Voltron: Legendary Defender (2016–2018) User Reviews

What the quiznak?

[TheFarscapeProject747 · 8/10 · 15 August 2019]

Ok so I just finished the series and came on here and I couldn't believe the negative reviews regarding the whole thing, or the last two seasons being so bad they gave it a 1 rating. Now were they not as good as seasons 1-6? Maybe, but were they just so bad the whole experience is ruined? Absolutely not! Personally I loved the whole thing, exceot the one thing that does happen in the finale which is stopping a higher rating from me. Someone called the last season nothing but a rom com, why? Because of the kne date Lance and Allira go on in the premiere? Other than that you only see them alone together a minimal times in 13 episodes. And really I watched this whole show with my nephews and they didnt care at all and they are 6 and 8, time to follow what the next generation thinks. But I digress, I watch very few animated shows. This and Castlevania are the only two western anime style I've seen and that show is great too. But I have a love for space opera and this show reminds me of saturday morning cartoons in the 90's except actually serialized and done in a fantastic way., yes I know this is a remake but it's a really well done one. So please watch this show and decide for yourself if you like it or not

Amazing, minus the final season.

[doomedmac · 8/10 · 18 March 2020]

The last season of this show sucks big time. Besides that, its really great.

Excellent

[rkallister-871-108771 · 9/10 · 10 June 2016]

As a child of the 80s, Voltron was my favorite cartoon. My brother and I rented the videos almost every weekend and watched them over and over. That said, this new incarnation both meets and surpasses the old one in many, many ways. The animation style is very much like the origin and yet looks tons better. The voice talent is really good. The story lines do a great job of keeping your interest and making you crave what comes next. The battle sequences are really exciting, and the comedy is very typical of popular anime series. If you like action animation styled like Japanese anime, you'll absolutely love this series. It's probably one of the best to come out recently.

Finally everything Voltron always needed to be

[dkmartin-00194 · 9/10 · 11 June 2016]

I've never been able to defend the original Voltron as a good show. I loved a lot about it, and I've re-watched the first four episodes strung together as the VHS movie 'Castle of Lions' so many times I have the entire thing memorized. The Japanese version was better, or at least more coherent for not being so heavily edited, but there always just something that didn't gel. Other reboot attempts that tried to either continue that original, or reboot it only cleaning up some of the nonsense, always fell a bit flat. This, though. This finally lets the concept sing. Netflix/Dreamworks and everyone have created a fresh version that doesn't stick too tightly to the original. It fixes a lot of incoherencies for it, and gives the series a stronger story with deeper characterization. But, it also takes elements from both the original Voltron and the Japanese GoLion, and even some of the mechanical mysticism of the comics, so it never feels like its abandoned the core of Voltron either. To the opposite, the 11 episodes are practically littered with smart references and allusions to scenes from the original that ring pretty true despite being in the middle of new circumstances. The isn't the Voltron from my childhood. Heck, it's not even Voltron as I remembered it being as a kid. This is a better Voltron entirely. All the delight of a Saturday morning cartoon, all the quirky style of an anime, and all the writing quality I'd hoped having Avatar/Korra alum on board would (and did) bring. If I have one complaint, it's that I still prefer the music and sound effects from the original, but that's neither here nor there and almost entirely nostalgia speaking. This is the better cartoon in every way that matters.

A Grand, Delightful Sci-Fi Adventure

[joshuafagan-64214 · 9/10 · 16 June 2016]

Do you remember Saturday morning cartoons? If above a certain age, you do. They were fun, poppy, and enjoyable, although as we got older, we came to realize that they weren't very good.

This is like a Saturday morning cartoon, except it's good.

Aired on Netflix and made by basically the entire Korra team minus Bryke, this is based off the classic 80's show Voltron. That show was all right. This show is great. It's not Avatar-great or Korra-great, but it's great. The animation is top-notch, the writing is solid, the characters are interesting, the pacing is excellent and it's an all-around blast to watch.

This a series that is made for binge-watching. The episodes flow into each other so well that it's like a mix between a TV series and a movie. It's almost a new medium, or at least a new format. This is a very interesting development. It'll be interesting to see where it goes, both in this series and in television in general.

