I would definitely love more She-Ra even if only in a series.  

I saw the movie on Friday but was out of town all weekend! Finally got back to my desktop, haha

• I mostly liked the movie! The action was great. I loved all the fights, especially when He-Man was in the fray!
• The entire production design was mostly pretty great.
• I felt it was a little embarrassed of its source material, especially where the characters' names were concerned. I could have done without that particular series of jokes.
• Especially mocking the name "He-Man" itself is sad to me. I wish Knight and co. hadn't felt that they could only include the names "He-Man," or "Ram-Man," as something to laugh at. Even Beast-Man is just "the Beast." Why!? Oh, but we get to keep "Roboto," that's not so silly it must change. Come on, just give us all of them.
• The idolization of strength is one thing, and generally benign, but this film's initial tolerance of disdain and hatred for weakness is another. Adam even frames the strength of bullying as vaguely admirable. I know that's just a joke, but come on, it's really gross. The movie doesn't mean to emphasize this reading, of course, but I honestly think it's new to the MOTU series. Adam being a bit of a fop is a long-term part of the series, but he's never been this hated for it by this many other characters! I generally think the emotional intelligence of the heroic Eternians is possibly lower than it's ever been. Randor used to be both a veteran and also a man of peace! Now though... well, at least the "atonement with the father" was very satisfying. We know that Randor's not merely a brute, and that's important.
• Furthermore, I somewhat struggle with the dual framing of Adam's HR conflict resolution job as being both meaningless platitudes devoid of substance, and yet also useful tools which reflect Adam's personal strengths?
• That said, while my thoughts on the themes of strength and sensitivity are complex and elaborate, and basically, I both would have handled each of those themes very differently... I also think they ultimately resolved in a mostly satisfying, mostly effective way. Adam makes a synthesis between sensitivity and communication, and strength. That thematic synthesis largely works exactly how it should, in the end. The final battle between He-Man and Skeletor ruled!
• There was a lot of "Why'd you drop your sword!? Go pick that up immediately!" for me. It was only an actual plot point once though.
• The denouement implying that Adam goes on to pretend he has a secret identity, like, for his own enjoyment, is very dumb. They should not have done it. They don't need to pretend that this movie can operate as a prequel to the Filmation series. It very clearly cannot!
• Teela is great; Adam was broadly speaking great too. Skeletor wasn't my exact cuppa tea, but I certainly see where they got the idea to approach him how they did, and I think the execution was really excellent. Evil-Lyn was well done too.
• Trap-Jaw! Oh man, I didn't expect Trap-Jaw to rule so much! Very cool!
• No Stratos and Mer-Man 😢 
• Duncan / Druncan was... well executed for what it was. Unlike Skeletor, I was like, "this isn't really from anything," but... well, it's still pretty good.
• I really hope there's a sequel!

My wife and I saw Masters of the Universe in IMAX tonight!!

On second viewing, all of my original criticisms remain, but I was just overwhelmed with how much fun I had watching this movie again!

I think I enjoyed it even more the second time around... I had more time to soak in everything as it was happening and (despite my criticisms) I realized how much the movie-makers wanted to make a film that is both a love letter to long-time fans, as well as a whole new generation who grew up with social media as their main source of entertainment.

I have a few more thoughts to add to my earlier review:

• The Cringer / Beast Man fight is awesome... mostly because Beast Man actually uses his whip! A nice nod to his action figure accessory!
• The Filmation music playing during the end of the movie has to be one of my favorite aspects of this film. Especially when the thumping "He-Man!" "He-Man!" "He-Man!" pops in with the music!
• The comic shop at the beginning is named the Fright Zone... however, we actually get to see the real thing during She-Ra's surprise appearance!
• I love the taxidermized Gygor within the halls of Snake Mountain!
• Roboto's "exposed" gears and cogs are a great nod to the vintage toy!
• Queen Marlena looks closer to her Filmation appearance at the end of the movie - especially the way she wears her hair.
• King Randor wears the classic red & blue regal colors in the beginning of the film, however, at the end he looks more like Miro.
• A distress beacon from an Avion village! Again, a nice nod to the greater MOTU world.
• I'm pretty sure I saw Gwildor rocking a guitar during the end credits sequence! 

This is just a plain fun movie. I know that there are lots of fans who walked away upset, and I can understand some of the reasons as to why. Nevertheless, I personally felt like a kid again watching these larger-than-life characters battle it out on a seven-story theater screen.

