Casting Call: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe

By the power of Grayskull the 80’s are making a massive comeback, at least the cartoons are. Transformers has tore up the box office with three films, there is a second G.I. Joe film coming out this summer, and Voltron and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are on their way back, starting with a new comic book series each. I can feel the childhood nostalgia bubbling in my stomach. But let’s not forgot the most powerful man of the 80’s; He-Man. Along with the Masters of the Universe he dominated with his classic cartoon, toy line, a less than successful film in 1987, and spawned a spin-off series, She-Ra the Princess of Power. A live action film done right could really make sci-fi geeks swoon. Here is the original 1983 series opening theme.

After the original series was long gone The New Adventures of He-Man popped up in 1990 with much less success. But Cartoon Network tried again in 2002 with a more updated, and hipper, He-Man cartoon. I found it quite entertaining and would have enjoyed it more if I wasn’t 18 years-old when it came out.

Never the less I think a He-Man movie that has qualities like Lord of the Rings would kill it. The 1987 film, Masters of the Universe, was a flop because they forgot to follow the formula. It was all about He-Man and not his real identity, Prince Adam. Plus going to Earth was a hug flaw. If they would have kept it in Eternia it would have had a massive following. The cast wasn’t half bad though for the film. Dolph Lundgren was a decent He-Man but he just didn’t have an Adam to go with him, and Frank Langella as Skeletor was perfect. Now meet my cast for He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as He-Man

He may have dropped “The Rock” in his name but to some of he will always be the wrestling star turned action hero. He started off in The Mummy Returns and has since made a bunch of silly kiddie films like The Game Plan and Tooth Fairy. But with his badass-ness on the rise with a role in Fast Five and playing Roadblock in the upcoming G.I. Joe: Retaliation, I think The Rock has the look, the muscles, and the acting chops to be the most powerful man in the universe. I just hope he likes the outfit.

Jeremy Sumpter as Prince Adam

I first saw Sumpter in the 2003 version of Peter Pan and was quite impressed with his skill as a childish brat. But then he went on to carry that same quality in his short appearance on one of my new favorite shows, Friday Night Lights. Adam is prince of Eternia who has never had a real problem his whole life. Until Skeletor and his minions show up and Adam has to learn about responsibility and power. It could be a real coming-of-age tale.

Kate Mara as Teela

She’s never really had a major role, just minor ones like in films 127 Hours and Iron Man 2, but she’s moving up in Hollywood with her role in FX Network’s new hit series, American Horror Story. She’s cute, she’s athletic, and she can act; I think. She’d be great opposite Sumpter and Johnson. Much like Margot Kidder played Lois Lane, Teela is over-dominating when it comes to the prince, and head-over-heels for the strong superhero, who just happen to be the same person.

Tom Selleck as Man-At-Arms

It’s Tom F%#king Selleck. I rest my case.

Tilda Swinton as The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull

In the 2002 version Prince Adam is called to Castle Grayskull in midst of a battle and The Sorceress gives him the Power Sword, saying it is his destiny and birthright to become He-Man. The Sorceress is the keeper of all the secrets and powers of Castle Grayskull, and the one thing Skeletor wants most. Swinton in real life seems pretty weird but there is no denying her phenomenal acting ability. She’s played a witch in The Chronicles of Narnia franchise, so why not a sorceress.

Hugo Weaving as Skeletor

Weaving has made his way in this industry with roles like Mr. Smith in The Matrix trilogy, and Elrond the elf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. But last summer we saw him as the Red Skull in Captain America: The First Avenger. I think he should just keep the skull on, but paint it yellow. We’re talking about an actor who is starting to make it a career of playing great villains. He’s even done the voice of Megatron for all three Transformers films. He can certainly handle the evil Eternia villain whose bark is worse than his bite.

Rose McGowan as Evil-Lyn

I never watched Charmed, I thought Jawbreaker was stupid, but I think McGowan has the look and feel of Evil-Lyn. I always felt like the character was on Skeletor’s side because she was jealous of the Sorceress’s power. In some cases she seemed smarter than Skeletor so I’m not sure why she wasn’t in charge of Beast Man and the other cronies. Although I don’t know if she could do better than Meg Foster in Masters of the Universe; that was pretty much an awesome Evil-Lyn.

