Well after many weeks and months of getting into arguments on Youtube with kids who weren't even alive during the original airing of Thundercats (I was 10), I've finally seen the entire first episode. All of the trailers I had seen previously made me think this new show would be a turd of truly epic proportions and I wasn't shy about voicing my opinions. I found few who agreed with me. And unfortunately, this new show is indeed a turd and an insult to the original show and its true fanbase, but to be fair it wasn't completely unwatchable, but damn close.
**WARNING - SPOILERS AHEAD!**
First off, the artwork is absolutely putrid, especially for a show as unique as the Thundercats. Yes kids, I know the original was animated in Japan (read that again - ANIMATED!) but it was designed in the good ol USA by Americans who were going for an 80s comic superhero look (watch the special from a few years back which explains this). The result was an absolutely beautiful and unique show, and one that has definitely stood the test of time.
But this super Anime/Manga artwork is just not right for the Thundercats. They used to be well toned and muscular, but now Lion-O looks like a twig boy. However, characters like Cladius are built well, and Panthro looks like the Incredible Hulk on steroids. The detail of the characters faces is thin and weak looking and just doesn't impart the strength and nobility of the original cast. Even the Sword of Omens looks thinner and wimpier than the original, and it needs a serious dose of Viagra. Pathetic and unforgivable!
And now, the new character designs. Tygra looks like a douche, acts like a douche and has a voice like a complete douche. Cheetara looks like an elven prostitute from some kind of teen WoW fantasy...and hey she's a Cleric too...damn why not just make her a Drow Elf? And her voice is just wrong...the old voice imparted her strength, wisdom and maturity (as did the voices for the original cast as well)...but now she sounds like a tinny voiced bimbo. Lion-O sounds okay, I'll give him that. And Mumm-Ra? He looked the part...but he didn't sound evil or sinister enough...meh...they could have done him much better.
The animation was also a bit strange - weird camera angles (especially during the fight scenes) which I think are the result of some young animator who thought they were being very cool and artsy, but I found it annoying and unappealing. The same goes for both Wiley Kit and Kat...they are nothing like their original characters...and the scene of them eating and burping was just a waste. And poor Snarf...why even include him if he's just going to look and act like a lame Pokemon?
The first 30 minutes of the pilot were painful for me to watch...I wasn't moved or inspired, just bored and sleepy. It did pick up near the end and I'll admit it was actually good in a few parts - but there were also no surprises. It was painfully obvious that Grune would betray Cladius and then he'd die to pass the throne on to Lion-O...and getting a tease of actually seeing Panthro (Mumm-Ra in disguise) was kind of lame. But the last part did redeem the show just enough to get me to consider watching another episode (we'll see).
And now onto some of the very annoying and crappy things about this reboot:
1) This could have been a decent show if it it had nothing to do with the Thundercats and was styled in its own unique way. The Avatar TLA similarity is hard to ignore (I loved that show for the record)...but that style, again, is an insult to the spirit of the original Thundercats. Are people in the media so bereft of ideas that they have to reboot and prequel the hell out of beloved classics? An offshoot of Thundercats or an actual sequel to the original storyline might have been nice, but this reboot/relaunch idea is a huge, steaming pile of donkey doody. To the team of designers who thought this up - I sincerely loathe and despise you for all eternity!
2) Seeing Jaga running around at lightning speed like Cheetara made me laugh. He used to be a brave and noble warrior in the flashbacks...now he's a skinny old man who has no self identity. This was very, very lame and completely stupid.
3) The Thundercats don't know about "technology"? An intriguing idea, but once again, unoriginal, uninspiring, and an insult to the original show. Right from the get-go, the old Thundercats had space ships and technology up the whazoo...but also their magic and spirituality. It was a nice and well balanced mix. Now they mess their britches if someone finds an old spark plug...WTF? Whomever thought this idea up should be hung by their ankles and beaten with heavy sticks.
To sum up, this reboot is exactly what I thought it would be - a poor looking, unoriginal pile of crap made by a bunch of idiots who have some major ego issues concerning how special they think they are for attempting to remake one of the greatest cartoons in history. Sorry guys and gals, but you are just a bunch of untalented hacks out to make money...this remake could have been epic and amazing...but you lost the soul of the original show so much that the only thing it has in common with it are a few names and objects. And that's about it.
