I Have The Power

As a child of the 80s, I grew up in the undisputed golden age of action figures. Star Wars was on it’s way out by the mid 80s with Return of the Jedi being the last of the trilogy and new toy lines were entering the marketplace in droves.

Toy manufacturers adopted a similar approach as Star Wars creator, George Lucas, and gave their toy lines a rich history and in-depth lore. Adding to the playability, the intriguing character development and nuanced motivation for the conflict made actions figure more than just pieces of plastic. The Transformers had been waging war for centuries before their battles spread to our planet. MASK agent Matt Tracker (in the mini-comics) was seeking to avenge his brother who had been betrayed and murdered by Miles Mayhem, the leader of VENOM. GI Joe, by far my favorite, had dozens of unique personalities, outlandish scenarios and adapted the real-world-angst of the Cold War into a simplistic battle of good vs. evil.

Then their was He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (MOTU). A simple concept, born from the pages of Conan the Barbarian, He-Man and the amazingly powerful heroic warriors protected the magic and ancient powers of Eternia from the skull-faced ‘Lord of Destruction’ Skeletor and his evil henchmen. Each unbelievably-muscular character had a unique name/alias, a thorough origin and a gimmick with a cool appearance and assortment of weapons.

The narrative was more than just manufactured marketing to sell toys, it felt like legend. Even though MOTU blended the fantastical elements of sword and sorcery with advanced technology far beyond our own, it felt real. The lore was deep and over the years, through a variety of media, the mythology was expanded upon and delved into Eternia’s past as well as its ancient history. Eternia felt like a destination we could one day reach.

As with most toy lines, He-Man and MOTU has gone through multiple incarnations and has been rebooted several times. Depending on who ask, the definitive cannon could be the mini-comics (packed in with the action figures) or the Filmation cartoon, or maybe the DC or Image comic books, the 2002 cartoon reboot or something else that I’ve forgotten. Whereas the original mini-comics and Filmation cartoon were produced simultaneously and in direct contradiction to the other, the later contributions sought to pay homage to both. Blending the two to create a single historical account, expanding upon the past and adding to the present. Perhaps the best example of this is the 2021 Netflix animated series. Several characters from the lore that had never been seen before in animation were introduced like He-Ro, Wun-Dar and The Green Goddess...they even included Gwildor from the much-maligned 1987 live action movie.

Of course there is a delicate balance between respectful storytelling and blatant fan service. That is the tightrope this new movie must tread carefully upon. I have not researched the script writer’s previous works, the director’s methods or the behind-the-scenes production, so apart from the trailer I know almost nothing about the film. However, in my humble opinion, it looks good. The plot, or at least what can be derived from the trailer, seems to be a simple tale of a prodigal son returning home to fight evil, nothing groundbreaking or cerebral...but then again it doesn’t need to be. Critics tend to forget that summer blockbusters are not meant to be a high-brow analyst of the human condition. The visual effects look good, the action sequences seem thrilling, the music is inspiring and the cast of MOTU characters is a great tribute to the past and an accessible entry point to new audiences. They can dive into the vast mythology in the squeal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X21JsHLHnY8