06/08/2026
After a loooong weekend away from home performing for the coolest biker rally ever, I finally got home, and the only thing I wanted more than a shower and a nap was to spend time with my wife and kids, so we just finished Masters of the Universe (2026), and I swear this movie was made specifically for me.
He-Man was one of my absolute favorite things in the world when I was a kid. In fact, when I was four, five, or six years old, I was so enamored with He-Man that I would sometimes finish family prayers by shouting "He-Man!" instead of "Amen." So yes, I may be the exact target audience for this movie.
Watching this felt like stepping back into the sense of wonder I had as a little kid nearly forty years ago. It hit every nostalgic note without simply cashing in on nostalgia. More importantly, it felt true to the spirit of what I loved growing up.
And let's be honest: there was never anything remotely serious about the original show. It existed largely to sell toys, and it was gloriously over-the-top, campy, ridiculous, and sincere all at the same time. Giant muscle-bound heroes, skull-faced villains, magical swords, improbable vehicles, talking cats, and moral of the story life lessons delivered with complete earnestness. It was wonderfully silly in the best possible way.
What impressed me most is that this movie understands that. Instead of trying to "fix" the source material by making it darker, grittier, or embarrassed by its own premise, it embraces the wild, larger-than-life spirit that made He-Man special in the first place. It captures that feeling better than any modern retread of a nostalgic property I've seen in a very long time.
From beginning to end, the film is pure fun. It strikes a great balance between self-aware humor and genuine heart, poking fun at itself just enough without ever slipping into the cynicism that seems to infect so many modern reboots. It embraces adventure, heroism, optimism, and wonder with complete confidence.
What I found especially refreshing was seeing a modern film that isn't afraid of masculinity. Not the caricature of masculinity, but the real thing: courage, responsibility, sacrifice, humility, loyalty, and the willingness to stand up for what's right even when it's difficult. The movie has some genuinely thoughtful things to say about what it means to be a man, and those are lessons I was glad my kids got to hear.
The best part, though, was sharing it with my family. Watching my kids experience a world that meant so much to me as a child made the whole thing even more special. For a couple of hours, it felt like the years melted away and we were all swept up in the magic of Eternia together.
Fun, heartfelt, adventurous, unapologetically heroic, and completely comfortable being exactly what it is.
10/10
I HAVE THE POWER! ⚔️🏰
