About this episode

The hosts review a He-Man movie, discussing its strengths and weaknesses while reflecting on 80s cartoons and reboots.

By the power of Grayskull... we did not expect to like this. We went in with rock-bottom expectations after the infamous 1987 version and came out pleasantly surprised. We break down what worked — the action, the visuals, Idris Elba nailing Man-At-Arms, and the nostalgic nods to the original cartoon — and what didn't, including forced humor, questionable lighting, and an Adam/He-Man who felt a little too wimpy for the most powerful man in the universe. We also riff on the movie's "so bad it's good" charm, debate whether the cartoon's monster-of-the-week format beats a two-hour movie, and kick off a list of other 80s cartoons that deserve — or don't deserve — the reboot treatment. Bottom line: not perfect, but genuinely fun. Big, dumb fun, exactly how a He-Man movie should be.

People in this episode

Hosts: Bret Nelson, Josh Brence

Topics covered

• movie review
• nostalgia
• 80s cartoons
• reboots
• action
• visuals

Keywords

• He-Man
• Idris Elba
• 1987 movie
• nostalgia
• 80s cartoons
• reboot
• action
• visuals

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: He-Man, 1987 version, original cartoon, 80s cartoons

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