My earliest encounters with He-Man and the Masters of the Universe came in my brother’s bedroom where he and I fought countless action figure battles against Skeletor and his evil forces. That was followed by a popular animated series and eventually a corny 1987 live-action feature film starring Dolph Lundgren. Who knew that decades later, well after its heyday, the franchise would be back on the big screen with a brand-new big-budgeted adaptation.
The new “Masters of the Universe” film is directed by Travis Knight (“Bumblebee”) and stars Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Adam aka He-Man. Mixing classic sword and sorcery with science-fiction, the film follows Prince Adam who was transported to our modern day as a young boy after his world was ravaged by a civil war. Once grown, he discovers the legendary Sword of Power which turns him into the mighty He-Man. He then returns to his home world to reclaim it from the clutches of the evil Skeletor. Idris Elba, Jared Leto, Alison Brie, Camila Mendes, Morena Baccarin, and Kristen Wiig also star.
“Masters of the Universe” hits theaters June 5th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.
Keith & the Movies 
As a big He-Man fan something in this trailer did not click. Number one they showed too much. They pretty much gave the entire plot away his home is being attacked, they send him to earth, he does not belong on earth, has a job, knows he should be doing something else, has an awkward adult hood, is brought back home, fights Skeletor, saves his home. Like I got all of that in the trailer. I did not need to see monsters jumping on cars. Sometimes I wish the film makers would have a voluntary think tank that involves the fans. The sign of He/Him I know they were trying to do a joke of He-Man or Him Man… But that did not land as the internet is ripping it to shreds… Skelator was cool looking. They better not have a flashback scene of Skelator as a normal person before he turned…
I thought all the earth scenes looked…goofy (for lack of a better word. Skeletor was definitely the highlight. I’m not sure about Galitzine as He-Man. I guess we’ll see.
I got a kick out of it. The Earth stuff, I’m actually not entirely opposed to because Adam’s mother is an astronaut from Boise, Idaho, so she felt that he would be safer there. There’s ALWAYS been a connection to Earth, even in the original 80s cartoon. It was never explicit, but it was there. The reason for the 1987 movie taking place mostly on Earth, came down to strictly budgetary reasons, and yet, I still love that movie. I’m curious to see how Jared Leto does as Skeletor. Frank Langella was AMAZING as the character, so that’s going to be a hard one to beat. I like how this movie’s looking, especially Eternia. Tone-wise, we’ll have to wait and see. I have faith in Travis Knight, though. He’s a fan, but he also made Bumblebee AND Kubo And The Two Strings. Both of which were pretty good, so he can definitely balance tones. I don’t think this is going to be movie of the year, but it could be one of the biggest surprises of the year.
I do like that Travis Knight is leading things. Bumblebee and Kubo were both fantastic. As for the earth stuff. I don’t mind its inclusion in the story. It’s just the way it comes across in the trailer. But it is just a trailer. And ultimately it did its job of getting me in line for a ticket.
Yeah, the way the Earth stuff comes across in the trailer is odd. I get the feeling that Earth is going to take up the first 30-40 minutes of the movie, then the action moves to Eternia for the rest. I’ll be there day one. I remember seeing the 1987 movie at the Carillon Theaters in Orem, Utah when it was first released. The theaters are no longer there, but I remember being absolutely floored by how awesome the Dolph Lundgren movie was. Frank Langella STOLE the movie. As an adult with a better grasp on writing. It’s not a particularly good movie, but it’s still a lot of fun. I will defend the 1987 Masters of the Universe until the end of my days.
Oh I know what you mean. The pull of nostalgia combined with a good grasp of how movies were made back then really makes it easier to overlook shortcomings that become more obvious over time. I’ll always hold older movies dear that younger audiences won’t connect with.
I disliked the Lundgren version BECAUSE so much of it was on Earth. So when I see all those Earth scenes, I don’t get a good vibe. I hope I’m wrong, but this feels like yet another 80’s nostalgia cash grab that won’t go anywhere or re-ignite a beloved franchise.
My biggest thing is wondering if there is still an audience for this? Apparently the studio thinks so considering it has a $200 million budget!!
Never underestimate the Power of Nostalgia! I mean, look at me 😉
But I don’t foresee this having a long term life span.
Not my thing, so I’ll pass.
I get it. Lots of questions about this one. And it does seem aimed at a specific audience that I’m not sure is out there!
Seeing
I’ll be at the theater too!