Introduction to He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: trailer reaction and symbolism analysis

Before I watched the first trailer, I had little to no clue about the He-Man franchise. After watching the Masters of the Universe trailer, I still really don’t. But what I have is a boatload of excitement for this summer release.

I clicked on the 80’s series’ first episode as a kid, but don’t remember anything and didn’t continue. The next time I heard of it — besides seeing little stills during Internet scrolling or in passing conversation — was during a famous Kevin Hart skit. “Me and He-Man are out!” So, I went into it blind.

The very first scene features a colorful bird flying above the terrain and into this fantasy land surrounded by medieval castles and futuristic technology. The bird isn’t shaped like an eagle, but it’s not big enough to be a vulture. Concluding; it’s probably a falcon.

An interesting falcon archetype is the Shahbaz from Zoroastrian and Ancient Iranian mythology. This bird is a guide, leading the believers back home and to their ancestral lands.

Which is surprisingly similar to the trailer’s main theme: He-Man making his way back home.

A vibrantly colored Shahbaz bird soaring among the clouds (image generated by ChatGPT)

Here’s a link to an artistic depiction of a Shahbaz.

The bird flies above over landmarks similar to the Nazca lines in South Peru. The lines are very popular in ancient astronaut theories that allege advanced extraterrestrial beings made contact with early human civilizations, so seeing a similar pattern makes me intrigued in this retro-futuristic world. I’m interested on how it formed all the visible advanced technology and what type of beings are the villains, and if they have extraterrestrial origin.

The Nazca lines, visible from a satellite

When we first glance at He-Man–whose name is Adam Glenn– his life is littered with bleed-throughs of his childhood. His computer monitor is decked with galaxy images, and his room is littered with creative artwork. Adam’s co-worker says his obsession with “nerd stuff” might become an HR nightmare, and one can assume he’s spent most of his lifetime dreaming about a faraway land he was once a resident of. Spending his adolescence among normal crowds on Earth, it’s clear He-Man is not over his stolen childhood and the beauty his younger eyes witnessed. I find this the most relatable part of the trailer, in the way most of our childhood continuously affects us the rest of our lives.

This is mostly what got me hooked onto the movie. The childlike excitement at the thought of home that sparks in Adam’s eyes, is a spark I’d like to see fulfilled and retained.

Besides that, the CGI–which features a lion and spaceships–along with the choreographed swordplay are amazing. One of the final shots where he’s taking out enemies with his sword looks straight like it was ripped from a 1990’s fantasy movie’s dungeon set. Except that it is filmed on modern day cameras. It looks stellar. The music does a good job of making every little thing intense, even the bell ringing when he speedily opens the door to a comic book store had me thrilled.

I will end up watching the beloved 80’s show after the movie. Mainly, I want to avoid spoilers and let this be my first proper introduction to the universe, being able to fully enjoy this new interesting world I’ve become subjected to.