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January 23, 2026

‘I have the power!‘: Is the new He-Man film taking itself too seriously again?

Any attempt to add a down-to-Earth note to this wildly psychedelic 80s cartoon risks missing the point of its gloriously overblown origins

‘I have the power!‘: Is the new He-Man film taking itself too seriously again?

TL;DR

  • Science fiction and fantasy properties often falter when setting action within our solar system.
  • The 1987 Masters of the Universe film is criticized for moving the fantasy to Los Angeles.
  • The original He-Man cartoon is described as psychedelic and abstract, with Eternia functioning as a collective hallucination.
  • A new Masters of the Universe reboot trailer shows Prince Adam exiled to Earth, working in an office.
  • The reboot includes original cast members like Idris Elba as Man-At-Arms and Jared Leto as Skeletor.
  • Kevin Smith's 2021 Masters of the Universe: Revelation series was criticized for sidelining He-Man and adding too much emotional gravity.
  • The author suggests Masters of the Universe thrives on abstraction and archetypes, and attempts to ground it may reveal a lack of substance.
  • Travis Knight, director of Kubo and the Two Strings, is set to direct the new reboot.

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