Red Comet Reviews features a TV series for the first time!

Voltron (1984) was a great show that aged like a bottle of fine milk. Can this new one inherit my hopes and dreams?

What’s It About? Five travelers from Earth are chosen to become the paladins of an alien princess, and must use the power of Voltron – five lion-shaped machines that can combine to form a mighty robot – to defend the universe from a vicious conqueror.

STRAIGHT UP: Has all the tools to surpass the original. 4.5/5

What I Liked

Tastefully nostalgic – Although it’s a reboot, Voltron: Legendary Defender never gets caught up in imitating or referencing the original series. There are a few sly callbacks in the first few episodes, but the rest of the time, this show is focused on doing its own thing.

A better team – Classic Voltron had a pretty unbalanced cast. There was Keith, the coolest and most talented and pilot of the Black Lion; Lance, who was basically trying his hardest to be Keith; and the other ones, who were dead weight. The new series puts a lot of effort into making the cast more diverse and distinct from each other, giving every member of the team his or her own unique appeal. Among my friends who have seen the show, no two have the same favorite character! (Mine’s Pidge!)

Mission structure – This show really shines when the Voltron team is called to action. Missions are never as simple as just defeating the newest Robeast – there are always multiple objectives to defend, discover, or destroy, meaning that every character gets a chance to shine in every episode. We also see the paladins actively helping each other and developing strategies together in several scenes, meaning that each of them actually seems like an important part of a dynamic team.

Keeping the look – Instead of needlessly reinventing the original costumes and mechanical designs, ala the upcoming Power Rangers movie, Voltron: Legendary Defender opts for a simple visual refresh to keep things contemporary. Aside from a few new details, the pilot suits look exactly the same as they did in 1984, and the Voltron robot retains an old-school blockiness even in its revised form.

Excellent CGI – The CG animation used for the mecha in this show has a nice, fluid quality and blends well with the rest of the artwork. Outside of certain high-budget anime films (Gundam Unicorn, Evangelion Shin Gekijouban), it’s rare to see such high-quality CGI.

Raising the stakes – This show doesn’t mess around here. The paladins are in constant mortal danger from about episode 4, and the threat level in the season finale is off the charts. Also, given that an important character died in the original series, I couldn’t be sure that anyone was safe in this one, either – the tension kept me on the edge of my seat!

Ready for another season – I don’t want to say too much, but I think that some of the developments in the final two episodes hint at some interesting possibilities for Season 2, which is in production as I write this. In particular, I’m curious to see the series expand on the implied connection between a certain major villain and the Voltron lions, a plot thread that I’m pretty sure didn’t exist in the original work.

What I Disliked

Forgettable music – The original Voltron series had an incredible theme song, and I was begging to hear it play over any of this show’s most exciting moments. Instead, I can’t remember the music doing much at all to enhance the action onscreen.

No Blazing Sword – While this version of Voltron wields a sword, it’s just a generic saber instead of the iconic blade from the original series. Whether the Blazing Sword is gone for good or just being saved for Season 2 remains to be seen. Either way, there’s a certain satisfaction that only comes with a proper finishing move, and I missed it here.

CLOSING THOUGHT: The showrunners of Voltron: Legendary Defender must please two very different audiences – legacy fans of the original series, and contemporary kids/young teens. I’m beyond impressed at how well they’ve accomplished this incredibly difficult task so far. This new series is one of those rare cartoons that features intelligent writing and dramatic stakes enough to satisfy adults, but with positive themes and a frequent lighthearted tone that make it ideal for younger viewers. There’s definitely a need for more shows like this, and I’ll be carrying high hopes into Season 2 later this year.