Finally, we have a He-Man movie that measures up to the original cartoon from the ’80s. For a middle-aged nerd who grew up with the cartoon, this is very important…I admit, I was afraid it was going to ruin my childhood. Not that the original cartoon is all that great…my love for it is built on nostalgia more than anything else. But here’s the thing, Masters of the Universe was never meant to be serious fantasy like Lord of the Rings. What this movie does best is capture the childlike campiness from the cartoon and make a fun movie. The other thing it does great is it’s not only a movie for kids, but for the adults who grew up with the cartoon because there’s plenty of references and jokes for the adults. I appreciate the fact that the movie knows exactly what it’s supposed to be and not trying to be serious fantasy like the ’80s movie tried to do. Although, that movie is pretty campy now, but at the time it was trying to be dark fantasy. Masters of the Universe was always meant for kids and this movie is for those kids who now also have kids. I’m not saying it’s a great movie, but it’s a lot of fun.
If you are not familiar with the original He-Man cartoon, you don’t need to be. The entire lore will be explained to you if you’re a newbie, but if you’re familiar with the cartoon then it’s nice to have a refresher course with the lore. They cast this movie really well. Nicholas Galitzine does a great job portraying Prince Adam. He’s funny, dorky, and he’s a perfect hero when he needs to be. Camilla Mendes does a great job playing Teela. And Idris Elba knocks it out of the park playing Duncan. I won’t really comment on Jared Leto because you never see his face and it’s not a typical Jared Leto movie. Honestly, they could have cast anybody to play Skeletor. In addition, Morena Baccarin does a great job as the Sorceress. This movie looks and feels like the He-Man cartoon even If there’s a lot of CGI, but I also have to hand it to the filmmakers for doing a lot of practical effects as well. It’s obvious that their aim was to make this movie for kids and the adults who enjoyed the cartoon.
There’s a lot to like about this movie. It looks good and it has a lot of great action. The jokes land and it’s easy to connect to the heroes. Plus Skeletor was campy and funny which is what he’s supposed to be from the cartoon. So this is not a movie that Jared Leto ruined by some ridiculous stoic performance meant to be artsy. I don’t know if this movie can ever replace the nostalgia for the cartoon. It’s still fun to go back and watch 40 years later, but for a modern day version, they did a great job and I don’t have many complaints. Now it’s not a great story, but it’s a movie that you can certainly watch again. It’s hard trying to make a movie based off a children’s cartoon and really capture the feel. Many properties have failed. I still don’t think the GI Joe movies are all that great. But I can appreciate this movie for what it is…pure escapism and a lot of fun. That’s all it needs to be. If I do have to make one serious complaint, there are times at the sword looks a little fake, However, that doesn’t take away from the action and the silliness within the movie that makes it fun to watch. My final verdict, this movie did not ruin my childhood or my nostalgia for the cartoon and it is definitely nerd-approved. I can’t wait to see it again.
