Voltron: Legendary Defender – The Complete Series (DVD Review)
RATED: UR/REGION: 1/1:78/NUMBER OF DISCS: 12
AVAILABLE FROM Universal
There are two kinds of people in this world: those who hear the word “Voltron” and immediately start humming the theme song, and those who have somehow managed to avoid giant robot lions for decades. This DVD release of Voltron: Legendary Defender – The Complete Series from Universal is aimed squarely at the first group, though it’s good enough to convert a few newcomers along the way.
When DreamWorks revived Voltron, there were plenty of reasons to be nervous. Reboots have a nasty habit of taking beloved franchises, sanding off all the personality, and turning them into corporate oatmeal. Thankfully, Legendary Defender avoided that fate. Instead, it delivered eight seasons of space opera action, surprisingly strong character development, and enough giant robot battles to make Michael Bay weep tears of joy.
The series follows the familiar formula: five pilots, five robotic lions, and one absolutely massive robot that exists primarily to punch evil in the face. What separates Legendary Defender from many other animated reboots is that it actually put effort into its characters. The Paladins feel like actual people instead of action figure commercials, and the show balances humor, drama, and action far better than most modern animated series.
That’s not to say the show is perfect. Some story arcs work better than others, and the later seasons occasionally feel like the writers were trying to juggle seventeen different plot threads while riding a unicycle. The finale remains one of those endings that can still start arguments in a room full of fans. But even when the series stumbles, it’s usually aiming higher than most cartoons dare to.
Visually, the animation remains gorgeous. The action sequences are fast, colorful, and energetic without turning into incomprehensible CGI soup. The lion formations, battles, and space combat still look fantastic years later. It’s the kind of show that constantly reminds you that animation can do things live-action productions would need the GDP of a small nation to pull off.
As for the DVD set itself, Universal has packed the entire series into one convenient collection. The standard-definition presentation obviously isn’t going to rival streaming HD versions, but the show still looks quite good given the format. More importantly, you actually own it. In an age where streaming services love removing content faster than a politician deletes tweets, there’s something refreshing about having all 78 episodes sitting safely on your shelf.
At the end of the day, Voltron: Legendary Defender – The Complete Series is an easy recommendation. The show successfully revived a beloved franchise without feeling trapped by nostalgia, delivering plenty of action, humor, heart, and giant robot mayhem along the way. Sure, not every creative decision lands, but when you’re combining five space lions into a skyscraper-sized robot sword fighter, perfection is probably asking a bit much.