So there you have folks; my dream team to bring He-Man back to live action. I would definitely include Orko the magician and not Gwildor who was just a sad excuse for Orko. The obstacle I feel would be Cringer/Battle Cat. I don’t think you could get a real tiger to cooperate, let alone paint him green. However I’m not sure a CGI tiger would be believable, but hey, if they can make CGI apes that scare the crap out of me anything is possible I guess. And now, I end you all with another video treat. Enjoy!

Captain America Ends This Summer's Battle, But Leads Us To Next Summer's As Well

Next summer, Marvel Studios will attempt something no other studio has done. They will take four film franchises and merge them into one film under the direction of Comic-Con god, Joss Whedon. The Avengers will be a massive film, one that is highly anticipated, but before we see the team assemble we have to get to know the first Avenger, Captain America. Joe Johnston had the difficult task of not only making the all-American-hero relatable to modern audiences, but also re-creating the world of the 1940’s, but with a believable sci-fi slant.

 Chris Evans plays his sixth comic book related role as Steve Rogers. Steve is too small to be accepted into the army during World War II, but he is the perfect candidate for Project: Rebirth. Steve is to be the first in a line of super soldiers that are made to take down Hitler and the Nazis. But soon after Steve’s metamorphosis his mentor and Project: Rebirth creator, Dr. Erskine, is killed thanks to a secret Nazi science division called Hydra. Steve is left as the only one of his kind, and must decide whether he is up to the role of being Captain America. Steve has to choose fast because Hyrda’s leader, Johann Schmidt, is in possession of a cosmic cube that can turn the tide of the war, and would mean disaster for the allied forces and the world.

I was very reluctant to accept Evans in this role. He’s always played the ‘funny guy’ in most of his films, so playing the always serious Captain America didn’t seem like his cup of tea. However, it was Evans charm and humbleness that made this movie work. Captain America has a commanding presence in the comic books, but in this film he’s just starting out, so he has fears, doubts, and a personality that any decent person can relate too. This makes him accessible to the audience and makes the rest of the film a nice ride. However there are a few shots where he looks ridiculous as 'skinny Steve.'

 The Matrix and LOTR’s alumni Hugo Weaving plays Evans rival, Johann Schmidt, or the Red Skull has the world will come to know him. Weaving face spends most of the film red, and computer-generated, which makes his acting abilities limited as far as performance, but still terrify as Captain America’s polar opposite. The other major supporting cast members include Tommy Lee Jones as Colonel Chester Phillips and Hayley Atwell as Cap’s love interest, Peggy Carter. Atwell plays Carter perfectly as a woman who is tough as nails, but also has a sensitive side that woos not only Steve, but the audience as well. I don’t need to tell you that Jones does what he always does; which is be awesome. Has Colonel Phillips he is Steve’s biggest opponent, but soon becomes his biggest ally. Classic Jones.

The person in this film I was watched closely was Sebastian Stan as Buchanan ‘Bucky’ Barnes. In the comics he is Captain America’s teenage sidekick with an important future. In other interpretations, such as this, he is the guy who fights Steve’s battles before he could win his own. Stan did a perfect job for what he had to be, and possibly become in later films. Another member of Cap’s team, included Neal McDonough as the classic Marvel character, ‘Dum Dum’ Dugan.

Joe Johnston has directed such period pieces as The Rocketeer and October Sky, so I knew he was the right man to bring this 1940’s icon into the 21st Century. To me, the film seemed to go by fast, which means leaving out time for character development, but it was such a great ride it didn’t seem to matter much. Captain America isn’t anything deep or complicated, but just a simple film about a simple hero. Marvel has really hit gold creating their own film studio and the films they create.  Mainly because they listen to writers like Ed Brubaker and Mark Millar who have kept the character thriving for so long. If only other studios would do the same with their comic book properties. I, however, did find it a bit odd that Stan “The Man” Lee made an appearance in this film. Even though his is the creator of most Marvel characters like Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four he had nothing to do with Captain America except being the head of Marvel. But “The Man” is still awesome in my book so he can make an appearance in the next Batman film for all I care.

Captain America: The First Avenger closes out a summer full of superhero films, with another batch due out next summer. Johnston and co. was able to bring out why this character has lasted for over 70 years, and has continued the cinematic journey that Marvel has been taking us on for the past few years. I look forward to Whedon’s The Avengers next summer not because it’s a comic book film, but because it’s full of great characters we already know. Now let’s see how they all work together. If you’ve seen any Marvel film you know to stay after the ending credits, and this one no different. Someone get Cap Netflix so he can catch-up with the rest of the world, but don’t show him Jersey Shore!

Rating:  B