In 1980, Mattel designer Roger Sweet originated the concept for a powerful new hero as a fusion of Frazetta’s Conan, Flash Gordon adventure, and the space fantasy of Star Wars. Artist Mark Taylor developed the initial designs with Prince Valiant’s Arthurian aesthetic, and thus was born He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Travis Knight’s new film perfectly blends the spirit of the original toys, mini-comics, and Filmation cartoon.

I’ve watched every He-Man animated series and read through all the comics and mini-comics, so I went in with a pretty clear sense of how the different versions have handled the characters and tone over the years. This new movie does a good job pulling a lot of that together. It takes the sensitive, almost dandy-ish Prince Adam from the original Filmation cartoons and turns him into a powerful but still thoughtful hero. The Frank Frazetta Conan statue homage was perfect considering that’s the imagery that inspired the toyline. It even captures some of the positive rock opera energy from the Flash Gordon film in a way that works. Skeletor comes across with real menace while keeping a sharp comedic edge that actually works. If you liked the first Thor movie and its blend of humor, heart, and big fantasy action, you’ll probably enjoy this one. Galitzine and Leto both deliver, the fights are exciting, and the soundtrack hit all the right notes for me. It’s a respectful take that feels like it honors where the stories came from.