I will add one positive though - it was freakin' awesome to hear Larry Kenney shout "Thundercats - HOOOOOOO!" one last time...man that really brought me back!
And Larry, I forgive you. Barely. ;)
**WARNING - SPOILERS AHEAD!**
First off, the artwork is absolutely putrid, especially for a show as unique as the Thundercats. Yes kids, I know the original was animated in Japan (read that again - ANIMATED!) but it was designed in the good ol USA by Americans who were going for an 80s comic superhero look (watch the special from a few years back which explains this). The result was an absolutely beautiful and unique show, and one that has definitely stood the test of time.
But this super Anime/Manga artwork is just not right for the Thundercats. They used to be well toned and muscular, but now Lion-O looks like a twig boy. However, characters like Cladius are built well, and Panthro looks like the Incredible Hulk on steroids. The detail of the characters faces is thin and weak looking and just doesn't impart the strength and nobility of the original cast. Even the Sword of Omens looks thinner and wimpier than the original, and it needs a serious dose of Viagra. Pathetic and unforgivable!
And now, the new character designs. Tygra looks like a douche, acts like a douche and has a voice like a complete douche. Cheetara looks like an elven prostitute from some kind of teen WoW fantasy...and hey she's a Cleric too...damn why not just make her a Drow Elf? And her voice is just wrong...the old voice imparted her strength, wisdom and maturity (as did the voices for the original cast as well)...but now she sounds like a tinny voiced bimbo. Lion-O sounds okay, I'll give him that. And Mumm-Ra? He looked the part...but he didn't sound evil or sinister enough...meh...they could have done him much better.
The animation was also a bit strange - weird camera angles (especially during the fight scenes) which I think are the result of some young animator who thought they were being very cool and artsy, but I found it annoying and unappealing. The same goes for both Wiley Kit and Kat...they are nothing like their original characters...and the scene of them eating and burping was just a waste. And poor Snarf...why even include him if he's just going to look and act like a lame Pokemon?
The first 30 minutes of the pilot were painful for me to watch...I wasn't moved or inspired, just bored and sleepy. It did pick up near the end and I'll admit it was actually good in a few parts - but there were also no surprises. It was painfully obvious that Grune would betray Cladius and then he'd die to pass the throne on to Lion-O...and getting a tease of actually seeing Panthro (Mumm-Ra in disguise) was kind of lame. But the last part did redeem the show just enough to get me to consider watching another episode (we'll see).
And now onto some of the very annoying and crappy things about this reboot:
1) This could have been a decent show if it it had nothing to do with the Thundercats and was styled in its own unique way. The Avatar TLA similarity is hard to ignore (I loved that show for the record)...but that style, again, is an insult to the spirit of the original Thundercats. Are people in the media so bereft of ideas that they have to reboot and prequel the hell out of beloved classics? An offshoot of Thundercats or an actual sequel to the original storyline might have been nice, but this reboot/relaunch idea is a huge, steaming pile of donkey doody. To the team of designers who thought this up - I sincerely loathe and despise you for all eternity!
2) Seeing Jaga running around at lightning speed like Cheetara made me laugh. He used to be a brave and noble warrior in the flashbacks...now he's a skinny old man who has no self identity. This was very, very lame and completely stupid.
3) The Thundercats don't know about "technology"? An intriguing idea, but once again, unoriginal, uninspiring, and an insult to the original show. Right from the get-go, the old Thundercats had space ships and technology up the whazoo...but also their magic and spirituality. It was a nice and well balanced mix. Now they mess their britches if someone finds an old spark plug...WTF? Whomever thought this idea up should be hung by their ankles and beaten with heavy sticks.
To sum up, this reboot is exactly what I thought it would be - a poor looking, unoriginal pile of crap made by a bunch of idiots who have some major ego issues concerning how special they think they are for attempting to remake one of the greatest cartoons in history. Sorry guys and gals, but you are just a bunch of untalented hacks out to make money...this remake could have been epic and amazing...but you lost the soul of the original show so much that the only thing it has in common with it are a few names and objects. And that's about it.
I will add one positive though - it was freakin' awesome to hear Larry Kenney shout "Thundercats - HOOOOOOO!" one last time...man that really brought me back!
And Larry, I forgive you. Barely. ;)