Masters of the Universe: Revelation: Part II: This Will Shut The Fanboys Up

 "I have the power!" Just saying that phrase gives me a sense of confidence.  Of course, growing up in the 1980's I was into He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.  It's a little too cheesy now to watch as an adult.  A more palatable version is the 2002 Cartoon Network reboot that I believe only lasted two seasons, but the 3-part origin story is a great framework on how a He-Man movie could be.  A while ago, it was announced that the ultimate geek, Kevin Smith, was going to be producing a Masters of the Universe series for Netflix that was going to be a sequel to the beloved 1980's series.  I hoped it wouldn't be as campy, and from the trailer it looked like it could be family programming.  Then came the wrath of the fanboys.

When the first five episodes were released back in July it got MotU fans in a tizzy as both He-Man and alter ego, Prince Adam, were barely in it.  Instead, the first few episodes focused on Teela, and the aftermath of a great battle that made Eternia believe both He-Man and Skeletor were gone.  People brought their grievances to social media and attacked Kevin Smith personally.  They accused him of creating an SJW series that focused on a girl instead of, "the most powerful man in the universe."  I took it for what it was; the first five episodes of a season that had more to come.  I wasn't overjoyed by Part 1 of Revelation, but knew Mr. Smith and his team had a second half of the story still to tell.  Today, Part II of Revelation was released on Netflix and I believe it's everything the whiney fanboys from months ago wanted. WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD!

When last we were in Eternia, Skeletor had returned and now has the Sword of Power, which he used to stick Prince Adam with.  The Power of Grayskull was his!  As the new episodes start out our heroes are on the run and Teela uses her emerging new abilities to heal Adam before certain death.  They soon rendezvous with King Randor and his army to try and fight Skeletor, but, before they do, Evil-Lyn has tricked bonehead and she is now Master of the Universe.  And she's looking to burn it all down.

This is the part of the season fans wanted.  A lot of action, a lot of their classic hero, and big consequences with not a lot of talking.  I think we all saw Teela becoming the Sorceress before this was all over, and I thought it was cool that without the sword Adam's transformation of power pretty much just turned him into the Hulk.  In the end we had a giant spectacle of a battle that ended with the Skeletor defeated and He-Man as Eternia's champion once again.

But this series has also evolved the mythology into something new, and not just the classic story.  The opening tries to fill in newbies as to what MotU is, but I think a person having seen at least a few episodes of any previous He-Man cartoon would help when they start this series.  But now, going forward, they can tell new stories, and not just retell old episodes of the original cartoon.  The characters I've known since my childhood have grown and can continue to grow.  Also, I'm not an MotU expert, but if this series is supposed to be a sequel to the 80's cartoon, then don't She-Ra and the Horde already exist?  Don't get me wrong, I loved the tag at the end to set-up the Horde, but is Hordak still fighting She-Ra and the rebels in Etheria?  I just want some clarification if those characters already exist moving forward in this series.

When the voice talent was announced for Revelation, I thought it was top knotch all the way; from Sarah Michelle Gellar to Mark Hamill.  In Part II, the stand-out voices for me were Liam Cunningham as Man-at-Arms and Lena Headey as Evil-Lyn.  Along with Teela, Lyn got the most character development in the season, which is why I know some fans cried SJW.  But I say again, this series is MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE, not HE-MAN and the Masters of the Universe.  

The lesson Teela learned that her mother did not is that becoming Sorceress doesn't mean leaving those you love behind. In fact, Teela learned that they made her stronger than those who guarded Castle Grayskull before her.   That part made me think of Harry Potter, since it's a cliche hero lesson; but a goodie none the less.  I wanted to rewatch the first five episodes before starting the new ones, but this time of year leaves me no time to do so.  But I would like to go back and watch all ten episodes together at some point.  For now though, I think this season is a great journey that gives He-Man fans the prospect of good things to come as far as storytelling.  But I gotta say, I was kinda sad no one said "snoochie boochies" at least once. 

Mallrats 2? Why?

Last week, filmmaker Kevin Smith announced he is working on a sequel to his 1995 film, Mallrats.  The original film came out just as I was on the cusp of my adolescence.  It was full of swear words, fart jokes, and lots of comic book references.  So naturally I loved it.  And all these years later, I still consider it one of my favorite comedies of all time.  But when word came down from high that a sequel was in the works all I could think was; who cares.

Growing up, I loved the films of Kevin Smith.  His Jersey-verse helped shape a part of who I am today.  Since those early days, Smith has gone on to do films like Zack and Miri Make A Porno, Red State, and Tusk.  All films that have nothing to do with Jay and Silent Bob.  I thought it was a natural progression for Smith to make films that weren't centered around New Jersey. Now, with another Clerks sequel on the horizon as well, it appears Mr. Smith may be just trying to return to properties that made him famous to begin with. 

The first Clerks movie was about two friends trying to figure out life in their 20's, and the sequel was the same, except in their 30's.  The upcoming third Clerks film is set to have the same premise, except now the characters are in their 40's.  That idea seems like it would work.  The end of Clerks II saw Dante and Randal opening up their own convenience store and looking like life was going to be ok.  But as most of us know, that's never the end of the story.  I would be curious to see Dante and Randal ten years later, wondering how they've changed, and what new struggles running their own business has brought them.

Mallrats, however, ended with the audience being told what became of the characters.  Brandy and T.S. got married. Brodie took over hosting The Tonight Show with Renee as his band leader.......and was well liked by his mother.  That already sets up what happened.  The movie itself was about these particular characters and how they spent one day at the mall.  I love watching Mallrats, but given that's it's 20 years later I don't want to see a sequel when I was already told what happened to everyone.

