Masters of the Universe (2026)

Heroes are forged.

The last time we saw MOTU in the big screen was 39 years ago. If you want to read about that film, you can click here. 

Boy the world has changed since 1987! The lurking presence of official critics, plus an algorithm that thrives on negativity has certainly decided who's in and who's out.  This modern world of zeroes and ones, has us seeing only content we like. The rest is deemed invisible, and when it occasionally  shows up in our screens, we become Skeletor and can't stand living in a shared world with different cultures, political views, and favorite food. Masters of the Universe is a 44 year old property, AKA franchise, that has been here as long as I have. I'm 44 years old too, and I still feel I am entitled to say "I Have the power!". 

Fisto & Teela.

Survival of the fittest.

In 44 years MOTU, has reinvented itself through comic books, animated sequels, never-ending action figure releases, pop culture, memes, and streaming services. The new film director Travis Knight knows this all too well. He was in charge of revitalizing the Transformers franchise with what I think is the best live action movie from the series: Bumblebee. So, as soon as I heard his name, I thought this could receive the same treatment. I was partially right. The new MOTU movie is spectacular. Every reference, story, scenery, battle moves, and original concepts are all here. Even the memes, that 4 Non Blondes one hit wonder, and more. 

Amazon, love it or hate it, produced the film thinking ahead. A movie franchise, and all the byproducts that come with it. While the film preserves the original magic from the Saturday morning cartoon, it also embraces the pop culture that helped He-Man continue to live in the most unexpected places. Reddit, memes, Youtube songs became the familiar face to generations that were not born in the 1980s, and perhaps never cared for the 2000 reboot and the more recent Netflix series. Yet, they know He-Man is here. And so is Skeletor. 

 

One of the early leaked film pictures.

Adam is ready to do what's right.

He-Man of the 21st Century

When a character story arc is solid, you can go back to telling the story over and over. The hero's journey, AKA, the Monomyth, one of the most frequent narrative styles used for superheroes, literary classics, and whatnot, is exactly what we need to return to that familiar place known as Eternia.

The monomyth is broken into 3 sections: Departure, Initiation and Return. The MOTU film is clearly about that. 

Departure:

Adam Glenn has to escape to Earth in order to survive the Skeletor invasion of Eternia. As you and I know, Earth is the birthplace of Queen Marleena, so it's only fitting he may find solace and sanctuary there. The sword of power works as some kind of key/GPS that when the time is right will bring Adam back to his beloved family. Sadly, he loses the sword while traveling to Earth. So, obviously, he'll have to retrieve the sword if he's to ever see his homeworld again.

Initiation:

Once he finds the sword, the sword emits a traceable signal that brings Teela to Earth, and sadly Beastman. We know how obsessed Skeletor was with the sword of power, as he believed the weapon to be the ultimate key to access the secrets of Castle Grey Skull, and ultimately its massive god-like power. Adam is a Human Resources man, not a warrior by any means. Once he's taken home, he has to quickly adapt to his homeworld and with the little knowledge and training he had, he eventually is forced to wield the sword of power and yes, scream "By the power of Gray Skull! I have the power!"

Return:

The consequences of learning on the go, will push He-Man to the ultimate test, and the inevitable: He must defeat Skeletor in order to free his people, save his family, and become the man he thinks he's supposed to be. Queue Stone Temple Pilots' Creep "I'm half the man I used to be" verse. While seeing how powerful he can be, he needs to learn to control his powers, and boy does he feel miserable after he finds out first hand, there are casualties of war. Beaten he realizes the real reason why the Sorceress chose him as the champion of Eternia, and this truly feels like seeing a Filmation episode where at the end they tell you about what makes a hero. 

 

Evil returns.

 

...and so does Good!

Add to that journey a proper sense of humor aimed at kids from the 1980s, not kids from today. The obvious jokes on characters' names like Fisto, & Ram-Man are there, but there are other jokes that assess the antiquated perception of what a villain is, and what he/she stands for. Yes, Skeletor's maniac laughter is there. Skeletor's evil conquest speech? check! Skeletor's purpose speech? Check!. There's even room for humor based on He-Man's physique, which reminded me of a friend whose wife was suspicious of him because he collected muscular men action figures.  

In a nutshell, MOTU is the film we all dreamed of 39 years ago. The director, artists,  producers, and actors aligned to deliver the best nerd-themed movie in recent years.  Not even superhero films have been able of keeping the lore intact because the corporate industry is obsessed with reaching wider audiences. Niche films can also be lucrative, and this may be a good example of it. 

