the swords she wielded. As we recall from the original series, there are two swords she created. Those swords are only to be wielded by He-Man and She-Ra. I was so shocked when Skeletor killed the Sorceress with the sword of power. However on the other hand, seeing how this reboot/continuation was designed, I'm not entirely upset especially since Castle Grayskull has "come under new management;" so I can let that go. My favorite part of the cliffhanger episode is the introduction to Hordak!!!! Now we all know that Hordak is what tied He-Man to the She-Ra series, so I'm hoping this means Kevin Smith will also reintroduce She-Ra (as despite the ratings and all the reboot of She-Ra is a major disappointment). Overall, Kevin Smith did a fantastic job with He-Man and I'm happy that I stuck it out because this is a great ode to the original series. I raise my glass to Kevin Smith and also a small request...please take over She-Ra. You kept the original look of our beloved characters, just upgraded them. Thank you for doing He-Man justice, I hope She-Ra is coming next following Hordak's introduction. You sir, are a remarkable creator. Bravo!