I caught myself smiling more than I had any reason to, and that is a win for me! 😀 

Hey first let me just mention that I've noticed sometimes replies from this thread pop up on the main page under "latest posts" and thus spoilers get exposed outside the thread so maybe (like this) include some space before mentioning any big stuff (though most seem to have leaked online by now anyway)

Well, I just saw it for the second time this time at the open caption showing so I could catch any dialogue I missed the first time. Turns out I didn't miss much but there was a couple lines I didn't hear the first time, probably because of audience reactions, including a funny Skeletor moment:

He-Man: Face me like a man!

Skeletor: A I don't have a face, and B I don't want to.

I also noticed something I don't know how I missed the first time, but maybe I'm not the only one because no one else has mentioned it: He-Man kills Karg. Yeah I see people talk about Moss Man, Randor, Trap Jaw, and even Goat Man dying but during the Snake Mountain fight He-Man stabs Karg through the gut pinning him to the wall. Now to be fair Karg is still moving at first but after He-Man takes out Goat Man he comes back and pulls the sword out, Karg falls to the ground, stops moving, and is not seen again for the rest of the film. Unless he pops up in a sequel I'm pretty sure he's dead.

I liked kid Adam's blue vest, very early mini comics. I also liked the thunder punch and flying fists used at the end.

I do wonder if Amazon indeed plan to make a shared universe with the She-Ra live action show, I am cool with which ever they do of the two paths but a shared universe would be more fun to me. Anyhow roboto is hilarous in the movie, anyone else loved the new roboto?   

@catra Roboto was a pretty big miss for me. I already didn't like the dramatic redesign to look like a much more generic sci-fi robot going into the movie. But then to have a female SNL comedian do the voice and constantly make snarky, sarcastic comments really didn't fit the character I felt. It was really cheesy. I would have much preferred to see Roboto as he was done in Revelation.

@lordofdestruction I'm not convinced Karg was dead, just seriously injured. I don't even necessarily think Trap Jaw died either - they left just enough room for doubt, because it would be pretty dumb to kill off one of the core evil warriors who was shown to be a total badass throughout the movie if you're intending to build an ongoing franchise.

Did anyone else notice the two guards with King Randor, in the opening flashback, had the halberds that came with the Origins Eternia Guard?

Posted by: @durendal

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@catra Roboto was a pretty big miss for me. I already didn't like the dramatic redesign to look like a much more generic sci-fi robot going into the movie. But then to have a female SNL comedian do the voice and constantly make snarky, sarcastic comments really didn't fit the character I felt. It was really cheesy. I would have much preferred to see Roboto as he was done in Revelation.

Edit: Googled her and her voice sounded familiar, indeed she voiced several characters I like it seems neat.   

Posted by: @durendal

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@lordofdestruction I'm not convinced Karg was dead, just seriously injured. I don't even necessarily think Trap Jaw died either - they left just enough room for doubt, because it would be pretty dumb to kill off one of the core evil warriors who was shown to be a total badass throughout the movie if you're intending to build an ongoing franchise.

Speaking of 2nd film is Catra, Entrapta, Scorpia, Shadow Weaver & Octavia potentially gonna be included? Or are we likely only gonna get the ones Mattel go to ones?

@catra I agree, they can make a compelling movie without necessarily having to kill off any main characters. That's become a cliche and feels lazy.

I'd love to see all those POP characters in live action, but who knows what they'll do since the box office isn't great. I think a live action series on Prime has potential to be a great continuation of the movie. I would prefer that actually because it would allow for much greater exploration of the lore.

Posted by: @durendal

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but who knows what they'll do since the box office isn't great.

Well AFAIK if they do a direct to streaming they can cut lots of costs, would potentially cut 50 to a 100mil of their total cost? Also part of that no share with the cinemas and maybe less pay to the actors since not a cinema film? Give or take I am not working at hollywood so what do I know?  

I'm really surprised there hasn't been any discussion in here regarding the leaked movie bible that the set designer shared. It showed renders and even actors that had been cast to play Lizard Man, Fang Man and Strong-Arm!!! 

You guys suffering from MOTU fatigue or something???

Posted by: @catra

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Posted by: @durendal

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@lordofdestruction I'm not convinced Karg was dead, just seriously injured. I don't even necessarily think Trap Jaw died either - they left just enough room for doubt, because it would be pretty dumb to kill off one of the core evil warriors who was shown to be a total badass throughout the movie if you're intending to build an ongoing franchise.

Speaking of 2nd film is Catra, Entrapta, Scorpia, Shadow Weaver & Octavia potentially gonna be included? Or are we likely only gonna get the ones Mattel go to ones?

 

All I care about is Entrapta. Yes I'm Entrapdak biased

Posted by: @durendal

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I'm really surprised there hasn't been any discussion in here regarding the leaked movie bible that the set designer shared. It showed renders and even actors that had been cast to play Lizard Man, Fang Man and Strong-Arm!!! 

