All Rise...

Judge David Johnson, ho!

Editor's Note

Our reviews of Thundercats (2011) Season One, Book 1 (published December 14th, 2011), ThunderCats (1985) Season One, Volume Two (published February 14th, 2006), ThunderCats (1987) Season Two, Volume One (published May 24th, 2006), ThunderCats (1987) Season Two, Volume Two (published January 17th, 2007), and Thundercats (1985) Season One, Part One (published July 12th, 2011) are also available.

The Charge

Leap into action with the Thundercats!

The Case

Lion-O and crew leap back into action with this modern reboot of the beloved '80s classic. Joining the Lion-O, Master of the Sword of Omens, King of the Thundercats, and all-round feline stud are his trusted comrades:

Panthro, the brutish tank with biceps the size of Mazdas who finds himself enjoying the full Jax treatment later on in the series (SPOILER: Love Lion-O assuring Panthro that "everything will be okay," as the poor bastard sits there with no arms).

Cheetara, the lithe hyper-speed female warrior who supplies the requisite sexual tension, as well as a tendency to parade around in cleavage-revealing uniforms.

Tygra, a total prick who resents Lion-O for his station in life and seeks to undermine his decision-making at every turn.

WilyKit and WilyKat, the precocious neophytes always with something cute and pithy to say.

Snarf, a fat little cat.

Together, our heroes face off against Mumm-Ra (a malicious mummy-demon thing who turns out to be a solid entry in the Pantheon of Dickhead Villains), an army of lizards led by someone named Slythe, and Vultaire a (you guessed it) vulture.

Nifty show! Eight episodes on this two-disc set, and they're pretty entertaining. Back in the day, I was more of a Transformers and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe disciple, but Thundercats was always on my radar. Like every young boy outside of the Eastern Bloc, I had my own spring-action Lion-O action figure. This reboot is a worthy treatment of the material; nicely-animated, smartly-written, and different enough from its predecessor to distinguish itself.

Lion-O is, unsurprisingly, the main focus and he's a hero worthy of the attention. As written, he's a young king feeling the pressure to lead and measure up to Jaga, the elder Thundercat. It's very much a coming-of-age arc (not unlike that movie about the other lion king) and it works. Lion-O is young and full of piss and vinegar, but he's not a douchebag.

Thundercats: Season One, Book 2 culminates in an epic throwdown between Lion-O and Mumm-Ra, as it should. It's a cool episode and the one-on-one setup represents a rewarding pay-off to Lion-O's tale of becoming. Along the way, there are plenty of side quests, plot devices, and colorful antagonists to manage. Good stuff!

No-nonsense DVDs: standard definition 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen, Dolby 5.1 Surround, no extras.

The Verdict

Not Guilty. I'm a dog person, but these guys rule.

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