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Should You Watch Masters of the Universe? · Def Rec

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Should you watch Masters of the Universe?
• 0:02
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm not talking about the new 2026 film, I am talking about the 1987 version starring Dolph Lundgren.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_00: This question is mainly aimed at the newer generation of fans, not necessarily people of my generation.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: I grew up in a blend of millennial and Gen X culture.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: So of course I'm gonna be a fan of the 87 He-Man film adaptation.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: I was a kid, I had the He-Man toys.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_00: My nostalgia is in full force for the original He-Man live-action motion picture.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: But you know what?
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: I have no interest in seeing the new Masters of the Universe, and it would seem that this film targeted someone like me who would get memories and feel good about watching this latest incarnation, but it also seemed to be wanting to attract the younger folk because, of course, this is the modern take for the modern audience.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: But my question before I get into my full recommendation is to the younger people how much does this movie matter to you?
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: How much does this franchise mean to you?
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: What is your fandom like when it comes to not only Masters of the Universe, but anything that people like me are gonna say are classics and should be watched by everybody, which I of course definitely recommend.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: But when it comes to things like uh Indiana Jones or all of the James Bond movies, and that goes way back.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: Let's say all of the Star Trek, speaking of going way back, even Doctor Who for that matter, or the original Star Wars, I'm very curious about what people, old people like me, say are classics and you should watch.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: And yes, that is what I'm doing as a purpose of this video, but I can tell you that, but I want to know from you what is your fandom like when you were born into this pop culture when this stuff is all around, Ninja Turtles, Transformers, doesn't matter, you are bombarded with IPs all the time.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: So, what is your special connection with any of this?
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: Even something relatively newer like Power Rangers.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: I don't even know what you young folk truly latch on to.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_00: Before I get into my proper recommendation of the 1987 Masters of the Universe movie, I do want to tell you why I'm bringing this all up, and that's because I'm a YA author, I write books, sci-fi superhero action, adventure novels for a YA, even borderline middle grade audience, and I love talking about movies, but I don't really go into a lot of contemporary films because there's a lot of older films I either want to re-watch or have actually never seen.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm stepping into two worlds here, and only one of them I fully understand.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: Follow for more entertainment videos about movies, TV, books, pretty much the main three things.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: And I write about superheroes and robots, and I post about pop culture.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: Be sure to like and subscribe.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: I definitely recommend the 1987 Masters of the Universe movie because not only will it be a chance for some of the newer generation to experience what maybe your dad or your uncle or some older person in your life, why they're raving about it, why they have such fond memories about it.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: So you can kind of maybe share that, or maybe you can just watch it and be like, This is what y'all like?
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: Y'all are crazy.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: Above all else, the original Masters of the Universe live-action film is just pure fun, and it is full of adventure, and it has something that a lot of modern movies don't have, and that is Heart.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: Now, don't get me wrong, this movie is all about selling toys and merchandise, as are most major franchise films.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: And even though there were deviations from the source material, you look at what He-Man and the other characters look like in this 1987 picture, and then you look at the toys and the cartoons at the time, and they looked a bit different.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: Orca wasn't even there in the movie, but you know what?
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: I still love Gildor.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_00: Even though the filmmakers went rogue, they still gave us characters that we enjoyed watching.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: Is it corny by today's standards?
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: Was it corny by the standards at the time?
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, the answer is yes to both.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_00: But they were memorable, we had a good time watching it, we had fun going along for the yes, the cheesy schlocky ride.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: Even in this corporate entity that was 100% for profit, there was still an effort to make a film that entertained you.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_00: And of course, it has to get you to buy this new line of toys and whatever other merchandise they were offering at the time.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_00: But the main thing that sets it apart is the 2026 movie is 100% formulaic.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: It appears to be a cameo fest, it appears to be only there to set up the sequel.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: This is nothing new.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of movies do that.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_00: But there is my nostalgia, and then there is bombarded with tentfall pictures, tentfall movies, big franchise blockbusters all the time, and they blend together, they all kind of look the same.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: I know why I prefer the old one, but I'm telling you that even with the kind of cheesiness of the original 87 movie, you're going to find something more unique.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: Even in a live-action adaptation, that yes, it's all there to sell you toys, it is still out there to make you feel something.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of movies at that time were doing this.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: The amount of heart, the amount of passion that went into some of these movies that were clearly just there to make you buy a t-shirt with Optimus Prime's face on it, to buy the action figure, the comic book, watch the show, whatever.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: Tech in the original Transformers animated movie, they had us kids crying at spoiler, Optimus Prime's death.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: That was such a traumatizing experience to this day.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_00: They could have easily just had the good guys beating up the bad guys, saying a few one-liners, and that was it.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_00: But for films that were always corporate, for films that were always supposed to be a way to get you to buy stuff, man, they made you feel something.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: In this new Masters of the Universe movie, it looks like just a big joke.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_00: So while I definitely recommend the original E-Man movie, I actually want you to convince me and tell me why you definitely recommend the new Masters of the Universe movie.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_00: Should I bother?
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't look any good to me.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_00: It looks like it came and went and is an afterthought.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: Modern day fandoms are very weird to me.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: They're all over the internet.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_00: Everyone has such strong opinions, and I get the concept of the monolithic culture we had back in the day simply because there were so there were just fewer options for us, and most of us were all more than likely looking at the same things, watching the same things, listening to the same things.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_00: Now everything's so splintered, and yes, there are the major things, but there's a lot of niche things as well, a lot of little tiny little micro things all over the internet.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_00: What do these things mean to you?
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_00: You'll hear a bunch of nerds like me going on and on about Silverhawks and Thundercats and G.I.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_00: Joe and all the movies of the day, like the aforementioned Indiana Jones, Big Trouble in Little China, Robocop, Rambo, even relatively newer ones like Three Ninjas, what do these mean to the newer kids?
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_00: I ask this not only because I write books that are supposed to be for you, but if you grew up in this world where it's all around you all the time, I want to know do these classics that nerds like older nerds like me we rave on about, we just drone on and babble?
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_00: Do you hear that and just think, whatever?
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_00: Or do you actually listen and be like, hey, these are great films?
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_00: I could tell you when I was younger, let's say growing up in the 80s, let's say even the 90s, if I saw a movie that was made in like the 70s, it was a chore for me to watch.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_00: Only as I grew older do I have an appreciation for these things.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_00: But I don't know if that's the case now when you have access to media 24 hours a day at every single possible second.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_00: So if you've never seen Masters of the Universe, the 1987 version, watch it.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_00: Come back here, let me know what you think.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_00: Do you think that was garbage?
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_00: Why do you people like this?
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_00: Or do you agree that hey, it was silly at times, but it was a ton of fun.