Mills Creek

Starring:  John Erwin, Linda Gary, Lou Scheimer, Alan Oppenheimer and others

What they say:  This release from the classic 1980′s animated fantasy series HE-MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE offers all 115 episodes of the series, following the adventures of the titular hero, who protects the fantasy land of Eternia from the evil forces of Skeletor – all while keeping his heroic antics a secret from his family, who know him only as the mile mannered Prince Adam.

What I say:  Normally this is where I would be posting the most recent podcast and the review of He-Man volume but due to a technical malfunction and me snapping and throwing my old laptop 50 feet, we get this version of the review.  What child of the 80s didn’t grow up with He-Man on the TV screen?  Even a kid from a third world country like myself would watch the Masters of the Universe every weekday and go to school and talk about it with my friends.   

The second season picks up right where the first one left off and if you have no idea who or what He-Man is about I’ll keep you from waiting for the inevitable Michael Bay remake and tell you a little about the series.  In the distant world of Eternia this pretty boy named Prince Adam lives the highlife of royalty.  However, he also happens to have an alter ego.  When he holds the sword of Eternia up and says:  I have the Power!! He turns into the mighty He-Man.  Along with Teela, Man-At-Arms, Battle Cat and Orko he fights the forces of evil lead by Skeletor trying to control Eternia. 

There have been previous versions of this set released on DVD by BCI and Eclipse.  These episodes by Mills Creek were released on eight different discs.  Keep in mind we are talking about 65 episodes with a running time of 1545 minutes.   These episodes are compressed to seven discs, because the eighth disc is extra features.  As you can imagine there is some compression that you can see on some episodes more than others.  The colors are bolder in this set.  Prince Adam couldn’t get any girlier with a pinker shirt. However you really have to be looking to find the pixilation.  The sound is a slight problem as well, because it comes across rather weak at times making me turn up the volume.  But keep in mind we are talking about a cartoon that is 30 years old!

The extras include: 10 complete episode scripts; 50 detailed profiles of various characters, creatures and artifacts; Documentary: The Stories of He-Man; Documentary: The Magic of Filmation; Documentary: Animating He-Man; Episode commentary on six episodes.  The discs are stored in paper sleeves and stacked on top of each other. 

It was great to watch some of these episodes again.   Reminded me of when I was a kid and the huge toy line they had with every character.  I even started watching She-Ra because some of the characters would show up on that show as well.  Watching it as an adult though I can definitely tell how times have changed.  Of course its corny and goofy at times, but MOTU is also in your face about the virtues of right and wrong.  Every episode shows you the repercussions of doing the wrong thing.  The show was more than a toy commercial; it was a lesson in ethics.  I think the Mills Creek set is the best one to get for the price and I prefer the artwork on the slip cover more.  If you can live with a little compression and pixilation at times this is a wonderful set.

Series: 8/10
DVD: 7/10