He-Man Has the Power Again
Holy crap was this movie amazing! 😲
I was born in late 1985. Which means by the time I would have been old enough to actually sit down and watch He-Man, the moment had mostly passed me by. I knew the character. Everybody my age knew the character. The sword and the "I have the power" thing was just ambient background noise of being a kid in the late 80s and early 90s. But I never watched it. He-Man was a thing I knew existed without ever having a relationship with it. Which, it turns out, was the best possible way to walk into this movie. No nostalgia goggles. No source material loyalty. No mental checklist of things they had to nail or I'd revolt in my seat. I came in with absolutely nothing, no expectations and no impressions from anything. And I walked out floored.Genuinely. I cannot say it enough. It was a banger; so much cathartic release. An awesome soundtrack. Silly, over the top villains who are aware of exactly what this movie is and what it is not, without ever tipping into that cheap "look at me, see, the cartoon did this, remember?" nostalgia-grab garbage. The movie respects itself while being fully self aware of what it is. A feel-good escapist film that just leaves you happy. I left the theater glowing and I have not stopped.
What a Time to Be Alive for This Kind of Movie
For a long stretch, this whole genre tried so hard to be "real." Everything had to be grounded. Everything had to be dark and serious and gritty and ashamed of where it came from. Think back to the original X-Men movies and the black leather, the whole "what, you'd prefer yellow spandex?" joke from the X-Men 2000 film where the source material was treated like an embarrassing relative you had to apologize for. And for a while it made sense. How do you take these outrageous characters with their colorful, absurd outfits and drop them into the real world? So the trend kept going. The Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy, which was amazing, but hyper realistic. Much of the MCU too, and Zack Synder's cancelled DC "gloomverse" was the apex of this.
But now? Oh boy. Now we have had banger after banger that just embraces what it is, and I could not be happier. Deadpool & Wolverine made fun of the "black leather" joke in the third Deadpool film by inversing the original joke! Deadpool: "What in the Oscar Meyer weinermobile are you wearing?" Logan: "Would you prefer shiny black leather?" The Fantastic Four leaning all the way into its retro-future tech aesthetic instead of running from it. The new Superman embracing its own look and feel, and it was just so... what a great film. We spent too long trying to be "real," and over the past few years we have started embracing the silliness, in the best kind of way, the kind that actually honors the stuff we grew up with instead of being ashamed of it. It is a return to form. And Masters of the Universe is right there in that wave, doing it as well as anyone. Maybe even better.
And Nicholas Galatzine was such a great cast for the main lead, because he plays a good Adam AND a good He-Man. They did not just cast a slab of muscle to grunt catchphrases. Idris Elba is clearly having more fun here than he ever had as Heimdall. Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn was possibly having the most fun of all. She channeled that Rita Repulsa energy and just was so... evil! Ha. Everybody understood the assignment. Nobody is playing it too big or too serious or too hokey. Yes there are some weak parts, but that is mostly the early part of the film on Earth. But we had to see the origin story, and his time on earth as a deposed prince as just a small child, really shaped who he became. And once we get back to Eternia, it just ramps up and ramps up and doesn't stop ramping. Every damn scene is just pure cathartic bliss. That Eternia theme electric 80's style guitar song by Brian May just keeps coming in various forms and the soundtrack just slaps so hard. So while it started a tad weak and slow, the middle slaps, the climax slaps harder, and the ending was just... chef's kiss!
And yes, for everyone wondering, there are not one, not two, but three post-credit scenes. Stay through every one of them. Do not walk out early. I came in with no horse in this race and left wanting the sequel immediately. Bah stop reading this and go see this movie!
But now? Oh boy. Now we have had banger after banger that just embraces what it is, and I could not be happier. Deadpool & Wolverine made fun of the "black leather" joke in the third Deadpool film by inversing the original joke! Deadpool: "What in the Oscar Meyer weinermobile are you wearing?" Logan: "Would you prefer shiny black leather?" The Fantastic Four leaning all the way into its retro-future tech aesthetic instead of running from it. The new Superman embracing its own look and feel, and it was just so... what a great film. We spent too long trying to be "real," and over the past few years we have started embracing the silliness, in the best kind of way, the kind that actually honors the stuff we grew up with instead of being ashamed of it. It is a return to form. And Masters of the Universe is right there in that wave, doing it as well as anyone. Maybe even better.