You guys suffering from MOTU fatigue or something???

Posted by: @catra

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Posted by: @durendal

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but who knows what they'll do since the box office isn't great.

Well AFAIK if they do a direct to streaming they can cut lots of costs, would potentially cut 50 to a 100mil of their total cost? Also part of that no share with the cinemas and maybe less pay to the actors since not a cinema film? Give or take I am not working at hollywood so what do I know?  

I feel like when you mention "cutting costs" this may be very slightly related

Idris Elba recently that he wants to eventually quit acting and focus on directing. He didn't say how long he still wants to act in movies, but I get the feeling that if this franchise goes forward as a film series, 2nd or 3rd film, they may kill off Duncan dramatically depending on when and if he goes through with his decision.

I mean he did love working on this movie and even before anything was shown I knew he would absolutely cook in the role and he did, but if Mattel wanted to cut corners in terms of actor budgets....

WOULD Mattel have the balls to kill off one of the main characters in one of their biggest franchises (regardless of current pop culture relevance)?

Yeah. They did in 2021, but in Revolution, from the controversial opening, people already knew HE-MAN would be eventually be resurrected somehow, but with Live-action Man-at-arms, that probably wouldn’t happen and the fact that He-Man, Skeletor and She-Ra are the only recognizable MOTU characters to general audiences along with the type of character Duncan is....

look, I definitely do not want it to happen, but there are factors that tell me they would if they felt like it and if they did, I would be sad like everyone else, but not surprised.

Posted by: @slycooperastroboy51

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Posted by: @catra

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Posted by: @durendal

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but who knows what they'll do since the box office isn't great.

Well AFAIK if they do a direct to streaming they can cut lots of costs, would potentially cut 50 to a 100mil of their total cost? Also part of that no share with the cinemas and maybe less pay to the actors since not a cinema film? Give or take I am not working at hollywood so what do I know?  

 

I feel like when you mention "cutting costs" this may be very slightly related

Idris Elba recently that he wants to eventually quit acting and focus on directing. He didn't say how long he still wants to act in movies, but I get the feeling that if this franchise goes forward as a film series, 2nd or 3rd film, they may kill off Duncan dramatically depending on when and if he goes through with his decision.

I mean he did love working on this movie and even before anything was shown I knew he would absolutely cook in the role and he did, but if Mattel wanted to cut corners in terms of actor budgets....

 

WOULD Mattel have the balls to kill off one of the main characters in one of their biggest franchises (regardless of current pop culture relevance)?

Yeah. They did in 2021, but in Revolution, from the controversial opening, people already knew HE-MAN would be eventually be resurrected somehow, but with Live-action Man-at-arms, that probably wouldn’t happen and the fact that He-Man, Skeletor and She-Ra are the only recognizable MOTU characters to general audiences along with the type of character Duncan is....

look, I definitely do not want it to happen, but there are factors that tell me they would if they felt like it and if they did, I would be sad like everyone else, but not surprised.

 

 

@durendal I had no idea!

So I saw MOTU '26 again last night, this time in RPX!

Even on the third watch, I was having a great time... the spectacle of seeing these characters from my childhood interacting in a fully realized, real world kept the smile on my face throughout.

I thought I might be a bit bored with the whole opening sequence on viewing number three, but that was not the case at all! I was, again, able to really sit back and absorb everything happening. However, I still feel that pacing is a bit of an issue - especially for the first viewing.

So, in addition to my initial review and the followup, here are a few more details that I noticed on my third time at the movies with MOTU 2026:

• I love the map of Eternia on the center of the bridge connecting Eternos and Grayskull.
• This is probably just my imagination, but I swear I could see Dark Smoke in the background when Adam and Teela return to Eternia.
• I get a chuckle when the 4 Non Blonds song starts and Adam says, "What's going on?" while in the police car! (A fun nod to the internet meme...)
• We get to see Skeletor's feet when Pig Boy wakes him up. This is a cool homage to his Alcala / early mini-comics look.
• In that same sleeping chamber, the wall reliefs look lke the old Mattel King Hissss snake body.
• Beast Man calls Skeletor an 'Overlord of Evil.' A nod to his vintage figure description.
• Skeletor's 'bone throne' looks like its Filmation counterpart.
• When the Sorceress contacts Adam during his first transformation, she has bird wings, making her look like the Filmation cartoon.
• When Adam transforms into He-Man for the first time, the smoke behind him turns into an image of Castle Grayskull!
• Teela says to He-Man, "Thank Zodac you're alive!"  
• At the end of the movie, all of the statues of kings on the bridge have been replaced by hills, grass and trees... an homage to Moss Man?
• In addition to her transparent chest, gears and cogs, Roboto is also painted in the vintage action figure colors of red, blue, and silver at the end of the movie.

