– a remake of the mid-80’s cartoon “Voltron: Defender of the Universe”, which is itself an adaptation of the early-80’s “Beast King GoLion” cartoon from Japan (didja’ get all that?).
– There’s two seasons available on Netflix now.
– Speaking of the seasons: each one starts of weak, but get so much better towards the end.
– I was not a fan of the very first episodes of the series, because they took my favorite character (Lance) and made his sense of humor very sophomoric (he was funny in the original series but not is such a forced, trendy way). MAJOR KUDOS for making him Cuban, though. Yay People of Color! But also, a lot of the humor in the series tends to lean towards the sophomoric, which takes me out of the moment. Most of the humor feels very forced, but I’ll admit I laugh when things come off more natural.
– Speaking of People of Color, Princess Allura is now Black and British, while Hunk is Samoan. I LOVE this idea, because it represents what the world is actually like. DOUBLE MAJOR KUDOS for updating the characters.
– Yes, the characters do get some updates here, and more chances to shine from a personality level, and those personalities contribute to the overall “team” aspect of the show.
– This show isn’t so much a “Voltron fights a monster of the week” type deal. The story is long-form, and one episode’s mission could lead to consequences a few episodes later. There are definite “call-backs to previous moments”. Plus, there’s a lot more lore and mythology within this series, and it seems like future seasons could just bring more to get vested in.
– Speaking of Big Daddy Voltron, the original series would always showcase the actual combination of the five robot lions to their final connected giant robot form, and this series does the same. But it makes me wonder: how long does it actually take Voltron to mush together? Is it quick, or does the villain have to stand back while the lions connect, tapping his monster foot impatiently? I would think that that would be a perfect time to attack the lions and take ’em out. Just saying.
– The new theme song is good, but I would’ve loved to hear a redone version of the original.
– Sven (pilot of my favorite lion [the Blue Lion] in that original series) is in this series, but his name is Shiro (which is what he was called in Japan before America adapted it and changed it to Sven).
– I miss Witch Haggar’s old voice. TO ME, that’s as iconic of a voice as Optimus Prime’s or Cobra Commander’s.
– Final Grades: B+
Jose Zuazua is editor-in-chief of Quick Lunch Break Reviews. He has an associates degree in film production. He’s on twitter (twitter.com/josezuazua) and instagram (instagram.com/josezuazua).
Quick Lunch Break Reviews 