A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about Masters of the Universe, the 1987 film staring Dolph Lundgren based on the kid's cartoon He-Man.
As a He-Man movie, it was terrible, but as I wrote about, it was never intended to actually be a He-Man movie. As the director later admitted, it was written as a New Gods movie and just used the He-Man characters as avatars for the New Gods. As a Kirby fan, I love that, and I enjoyed the movie for that reason.
But, I freely admit that as a He-Man movie... in the hallowed words of Jay Sherman, it stinks.
Well imagine my shock when this dropped:
Now you know, on one hand, it looks completely generic. The origin story they chose is the exact opposite of original, so typical that it's just about cliché. Add to it the overuse of CGI and the typical superhero movie color grading, and this looks no different from any of the dozens of superhero movies out these days.
But... it's He-Man.
I don't know. I was a typical 80s kid. Wake up early on Saturday, load up on candy cereal that probably had more sugar in it than I should have eaten in a week, then plop down in front of the TV to watch cartoons all morning. There were lots of great ones that I can still remember. Voltron, Thundercats, Mask, GI Joe, transformers, and so on and so on. But more than the others, He-Man was one of my favorites. Maybe it was the idea of a wimp who everyone dismissed — Prince Adam — transforming into the powerful He-Man. Basically Superman/Clark Kent in a fantasy setting. Whatever it was, it worked. I loved the show.
So watching this trailer, on one hand I see mindless Hollywood slop. On the other hand... it's He-Man! When he raises his sword and bellows out "I have the power!" I'm a kid again.
Watch it and see what you think. Then let me know your thoughts here.
| David is an American teacher and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. He blogs here and at laspina.org. Write him on Bluesky. |
