The New Adventures Of He-Man Volume Two
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: B+ Episodes: C+
Grab your
tight pants and magic sword and gear up for the Volume Two release of the 1991 Season of The New Adventures of He-Man.
For those unfamiliar with the He-Man series, refer to previous reviews
on this site. He-man premiered from
Filmation Studios in 1983 and ran until 1985 under the title He-Man and the Masters of the Universe,
running for a total of 130 classic and epic episodes. In a way to pull fans back into the He-Man
universe, in 1989 the production of a new series continuing the He-Man
storyline went underway with the updated title The New Adventures of He-Man.
Volume Two of the series
wraps up the He-Man universe. Will the
planet Primus be saved from the invading mutants of the neighboring planet
Denebria? Will Skeletor finally
pay? Will He-Man fulfill his
destiny? This reviewer must admit that
the second half series (32 episodes) were much more interesting and better
written than the first half. The series
has a constant flowing continuity that holds the series together, and makes for
a great action packed atmosphere. In the
end, a great season.
The
technical aspects of this 6 Disc, 32 episode collection are not great but
suitable. The picture again is presented
in an adequate 1.33 X 1 Full Screen. The
picture quality varies at points, definitely showing wear and tear and to some
degree debris particles. It seems that
the original animation masters were used for this transfer, but as is seen with
many cartoons of the 1980s not great care was always taken in storing
them. The picture quality by no means is
horrible, but just a slight reminder of that if not careful these animated
classics can be easily damaged. The
picture quality, outside of the slight debris, does seem light and fuzzy at
times but overall the colors remain vibrant.
The sound again is presented in a simple Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo that
does have some issues with occasionally sounding distant but on the whole nice.
The
extras are not quite as large as they were on Volume 1 but the extras on Volume
2 are still some of the best this reviewer has seen on an animated
television series set. Fans of the
series are in for a huge treat with not one but two brand new documentaries on
the series (different from those found on Volume
1), featuring a documentary on The
Fans of He-Man and Masters of the Universe in which fans get to finally
discuss, in good depth, the action heroes that they have spent their lives
devoting websites and conventions to.
The other documentary entitled The
Power of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, takes viewers on an epic
tale through the years that He-Man has conquered the universe, with tons of
professionals exhaustively covering the legacy of He-Man.
The
6-Disc set also comes with 2 new collectible 4 X 6 exclusive He-Man art
cards, presented on thick cardboard. The
list of extras goes on to include such great elements as 50 detailed character
profiles, Trivia and Fun Facts, and Ink and Paint trailers. The creators of this series and DVD Set truly
took the fans into consideration on this last He-man set to hit shelves (for
now), and the best part
the spine of this DVD Set slipcase continues the He-Man
mural started in 2005 with He-Man and
the Masters of the Universe: Season One-Volume One. Look to finish the mural by picking up the
three She-Ra DVD sets.
Though
this reviewer feels this series does not live up to Masters of the Universe, it definitely has its own unique qualities
and moments of greatness. For fans of
He-Man this series will pull you right back in, having ageless feel and allows
viewers to be a kid again; though I could still have done without the end
public service announcements. This final
half of The New Adventures of He-Man
is fantastic, finally finding its place in the He-Man universe. Finish off your
salute to He-Man with this fabulous set, and for one last time
BY THE POWER OF
ETERNIA!
- Michael P Dougherty II