Thankfully, this is a series you will want to binge-watch. It starts you off in that direction by combining the first three episodes into one epic hour-long season premier, but it is the quality and addictiveness of the show that carry you the rest of the way. Honestly, I'd be surprised if anyone didn't binge-watch this. It's not like some of the great adult-skewing TV dramas like Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones, or even shows like Avatar and Korra, which can tire you out and force you to take a break. These episodes leave you with enough energy that you want to springboard into the next one.

This choice extends to the series as a whole. Without giving too much away, the entire season ends abruptly, leaving us on a cliffhanger. Now, if they were focused on one season at a time, this would not be a good choice for the ending. It's unsatisfying. But when the entire series is completed, it's a brilliant idea. People would finish season 1 and jump immediately into season 2. Despite what you may have heard, it's very possible for later seasons to retroactively improve earlier seasons. This takes that to a whole new level.

None of these characters were particularly interesting in the old 80's show, but under the deft hand of Team Korra, they all have specific and well-defined hopes and fears and desires.

In a lot of shows where a team of heroes must save the day, one member of the team (or that member and his rival) get all the spotlight, while the other heroes are swept to the background. Sure, they may get episodes in the sun, but even then, it's obvious and contrived that they were just trying to get those characters more screen time. Often, those characters don't even have any bearing on the finally. But here, it's different. The team really feels like a team: all five members matter. There is a leader, but he doesn't overshadow the rest of the team, and it feels like he's the leader not because some marketing department declared him to be so, but because he's the most mature and knowledgeable out of all the characters, and would naturally be the leader.

I also love this series' ability to take typical TV-episode plots and make them emotionally and thematically resonant. In the third-to-last episode, the characters' ship gets corrupted. It's funny, yes, but by the end of the episode, an important sacrifice has to be made, and you'll be crying your eyes out. It takes a deft grip on storytelling to be able to pull something like this off.

Now I'm not saying the show's perfect. It can occasionally get bogged down in things we don't care about, and while a significant amount of suspension-of-disbelief is needed for a show like this, it sometimes pushes you too far and feels too contrived. But the weakest part of the show is its villains, none of which are all that interesting. When the villains are on screen, I kind of bide my time and wait for them to switch back to the heroes. But when they do switch back to the heroes, my eyes lock on to the screen. I was not expecting to become so invested in the characters and environment and plot, but Team Korra got me. Great show, guys. I will be waiting for season 2.

(P.S. I love the chemistry between the characters. It's funny and heartfelt. They really do make a good team.) By: Joshua A. Fagan http://jfmillenniumreviews.blogspot.com

One of the best animated shows out there

[battleaxe-15-905824 · 10/10 · 19 April 2019]

My friend grew up with the old Voltron series and when this one came out he was so thrilled! Kept going on and on how amazing it looks and how great the setup was. Just hearing the fact that part of Avatar production team was on it should be enough for anyone loving that series to give this one a go. I watched it at first based on my friends enthusiasm, but I stayed because Voltron delivers so much! The characters grow and change, the plot is ever expanding and wraps up on in a grand manner every season. It might be over the top sometimes, but never too much. It takes the silly idea of a space lion robot and gives it just enough serious spin to keep it amazing through the whole show. Animation is superb and shots are truly grand. There are so many still shots in the series that could be framed as an art piece. Along with it, voice cast and sound production do an amazing job as well. Nothing felt like it was out of place. If you liked the Avatar series or if you have a thing for space magic, I would definitely recommend this show. It is dark at times but it always reminds you that there is good in everyone and that one should always fight for what is right. Appropriate for all ages.

Super good, but really sad.

[manucitron · 10/10 · 2 February 2021]

When I first started watching this show, I was skeptical. I didn't really know what to expect and I only watched it because people said it was good. I thought I wouldn't make it through half of the series.

I was wrong.

This is one of the best series I have ever watched. It had the humor, it had the happy moments, it had the heartbreak. In my opinion, there were good character arcs and the plot was good. The first couple seasons were really good and wholesome, but it just got sadder as the show went on. Unfortunately, it started to spiral a lot towards the end. This show had so much potential, and they decided to end it on a very choppy note. It would have been a lot more successful if the kept going a little longer. This is one of the shows major flaws.

I rate 10/10 for the first 6 seasons, but more of a 5/10 for the last two. Better ending next time please.

