Voltron: Legendary Defender

It’s a fantastic series that expertly combines action, comedy, and heart by introducing new takes on characters you actually give a damn about; the voice talent couldn’t have been more perfectly cast; and it’s beautifully animated, with special attention to the space battles which are absolutely breathtaking. You’ve never seen Voltron like this before.

Voltron Legendary Defender is a worthy successor to the original series that stays true to its roots, though its ambition is tempered by its adherence to tradition.

Is it good? Sure it is. Does it better its predecessor? Your cherished memories aside, that is a bar set low. So, yes, it does better them--by quite a lot and, at the same time significantly, not by too much. That is to say, for all its improvements in form and content, it has not sacrificed fundamental candy-colored cheesiness for fashionable dark modernity.

The series succeeds as an action cartoon for kids, but there’s not much here for adults who don’t have a nostalgic attachment to the original series.