Hollywood is now rife with cinematic re-tellings of those things that made childhood in the 1980s great. As grown ups, we can revel in watching Transformers, G.I. Joe and the A-Team (Smurfs too, but I digress...) on big screens backed by equally big budgets. What then happens when modern culture lauds the popularity of the Reagan era at the same time we see a proliferation of super hero flicks? Which intellectual property straddles both of these cash cow genres with ease? Look no further than the distant planet of Eternia and its humble Prince Adam. In 1987, Golan-Globus attempted to bring He-Man to the silver screen with Dolph Lungren as the titular hero. This was met with the same success as the first attempt to bring The Punisher to the silver screen with...Dolph Lungren as The Punisher. I'll spare the sordid details of the failed attempts to get another "Masters" film off the ground since then, but the rumour mill is running hot once more since it was announced that writer Terry Rossio (Pirates of the Carribean, Lone Ranger) has been attached to the project and is allegedly working on a script. This isn't a completely blind gamble. DC comics produced a new six issue Masters series earlier this year. While reviews of the comic weren't great, this could still be the right time for Hollywood to strike with a truly great He-Man story. The 1987 movie taught us what not to do. The 2002 revamped cartoon series actually made some nice updates to the story, but to truly capitalize on the potential of He-Man and the Master of the Universe, the filmmakers will need to consider the following ten decisions...and choose wisely:
Honorable Mention: A Post-Credits Moral Sequence
Anyone who grew up watching MOTU remembers that each episode ended with an "In today's story..." moral sequence. This was a genius way to make a cartoon that was mostly about using swords and lasers to beat up bad guys have some redeeming social qualities. These sequences covered important social issues ranging from honesty to bullying. Not sure how they would pull it off, but imagine a post-credits scene that pays homage to this MOTU mainstay. It would have to be done with subtlety, but would ultimately be an "Oh man! That was just like back in the..." moment that we fans all love, whether we admit it or not.