The Best Thing It Gets Right Is That It Is Just Fun
The movie is just fun. A nice escapist film. No political messaging. No real-world symbols or themes shoved in to remind you how divided and miserable everything is right now because the internet feeds on sensationalism and division. It just says, here, have fun. Sit down, turn your brain to a comfortable temperature, and enjoy yourself. The movie embraces the 80s of it all, the huge muscles, the testosterone, the power fantasy, but it does it humbly instead of laughing at it. It does not stand above the source material smirking. It honors what it is, instead of pointing fingers and saying "look at this we did this thing", or laughing at itself because of how over the top the original source material was. This movie understood the assignment. It reminds us to think about what He-Man actually is at the core. What little boy, (or little girl too!) does not watch a story about a little boy who grows up small and weak and says "someday I am going to be the hero, I am going to be big and strong and beat the bad guy?" That is the fantasy. That is one of the oldest fantasies there is. And this movie embraces that mindset completely while being modern enough to never get toxic about it, and welcoming enough that everybody gets to feel it.
I had no idea Jared Leto was cast as Skeletor. That should send alarm bells off for many. Ignore those alarm bells. Skeletor was amazing! And you never see Jared's face under the skull. You would have no idea it was him if nobody told you, I certainly didn't! And the performance is pure classic Skeletor, theatrical and silly and menacing in that cartoon way. He and Evil-Lyn got some of the biggest laughs in my entire theater. That is the balance the whole movie nails. The villains are over the top, but they are aware of exactly how over the top they are. Self aware without being smug. The movie knows it is ridiculous and loves being ridiculous.
I had no idea Jared Leto was cast as Skeletor. That should send alarm bells off for many. Ignore those alarm bells. Skeletor was amazing! And you never see Jared's face under the skull. You would have no idea it was him if nobody told you, I certainly didn't! And the performance is pure classic Skeletor, theatrical and silly and menacing in that cartoon way. He and Evil-Lyn got some of the biggest laughs in my entire theater. That is the balance the whole movie nails. The villains are over the top, but they are aware of exactly how over the top they are. Self aware without being smug. The movie knows it is ridiculous and loves being ridiculous.
The Vibe, the Cast, the Whole Package
Dear lord this soundtrack slaps! It's part of the reason this movie gets you so pumped up. The Eternia theme plays A LOT in this film in some capacity, and that song is part of why you get that cathartic release from this movie. And the theme balances 80's badass testosterone with a kind soft gentleness, which is exactly what this He-Man character is. He is both wholesome and badass and kind and deadly. There is more to him than just power and violence solves all problems. His greatest power is his heart, and he reminds the audience of that. He is just so wholesome and endearing. There is depth to him. He is an amalgamation of all of these things. This song really captures the feel of who he is, and when he's doing his He-Man thing hearing this song slap it's like a shot of pure adrenaline into the veins. Seriously! Listen to this!And Nicholas Galatzine was such a great cast for the main lead, because he plays a good Adam AND a good He-Man. They did not just cast a slab of muscle to grunt catchphrases. Idris Elba is clearly having more fun here than he ever had as Heimdall. Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn was possibly having the most fun of all. She channeled that Rita Repulsa energy and just was so... evil! Ha. Everybody understood the assignment. Nobody is playing it too big or too serious or too hokey. Yes there are some weak parts, but that is mostly the early part of the film on Earth. But we had to see the origin story, and his time on earth as a deposed prince as just a small child, really shaped who he became. And once we get back to Eternia, it just ramps up and ramps up and doesn't stop ramping. Every damn scene is just pure cathartic bliss. That Eternia theme electric 80's style guitar song by Brian May just keeps coming in various forms and the soundtrack just slaps so hard. So while it started a tad weak and slow, the middle slaps, the climax slaps harder, and the ending was just... chef's kiss!
And yes, for everyone wondering, there are not one, not two, but three post-credit scenes. Stay through every one of them. Do not walk out early. I came in with no horse in this race and left wanting the sequel immediately. Bah stop reading this and go see this movie!
