Jack Posobiec spent this week urging fathers to take their sons to the new Masters of the Universe film, then to go home afterward and put on the original 1983 cartoon.
MotU was a phenomenal toy line, but a dreadful cartoon when you go back and watch it as an adult.
Sure Skeletor was great, and his pure love of being evil transcends media. But there's not much else to recommend.
There are far, far, FAR better options in western animation for boys with strong male characters: Batman TAS, X-Men 90s, Avengers Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Gargoyles, TMNT, Duck Tales, Thundercats 2000s remake, Voltron 2000s remake, Conan TAS, Pirates of Dark Water, Samurai Jack, Ben 10, Avatar, Exo Squad, The Real Ghostbusters, and dozens more.
The two 2000s remakes I listed are borderline, but just squeak below the mid 2010s when every media property turned to crap simultaneously.
Unless you're willing to also pay vintage toy prices, don't put He-Man in front of the kid when there are so many better options that don't need a toy tie-in for maximum effect.
That animation style was so frigging cool. Then you add in the voice work, the scripts, the greatest rogue's gallery ever assembled and the overall direction that made the whole thing feel timeless.
There's a reason I listed it first, nothing else comes before it. I may prefer the X-Men more as a property, but Batman TAS is the greatest cartoon series ever created.
And I doubt those toys were made to last. Small boys will do things to their toys--I wrecked a Transformer jet by throwing it off the top of the bed so it could 'fly', despite my mother's (correct) admonishment.
Thanks for confirming the cutoff--I have actually noticed 2014 is the annus horribilis of media. I think Zach Goldberg actually proved it was exactly 2014.
I'm not saying that He-Man figures' pelvises where the rubber band held the legs on was a perfect shove hole for a firecracker when laid helpless on a steel railroad rail while the train whistle shrills out in the distance.
I would never say that.
GI Joes had a similar structural pyrotechnic placement assisting pelvis hole.
Not that I would know anything about that.
I'm just saying that the most "complete" item in my childhood toy collection is 2/3s of the GoBot Puzzler Combiner spread across all 6 original car bodies.
You had so much more fun than me. I was such a lame boy. Eh, it's what you get for growing up in the city I guess. Had a great collection of Transformers by the end though.
I was basically Sid from Toy Story. Adult me looks back in horror, but I got to Bond Villain my way through childhood. (What will paint thinner do to a storm trooper? Too slow--what if I were to set the whole thing on FIRE?*)
If I'd saved the toys, they'd just be collecting dust in a box somewhere. My fun was a little different from other kids.
*The glass jar partially explodes, I panic, kick it, and a line of fire streaks across the yard like the tracks of Doc Brown's DeLorean.
Jonny Quest, Captain Scarlet & The Mysterons, and Samurai Jack are what boys should be watching. Timeless tales of adventure. He-Man? Corporate garbage. And bad animation.
MotU was a phenomenal toy line, but a dreadful cartoon when you go back and watch it as an adult.
Sure Skeletor was great, and his pure love of being evil transcends media. But there's not much else to recommend.
There are far, far, FAR better options in western animation for boys with strong male characters: Batman TAS, X-Men 90s, Avengers Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Gargoyles, TMNT, Duck Tales, Thundercats 2000s remake, Voltron 2000s remake, Conan TAS, Pirates of Dark Water, Samurai Jack, Ben 10, Avatar, Exo Squad, The Real Ghostbusters, and dozens more.
The two 2000s remakes I listed are borderline, but just squeak below the mid 2010s when every media property turned to crap simultaneously.
Unless you're willing to also pay vintage toy prices, don't put He-Man in front of the kid when there are so many better options that don't need a toy tie-in for maximum effect.
Batman TAS was drawn on black paper. Now that's committing to the bit.
That animation style was so frigging cool. Then you add in the voice work, the scripts, the greatest rogue's gallery ever assembled and the overall direction that made the whole thing feel timeless.
There's a reason I listed it first, nothing else comes before it. I may prefer the X-Men more as a property, but Batman TAS is the greatest cartoon series ever created.
The 2002 iteration of He-Man was pretty good by 00's standards.
Good call, I forgot about that one.
And I doubt those toys were made to last. Small boys will do things to their toys--I wrecked a Transformer jet by throwing it off the top of the bed so it could 'fly', despite my mother's (correct) admonishment.
Thanks for confirming the cutoff--I have actually noticed 2014 is the annus horribilis of media. I think Zach Goldberg actually proved it was exactly 2014.
I'm not saying that He-Man figures' pelvises where the rubber band held the legs on was a perfect shove hole for a firecracker when laid helpless on a steel railroad rail while the train whistle shrills out in the distance.
I would never say that.
GI Joes had a similar structural pyrotechnic placement assisting pelvis hole.
Not that I would know anything about that.
I'm just saying that the most "complete" item in my childhood toy collection is 2/3s of the GoBot Puzzler Combiner spread across all 6 original car bodies.
You had so much more fun than me. I was such a lame boy. Eh, it's what you get for growing up in the city I guess. Had a great collection of Transformers by the end though.
I was basically Sid from Toy Story. Adult me looks back in horror, but I got to Bond Villain my way through childhood. (What will paint thinner do to a storm trooper? Too slow--what if I were to set the whole thing on FIRE?*)
If I'd saved the toys, they'd just be collecting dust in a box somewhere. My fun was a little different from other kids.
*The glass jar partially explodes, I panic, kick it, and a line of fire streaks across the yard like the tracks of Doc Brown's DeLorean.
Posobiec is weird. NO.
"Take a bullet to the head so you know how bad it is."
Just NO.
The more we reinforce the bad message, the more it sticks. Skip the new movie and just show your sons the old ones.
Sure, "shoe" them everything. I bet you hate yourself.
Oh brother.
I fixed the typo. Do I hate myself now?
You shoe do!
Skeletor made that cartoon worth watching.
I still love Skeletor. The rest of He-Man & MotU...
...ehh?
I can always watch this movie on Amazon Prime Video, when it comes out.
Jonny Quest, Captain Scarlet & The Mysterons, and Samurai Jack are what boys should be watching. Timeless tales of adventure. He-Man? Corporate garbage. And bad animation.
It’s a fun movie, I can totally recommend it regardless of the kid’s sex.