Really Surprised in a Good Way

[harillen · 10/10 · 14 February 2019]

Great ending. But just wish they made an epilogue episode around 20 years later. Would have really enjoyed that. Maybe could have set up the ending a little better only for the people who couldn't accept the ending.

Not perfect, but a lot of fun.

[chadhulhu-249-963096 · 8/10 · 10 June 2016]

I was always a fan of the 80's in flux of anime for Saturday mornings, sadly the Voltron that was offered then was not a favourite of mine. Not sure, why but it didn't gel at the time. But I am pleasantly surprised with this Netflix offering, lately i have noticed the Netflix shows are very edgy(I do enjoy those as well), so this offering is a nice palate cleansing. A refreshing change, giving families something everyone can watch, not something easy as we see with Jessica Jones, Daredevil, etc. I love the interactions with the new takes of the Voltron team, and the animation is good, not the usual cheap animation that is everywhere today in shows. If it changed this crusty old school animation fan heart, give it a go. I hope it has a long life on Netflix.

Starts well, but goes downhill

[joharitaylor · 6/10 · 1 January 2019]

As many of the more recent reviews (Dec 2018) have stated, the last season (eighth) wasn't very good nor was the seventh which was when the show began its downward spiral.

I have downgraded my original score of 8/10 to 6/10 after seeing the conclusion to this story, so that shows you how much I disliked the end.

I'll leave this spoiler free, but just say the ending goes against the ethos pushed through the whole show that Voltron wins as a team and not as individuals.

amazing series

[theilbroc · 10/10 · 7 September 2019]

Great main characters, excellent action, epic story, one of the greatest villains in history, overall a solid and enjoyable show

Too many logical holes

[Lazercut · 6/10 · 22 September 2018]

I just finished binging the show and I need to let some steam off. Now, before I start criticizing everything it should be said I found the show entertaining enough to watch all of the episodes, but there are still major flaws in it that more or less ruined my experience.

First off, IMO the PG rating is hurting the show, it limits the grittiness of the war and the emotional weight of the Galra Empire conquering, enslaving and killing entire civilizations. As well as how many complex philosophies and ideas you can put into it.

Secondly, the villains and the Galra empire are mostly boring. It's a bland evil warrior race super empire. Most of the villain characters are arrogant and predictable. There is no philosophy or thought as to why the empire should expand as it does except "For the glory of the empire".

Thirdly, there are alot of logical holes in the way the world is built up. Especially considering scale, tactics and science. For example, the Galra, being and universe spanning empire, seems to mainly only use two types of ships; Cruisers and Fighters. In a flashback to the past 10 000 years ago, the Galra are shown to utilize the same type of ships and robot drones. Why has the empire been this technologically stagnant for 10 000 years, when on other occasions it is said that they have immensely improved their technology during that time?

Also, How in ANY way can Voltron realistically fight against the Galra empire if they own LARGE CHUNKS OF THE UNIVERSE? Just in ONE galaxy there can be up to 1 billion habitable planets. So even if Voltron could win every battle for every planet in 1 minute with no downtime or travel time it would still take 1902 years to free them all, and that's not to mention the rate of Galra spreading while they liberate the planets. You could say that rebels would help, but that would only happen on a large scale after atleast a percentage of planets were liberated. Also the rebels never use any ships other than refitted freighters(which are all identical btw), nor do they commandeer captured Galra ships, which would be the logical choice of an oppressed race rising up against their overlords.

Voltron the robot is also super boring, it always gets its ass kicked and then suddenly a team member activate a hidden ability, or they use the power of heart and friendship to solve it. The whole magical aspect just takes away alot of the tension. When the writers put the heroes in a "certain death" situation, you know they will survive because they're the heroes, but instead of inventing a creative way for them to win, they just throw in magic and Voltron suddenly turning super OP.

All in all, alot of flaws, but then again it is rated PG and maybe I was expecting a bit too much from a children's show.

We could have had it all....