 

 

Sidekicks

Meet your idols.

I think it's never too late to pay homage to your childhood stars. With the recent passing of Chuck Norris, I realized I never reviewed any of his films, even though I've seen them all, and some I've seen more than once. Yet, there is something special about Sidekicks, one of the worst rated flicks from his filmography that makes up for a fitting tribute. In a nutshell, Sidekicks is about a young school kid with asthma that daydreams of one day meeting his hero Chuck Norris. This kid has rewatched his films on VHS tape more times than anybody else, and the passion goes as far as daydreaming in school and being nicknamed "Barry the dreamer" by some of his bully classmates. 

First of all, the film features a stellar cast of names widely recognized if you grew up in the 80s. Beau Bridges, Danica McKellar, Julia Nickson-Soul, and of course Jonathan Brandis in the lead plus Chuck Norris as himself.  

I've got Chuck, you've got nothing.

Barry Gabrewski is a troubled and bullied asthmatic boy who lives with his widowed father, Jerry, in Houston, Texas. A loner, Barry has vivid daydreams about being Chuck Norris' sidekick, and about battling against Norris' movie enemies. Said foes are often personified by Barry's everyday nemeses, such as class bully Randy Cellini; Coach Horn, their loudmouthed and demanding PE instructor; and apathetic English teacher Mapes. Noreen Chan, Barry's favorite teacher, often plays the damsel-in-distress in these daydreams, most of which parody assorted Chuck Norris films (notably Missing in Action, The Delta Force, and The Hitman).  However, the execution of those dreams make the film seem dated, as one would easily think this kid has developed some sort of autistic/psychological condition that requires treatment, instead of the usual 80s it's-just-a-phase advice. Of course, these dreams serve the purpose of allowing the viewer to see Chuck Norris reprising some of his famous roles while holding no connection to the world in which Barry lives. On the other hand, we could agree these dreams represent the naivety of the teenage protagonist. He's neither a grown man, nor is he looking forward to that. These dreams keep him going, since school isn't the friendliest place to be. 

Chuck Norris, a real action hero.

This kid is everyone's kid in the late 80s/ early 90s.

Later, and thanks to the power of cinema magic, his favorite teacher, Miss Noreen Chan, receives the visit from uncle Lee, who's coming to town to manage the restaurant her late parents inherited her. This leads our teacher into thinking she could lend a hand helping Barry achieve his dream of becoming a martial artist. After the typical trials in the style of Karate Kid, Kickboxer and many other 80s films, the kid is ready to be trained in martial arts.

Sidekicks was filmed primarily in Houston, TX. It was the pet project of well-known Houston furniture outlet owner Jim "Mattress Mac" McIngvale, who (in partnership with Chuck Norris and his "Kick Drugs out of Schools" campaign) invested 8 million dollars in producing this movie. Chuck Norris, who had appeared in many local television commercials for McIngvale, suggested the idea of creating this film, and McIngvale agreed to finance and produce it. 

Plotwise, the story doesn't distance itself from hundreds of films following the hero's journey narrative. I've always wondered if all these flicks pushed the bully presence in schools as something that is as American as baring guns.There are no teenage films without them, since they clearly serve a purpose of making the viewer feel unease and disgusted by the presence of these annoying characters who ultimately get what they deserve in the hands of their victims. 

 

Losers never get the girl.

Heroes on the other hand...

The supporting cast is modest. We have Miss Chan, her uncle Mr. Lee, Barry's father and Lauren. The teacher being a key character, as she aids Barry into transforming his dreams into reality. As any good education professional, she believes in change. Mr. Lee serves as a mild comic relief while also being Barry's martial arts master. Lauren, serves as the love interest yet is a character that didn't age well. In a  nutshell, she hangs out with Barry because she feels sorry for him. Once things change and Barry kicks the bully's ass in the school's gym, for no reason at all she's surprised he can fight, and so she decides he is a fit candidate for whatever it is you want that when in school. Her role is stereotyped and dated by today's standards. 

In a nutshell, Sidekicks, serves both as a homage to Chuck Norris career, and a cautionary tale about bullying that never gets old. Moreover, the mentoring figure theme is also quite strong. Of course, in these days where we have millions of influencers trying to tell you what to do with your life and money, having a mentor may seem irrelevant, but back then having someone to look up to, had a whole different meaning. 

Rest in peace Chuck Norris...