It’s sounding more and more as though the live-action Masters of the Universe is becoming a reality at Netflix, as the talk is that with the new animated series, Revalations, making its way forward, that it might be time to see the live-action version finally come to fruition. Not much is known at this time other than the fact that the project is still on and still drawing attention from those that are interested to see what might come of it. Decades ago the live-action performance that starred Dolph Lundgren and Frank Langella didn’t fare so well, but as it’s been discussed over and over, the attempt was missing quite a bit and the story didn’t exactly follow the source material in the way that people expected. This time around it sounds as though more attention is going to be given to Prince Adam and He-Man’s relation to Skeletor, as well as his relationship with Teela. For one reason or another, prior attempts simply didn’t wish to explore a great deal of He-Man’s world before he and his people were thrust into the realm of earth.
This time around the big hope is that the story won’t just stay in Eternia, but that it will give us a much better look at a hero that’s been around since a lot of us were kids and has undergone a few different evolutions over the decades. It’s more than fair to say that He-Man has been fondly remembered for a long time now, especially given that at one time Master of the Universe was one of the most noted animated series on TV. One can easily guess that there will be a good number of changes and adaptations, as well as updates, that will take place between now and whenever the live-action version is set to be released. But the big hope is that not so much will change that it will make a huge difference between what people remember and what they’re expecting.
Thinking that this is the right time for the Master of the Universe to be developed sounds pretty accurate since with all the fantasy and science fiction stories coming out within this year and the next, it’s easy to think that people will gladly welcome this idea back into the fold in a big way. It’s been talked about enough at this point that accepting the return should be fairly easy. The only real reason to have any trepidation concerning this project is that which might come from the past attempt. People might not even remember the last live-action attempt, but reminding them could go a long way towards getting people to worry that another live-action version could suffer from another issue or two that might emerge. Given the advances in technology and the (hopeful) advances in screenwriting, this version might be able to placate plenty of people if it’s delivered in a fashion that people can get behind. Even mentioning the name Kevin Smith is enough to make a lot of people relax since he’s involved with the animated series. But the truth is that perception is going to make a big difference as to what people think of the upcoming animated series, and even the movie when it does finally become something that people can see and comment on.
There’s no real reason to doubt that this series or the live-action movie will be greater than anything we’ve seen thus far, but perhaps it’s the slightly sycophantic manner that people assume when flocking to ideas such as this. The joy that bringing He-Man and the Masters of the Universe back is going to bring to people is worth the uncertainty of whether or not it will really work on a long-term basis. But seeing people fawn over an idea is uplifting at times but also a bit unnerving as well, since criticism, hopefully constructive in nature, is one of the foundations of what goes into making a story even greater. In this case, it’s bound to be better to wait and see what’s going to be unveiled before such criticisms are levied, especially given that it’s been so long since a lot of us have seen this series in any form.
Being a He-Man fan from childhood, it’s very easy to be apprehensive when seeing that the tale has been taken on by another fan turned director and producer, since different points of view and perception can alter a story in a way that some might not agree with. But Smith is a proven storyteller and has been for years, so perhaps it’s time to stop being so concerned over one version versus another in an attempt to simply enjoy what’s going to be a nice return to an old favorite. It would certainly be less stressful.
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