Like I stated previously, I can understand why some people might not love this movie. But, for me, the good in this film far outweighs any bad. I have had such a blast at the movies with this one and it has created an atmosphere of excitement within the MOTU communities once again.

I really hope that Mattel continues to pursue all the incredible MOTU goodness we've been seeing these past few months, regardless of box office records.

I have seen this movie with three separate groups of friends / family during each of my visits to the theater, and every one of them have enjoyed the movie for what it is: a great summer flick with humor, heart, and plenty of awesome action sequences! (And a booming soundtrack!)

I still recommend it! 😎 

@beardofstratos Agreed he did an amazing job. Guy knew what he was doing. I am seeing it again tomorrow.

Posted by: @durendal

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I'm really surprised there hasn't been any discussion in here regarding the leaked movie bible that the set designer shared. It showed renders and even actors that had been cast to play Lizard Man, Fang Man and Strong-Arm!!! 

You guys suffering from MOTU fatigue or something???

lol Post Movie blues I guess. I've seen some of the BTS stuff over the past week and they've been cool as hell! 

I've seen the film a few times now and I've loved every viewing. Catching new bits here and there I may of missed, like they use the OG sound effects for the lightning when Adam transforms and it zooms on Castle Grayskull! This truly did live up to all my expectations and then some! The cast was perfect and their chemistry is amazing, even catching up and watching all their appearances on First We Feast or Buzz Feed. These guys love hanging out with each other and it shows after the film is out.

I guess I'm just bummed out in a weird way that while I have no financial stake in the films success or failure, I was really hoping the film would be more successful. To herald in this major big second coming for the franchise and seeing the movie in a packed theater. But it's been the complete opposite, all my showings were dead so there's no audience reaction to any of the big beats so it's been a solitary affair. Don't get me wrong I love going alone to the movies but being in a packed house with the audience into it is an even bigger experience that I had hoped MOTU would get.

So..yeah..I've just been feeling this has been bitter sweet. I've loved that we finally got a MOTU movie that I've wanted to see for years now but it's sad because it might be the only one we'll ever see.

Who knows. Maybe Amazon will be looking at streaming numbers more closely since the US is in such a downward spiral that the economy doesn't really allow the majority to see films on the big screen and it is more affordable to just stream from home. I mean for my 2nd viewing with my family at 9am matinee it cost a total of $162 for tickets and concessions. Like holy shit. Most could just wait and pay $20 for a one time rental at home and eat anything they want! 😆 

Alright I'm just gonna see myself out so I don't bum everyone out but go see MOTU! Enjoy it! Savor it! Buy all the popcorn buckets and cups you can to bask in this most likely once in a lifetime event! 

Posted by: @dgsimo

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Posted by: @durendal

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I'm really surprised there hasn't been any discussion in here regarding the leaked movie bible that the set designer shared. It showed renders and even actors that had been cast to play Lizard Man, Fang Man and Strong-Arm!!! 

You guys suffering from MOTU fatigue or something???

Who knows. Maybe Amazon will be looking at streaming numbers more closely since the US is in such a downward spiral that the economy doesn't really allow the majority to see films on the big screen and it is more affordable to just stream from home.

 

Idea to help us get a sequel made:

Once the film comes out on streaming, we all have it on loop constantly as much as we can even when we aren't actually watching it.

Just have it always playing in the background while we do whatever else because as long as it's playing at all, those count as streaming minutes. Very high number of recorded streaming minutes = high streaming numbers. I'm sure that's how it goes.

Anyone get what I'm proposing?

@slycooperastroboy51 didn't people try to do that with the snyder cut lol

@kinggrayskull09 Yeah.

But I mean Amazon is Amazon so they would take their streaming numbers a lot more seriously, plus unlike Snyder Cut, MOTU isn't a director’s cut that was jumbled in tons and tons of studio executive drama during production and meant mostly just for fans (it was a movie made by huge fans, but not solely aimed a them) while the studio was already planning a franchise reboot at the time.

As far as we know, they just let Travis Knight do his thing. As of now, MOTU still is doing very well critically and merch sales wise and besides James Bond, is Amazon MGM's only potential film franchise for now.

plus I feel like David Corenswet, Nicholas Galitzine having a great performance as an iconic hero will also get him more film roles and fame as an actor, so there's that.

You think I bring up some good points here?

We're lucky that there's still a lot of hope and it's getting a good amount of people my age and younger who have seen it interested in He-Man. 

I just thought the Snyder Cut was alright. Cool that it was actually made, but felt annoyed by all the signature Snyder slow-mo and bummed that the memetic "We live in a society" said by Leto in the trailer wasn't in the actual film.