[heatherwade · 4/10 · 22 April 2019]

What began as a beautifully written and gorgeously animated series ended in choppy edits and disaster. I absolutely loved the first 6 seasons. It was absolutely amazing to behold. The action and mechanism, not to mention the characters were all phenomenal. Things began to fall short starting around the middle of season 7. But I really held out hope that the final season would give us closure and wrap up the story in a good enough maybe even great way. Spoiler: it did not. The only salvageable episode is indeed the first of the season, Launch Date. The rest of it is ridiculously incohesive and falls completely flat All of the storylines from the first 6, even 7 seasons seem to disappear in favor of Michael Bay-esque explosions that blow more holes in the plot (and there are A LOT). The editing was crude and although they have done work to cover some of, it, there is just so much. None of the characters even seem like the same people, even my 9 year old son, commented that everyone seemed "weird" and he sure as hell didn't understand why Allura had to die and the bad guys got a pass. And as bad as all that was, the epilogue was somehow worse. My 13 year old sister AND my son joined me in absolute disappointment and just straight up confusion with those little gems. It's like they saw an opportunity to monetize on exploiting the LGBTQAI+ community and really just went for it. My advice, tell your friends that there are only 7 seasons.

Major Improvement

[ynggun84 · 9/10 · 24 June 2016]

For anybody who has seen the previous series that debuted in the late 90's early 2000's, this is series is a major improvement over what we were given last time. The pilot episode starts out a bit sluggish, but considering what they need to establish in it that is to be expected. I think the biggest problem with the series is that to many people are looking at the series from the 80's that we got direct from Japan and are comparing it to that instead of letting it be a series unto itself.

The voice acting is excellent, and Rhys Darby is critically underused in seasons 1. Hopefully he will get more screen time in season 2! Some characters were given more screen time than others, but again that tends to happen early in a series when you are attempting to establish these characters. Season 2 should help even out the screen time and give other characters more time to develop as fan favorites

Voltron lives again and it is awesome

[tankace · 9/10 · 14 July 2017]

For starters into the original Voltron show ,though I knew what it was about I never manage to get invested into the plot, characters and concept, probably because I was more a Power Rangers follower. However this series rocks and made me a Voltron fan.

The series had great action, scarp wit and awesome designs, Voltron, the Planets and the battles never were so pretty. To the battles ,they were what I wanted from a series with fleets of astro-ships and giant robots and monsters, also the directing was pitch perfect so you could follow the action all the time. But what made me love this series what the many different design of the aliens and their planets and vehicles both on land and in space, with in 24 episodes the variety was mind-blowing and it really sell the fact that this a space adventure.

Also as a nerd I am into science stuff and the phenomena that take place on space always fascinated me and the series used some of them into the story. That combined with the previous fact about the variety of alien species show ,the dedication and work ,which was put into the series, the creating team really wanted to make the series as good as they could and in my humble opinion they did it!

And finally the character development and progression was great as our heroes gradually changed from their experienced. To add to that filler was very limited, even when it happen it was mostly for comedy and as for comedy and jokes go it was on point every time, which again show that the directors, writers ,producers and actors and actresses put their hearts and mind into this project.

In the end this series was a love letter to the older fans and a great introducing to new ones and this is who remakes should be done, be both about the same basic idea but doings it in a different light and way, like with the new Planet of the Apes films.

Voltron legendary defender is the show we need and deserve

[xfalconx-05827 · 10/10 · 24 June 2016]

im a new comer to the voltron franchise, i have not watched any iteration of the series, so here is a review from fresh guy who knows nothing about Voltron: After all the terrible cartoons that we have been getting recently, under the category of cheap animation, forgettable story lines and unimaginative unfunny comedy, Voltron finally came in and saved our universe. the animation is stunning, beautiful, and filled with detail, something to expect from the folks who did both avatar the last airbender and the legend of Korra, we have not seen anything like this since the death of the legend of korra, young justice and generator rex, the battle sequences are phenomenal, and the 3d rendered in 2d Voltron and the giant baddies (who i thought would be the bad part about the animation) turned out perfect, in fact Voltron in this series is one of the best looking robots i have seen in my life, even the transformation sequence is great. the writing is also really good, and the characters are quit distinct with real motive, they have a history that is yet to be explored ( i have only watched the first 5 episodes so far) . the comedy is funny occasionally and the show is generally a lot of fun. Voltron legendary defender is the savior of western television, im tired of all the cheap bad comedies that we have been getting recently, the action cartoons are dying but man Voltron saved my day, i hope it is successful and i really want to see more of this.

Can't believe it's over 😭

[alistairmclean81 · 9/10 · 24 February 2019]

What a great show. So well written with twists and turns you can never predict.

