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He-Man & The Masters Of The Universe: Season Two, Volume Two
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Official Synopsis:
The eternal battle between good and evil reaches its climactic conclusion as He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe® face exciting challenges and incredible adventures against Skeletor and his dastardly villains. Join in the fight for power with the greatest adventures ever told! The final 32 episodes of the original animated adventure series feature thrilling new stories and outstanding characters. Enjoy all the adventure, the drama, the humor and the man important lessons from the universe's greatest warriors. YOU have the power!
Our Take:
Continuing the momentum of the first half of season two of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is a string of really great episodes. Knowing that the end was in sight, the writers were able to branch out, take more risks, and involve more secondary characters in their stories. So, instead of every episode just being all about He-Man, we get to see some of the other “masters” at their best and, in some cases, their worst.
BCI Eclipse’s Ink & Paint studio is putting out some of the best DVD sets on the market, period. Regardless of whether you’re talking about television or film releases, these sets are absolutely fantastic. As a long time fan of He-Man, I don't think anyone could possibly ask for anything more from these beautifully (and lovingly) crafted sets.
Here’s the breakdown of the extra features:
* Commentary - Three episodes feature commentary tracks from Lou Scheimer, Erika Scheimer, Larry DiTillio, Tom Sito, Tom Tataranowicz and Dave Teague. It’s a lot of fun listening to the men and women behind our beloved Masters reminisce about the making of it.
* The Stories of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (30 minutes) - Part four of an ongoing series of documentaries featuring MOTU creators, directors, producers, writers, story board artists, and many more. Everyone contributes here, including Lou and Erika Scheimer, Larry DiTillio, Paul Dini, Gwen Wetzler, and Tom Sito. Basically all of the heavy hitters who started out on Masters and went on to become some of the biggest names in the animation industry, as well as branching out into other sectors of television and film. They all reminisce about some of the more memorable episodes of this half of season two. It’s great to hear about how twenty years later they still have as much love and appreciation for this series as most fans do.
*Animating He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (36 minutes) - A walk through the creation of an entire episode of MOTU, including writing, storyboarding, directing, animating and voice acting. Features all of the above individuals involved with the production, as well as many others who contribute stories about how they worked on a little show twenty years ago which became one of the biggest ‘80s icons.
* Detailed Character Profiles - About fifty profiles on many of Eternia’s heroes, villains, creatures, and relics. Each profile features a small write-up as well as a brief clip from an episode they’re featured in.
* Interactive Episode - Watch “The Problem with Power” and go back and forth between the story board and the episode. Or watch a side-by-side view on this fan favorite episode, which many consider to be the “official” un-official final episode of MOTU.
* Orko’s Fun Facts – Located on the chapter menu of each episode, find out some rare nuggets of information about each episode.
* Episode Scripts: Five scripts featured as a DVD-ROM extra.
Well, this is finally it, the final set of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe can now have a place on your shelf. We can all breathe a little easier as we’ve got all four volumes of the classic He-Man prominently on display with the really cool mural of Castle Greyskull and Snake Mountain on the sleeves. Don't fret though, this isn't the end of He-Man-related releases; expect DVD sets of She-Ra: Princess of Power as well as the 1990 spin-off, The New Adventures of He-Man, in the very near future.
I highly recommend He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, not only does it live up to childhood memories, but it also exceeds them, which is a rare thing. It’s great for nostalgia, and if you've got kids, it’s a great story to introduce them to. Now, YOU can have the power!
Overall Picture:
Show: A+
DVD: A+
- Chris Lawrence
Staff Writer
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