“By the power of Grayskull!”: This exclamation should still delight some eighties children today, as it marks the moment when the peace-loving Prince Adam transforms into He-Man, the muscle-packed hero of the cartoon series of the same name.

This He-Man (in English an expression for a strong, male man) fights in the fantasy world Eternia with his companions against opponents Skeletor and a number of other villains and has to defend Grayskull Castle against attacks.

Felix Hooß

Coordinator for premium content at FAZ.NET.

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The original series "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" was supposedly only launched on the market almost forty years ago to boost sales of the action figures from the toy manufacturer Mattel. The drawing style and plot were simple, but the cartoon trash is still loved by fans to this day. This was followed by several series offshoots, a European radio play series and the film adaptation with Dolph Lundgren in the lead role.

The enthusiasm of the adult fans was great when the first trailer for the new Netflix series "Masters of the Universe: Revelation" appeared on the net a few weeks ago: So after all these years there would be a reunion with He-Man, Skeletor and other cherished characters such as the loyal armorer Man-at-Arms, the warrior Teela or the cute magician Orko. The first five episodes have been available on Netflix since last Friday (another five are to follow in the course of the year), it is a sequel that is supposed to tie in directly to the old cartoon episodes. But the reactions are extremely mixed: While professional reviewers are throwing up praise for the episodes modernized by producer Kevin Smith, the original “MOTU” fan base feels deceived.On the film rating portal “Rotten Tomatoes”, the series achieved 95 percent of the critics and 36 percent of the viewers underground.

The time of strong men is over

One trailer in particular - backed by Bonnie Tyler's “Holding out for a Hero” - had given the impression that “Masters of the Universe: Revelation” was primarily about the old long-term feud between He-Man and Skeletor. The two are taken out of the game with a bang in the first episode of the new season and only appear in flashbacks from then on. Instead, the stage now belongs to others. There is especially Teela, who has recently been wearing an undercut hairstyle and whose obvious affection for her companion Andra can be understood as a nod to the LGBTQ community. Teela, who actually broke with the old bonds of power, has to bring back the lost magic on Eternia and save the planet. She is accompanied by a colorfully mixed troop, which is designed for diversity:Several women are arguing with one another; Teela's partner Andra, originally a minor character and white, is now dark-skinned. The time of the strong men has run out on Eternia, now it's the turn of others - that is the not very subtle message.

For the old He-Man fans, that's too much wokeness, they feel like their childhood heroes have been lost. "The director should be banned and put on trial for killing another iconic series," writes one. Another: “These false announcements. And history is slaughtered most of the time. All of this political shit is ... annoying, to say the least. ”But“ Revelation ”has quite a charm. It starts with the successful and absolutely contemporary graphic implementation by the Powerhouse Animation Studios, which lets you forget the woodcut-like appearance of the original series. And the story continues, which also leaves room for characters that are otherwise not so much the focus. The many references and a good deal of self-irony also make the series worth seeing.In episode one, after he hunted down the benign plant creature Moss Man, Skeletor laconically notes: "Smells like pine."

After all, the message of the story remains.

In the search for magic, good and bad have to join forces, each individual has to contribute his or her abilities.

Evil-Lyn, actually Skeletor's nasty sorceress, fights at Teela's side for a greater common cause: the rescue of Eternia.

A consolation in times like these, if not for hardcore fans.

They will probably not be appeased even if the old heroes should return to the scene in the further course of the series.

Masters of the Universe: Revelation runs on Netflix.