I had tears in my eyes on the last episode.

Never wanted it to end.

Perfect remake!

[kfl49 · 10/10 · 17 August 2018]

This used to be my childhood favorite. I was a bit skeptical at first, assuming I would watch a few episodes and that would be it, but the sci-fi concepts are quite fresh and story telling is captivating. I loved all the seasons (especially the episode "Hunted" in S5, but Season 7 was beyond my expectations. I can't wait for Season 8! Well done!!! (and the music is awesome, too!!!!)

Game Of Thrones type crash and burn ending

[pownjesus-78518 · 6/10 · 24 April 2022]

The first few seasons were incredible... the last season and especially the last episode were the opposite; the wheels completely fell off. The crash and burn was reminiscent of GOT. Heart breaking to see the writers misfire on the story's ending so badly. Character arcs crashed, plot holes never filled, bonds destroyed, it was tragic and honestly not worth watching for what you have to endure as an ending.

Love it

[unknown0764 · 9/10 · 26 June 2016]

Legendary defender sparks the child within all, It does what it was meant to do bridging the 80's 90's till this generation. It also bring's the giant super robot genre back to a lighter perspective. The Voltron Force is a bright crew and face dark elements, while in the most present giant robot genre they either embrace insanity or be boringly dark, Voltron isn't like that. It bring's suspense, the battles are always intense. Animation it's Studio Mir a 5* animation in all episode's, Robot Transformation repeatable but you will be very focused on the Story than the transformation.

In one episode you will see how dark it can be but you will see the team facing it rather than embrace it. If you need a math example here Voltron Crew= Optimus Prime G1. Is it a good thing? Yeah is it lovable?

Read the Title.

Where's Voltron?

[xcaliberxedge · 6/10 · 15 September 2018]

The art, & animation are top notch with the old fashioned paper & ink style. But the biggest problem is that you don't see Voltron nearly at all. The show is called Voltron, not the paladin's, not even the Lions.

It should've been a lot more like the classic. Have Voltron in 90% of episodes fighting Robeasts. That's what we need to be seeing. Less off-world stories. Background is good, but it's way too much in every season. We hardly see the Lions either.

The enemies are good. Most are written well. Zarkon, Hagar were great stories. Lotor is the weak link though. He was ok. Liked to see good. But needs to come back super evil. His 1st comeback to Satan was far fetched.

A friend of mine loves Voltron, but he has reason to hate the new series. Come season 8, get super creative with Robeasts, form the giant robot & let's kick some serious ass. Time to quicken the pace.

someone got lazy in the end

[stani_cv · 4/10 · 25 January 2019]

My initial review got rejected. I don't know why. If it was some other show I probably wouldn't even care but I loved Voltron as a kid. I grew up watching the it daily . The new series was such a joyful surprise..and then there was season 8. This last chapter feels like it was forced and patched together with a bunch of random ideas. Throughout the whole season characters make the most illogical decisions just to drive the story somewhere. Everything starts well, but it quickly goes downhill from there. After some filler episode we get to the grand finale where despite the impossible odds the good guys win through...willpower. I don't know how else to describe it. Voltron is the most awesome force in the universe. That's what we are lead to believe, but I don't get that impression from watching season 8. To top it all there are a bunch of cliches thrown in and a weird ending. You won't really miss much if you skip that last part and save yourself several hours.

An Honest Review

[generationofswine · 10/10 · 19 January 2019]

OK...Wow. Netflix remade a beloved franchise and the DID NOT take EVERYTHING people LOVED about the original and intentionally TRASH it to make the point that the fans of it were awful for...reasons.

This is really good. It's actually REALLY good. They don't do that "woke" thing of "it was made in the 80s so we have to punish the fans for not being a Millennial."

It takes the elements that people loved from the first run...AND IT KEPT THEM!!!!

It treated what made the first one good with respect!!!!!!

That is all people like me want!

You have to watch this. This is finally a remake done right!!!!! This is good!!!! It is shockingly good!!!!! And it doesn't attack the fans of the original!!!!!!

Holy freakin' moly

[WalterMittee · 3 August 2019]

S7:E13 was the most thrilling animated episode I have ever seen. So full of intense action and glorious animation, this was also a visual treat as well. Kudos to the writers and animators on this one. This episode should win some sort of award.