I feel like Kevin Smith is just hoping we fans will flock to the nostalgia and spend money to see these long overdue sequels we once craved.  I also feel like this is a step back for Smith as a filmmaker.  Sure none of his films following the Jersey-verse were a huge hit, but all Kevin Smith films seem to fly under the radar, and most of them, like Mallrats, do not get a cult following until much later.  If he has an idea that he thinks will for work great than I am all for a Mallrats sequel.  It was already announced that major cast members like Jason Lee and Shannen Doherty have already signed on to be in the sequel.  But most of the time, when a sequel comes out decades after the original, it's usually just a cash grab for a studio or filmmaker who is out of ideas.  I truly hope this is not the case, but my skepticism is on high alert, especially when talking about a film so close to my heart. If Mallrats 2 is great then I'll be ecstatic.  But if it isn't, Mr. Smith can expect a stink palm the next time I go to one of his Q&A forums.  Snoochie Boochies.

The Trials of Ben Affleck

Last night, as I watched the 70th annual Golden Globes, a swell of pride came over me as Ben Affleck won not only Best Director, but also Best Motion Picture Drama for his film, Argo.  I've always liked Ben Affleck, even in his dark days when no one seemed to take him seriously and he couldn't make a good movie if Spielberg or Scorsese was directing it.  His perseverance has paid off though and now I feel he is on his way to transitioning from film star to a great film director, much like one of my favorite directors; Ron Howard.  It seemed like a very long road for Mr. Affleck to get to this point, with a lot of milestones, both good and bad.

I didn't know it at the time but I first saw Ben Affleck act when I was very young, a little film called Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  Written by entertainment god, Joss Whedon, Ben played "Basketball Player #10."  I went back and watched the film, and there his was; I'll be damned.  Next I saw Ben in School Ties alongside his best friend, Matt Damon.  Ben only had a small part in the film as Damon, Brendan Fraser, and Chris O'Donnell starred.  Damn, now I want to go watch that movie.  I wonder if it's on Netflix?

Anyway, next came the films by Ben's buddy, Kevin Smith.   If you know me than I've probably made you watch Mallrats because it's one of those films that "best describes me."  Affleck played one of the film's villains who liked to have sex with women in a very uncomfortable place; but not the back of a Volkswagen.  Mallrats did not have very much critical appeal, but when Smith put Affleck to star in his next film, Chasing Amy, the film created a buzz.  Affleck played a character who was in love with a lesbian; aren't we all.  It was low budget and very "indie" but was enough to get Ben noticed.  Finally Affleck's big break came.

With the help of Smith, Affleck got green lite a film for Miramax that he wrote with his buddy, Matt Damon.  Good Will Hunting earned Matt and Ben Oscar's for Best Original Screenplay in 1998 and from there both of their career's skyrocketed.  At the time he was dating Hollywood good girl, Gwyneth Paltrow, but soon started dating Jennifer Lopez, and what happened next was the 'Bennifer' nightmare!

Damon went on to have a great career starring in film franchises like the Jason Bourne trilogy, and the Ocean's Eleven trilogy.  Affleck went on to do blockbusters like Armageddon and Pearl Harbor.  On the set of Pearl Harbor is where I assume he met is future wife, Jennifer Garner, who only had a small part in the film.  The two would later go on to star in Daredevil together, based on the Marvel comic book character.  But at the time, the two were both seeing other people.

What followed was the "dark days" of Affleck's career, at least I'm hoping.  Armageddon and Pearl Harbor were box office hits, but critical failures, as well as was Daredevil.  But watch the director's cut of Daredevil, it takes the movie from a 5 to at least an 8 out of 10.  Ben kept starring in roles that didn't seem to click with audiences like 200 Cigarettes, Bounce, Forces of Nature, Reindeer Games, Boiler Room, Changing Lanes, and The Sum of All Fears, but Ben's relationship with JLO was all the rage.  He was getting more face time in the tabloids than on screen. The two were soon engaged and it seemed like 'Bennifer' would live forever.  The couple even starred in 2 films together.  Jersey Girl was directed by his friend Kevin Smith, which Lopez was hardly in.  The other, Gigli, was rated as one of the worst films of all-time!  I enjoyed Jersey Girl, and I guess I can blame JLO for Gigli. Thankfully, 'Bennifer' ended soon after!  But by then Affleck's career was in worse shape than Josh Hartnett at the end of Pearl Harbor.  Throughout this time Affleck continued to work with his friends Damon and Smith in films such as Dogma and Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back; which to me made him still seem genuine that he still liked hanging out with his old friends.

The turn around for Ben, I felt, was Hollywoodland.  Affleck played the late George Reeves, star of TV's Adventures of Superman. Ben played Reeves with a such complexity that he made it a great mystery film to watch.  Of course Diane Lane was nice to look at too.  Anyone not seen Unfaithful?  This made it seem like Affleck was ready for more serious roles, and a more serious career.  Ben went on to play an un-employed family man in The Company Men; another good role for him in a good film.  From there Ben decided to give the big chair a shot; directing. 

His first feature film, Gone Baby Gone, starred his brother Casey Affleck.  By this time he was dating Jennifer Garner, if not already married to her I think.  I like them together.  Garner isn't a sexy sultress like JLO.  She looks and seems like the girl next door, who kicked quite a bit of ass on Alias.    Then came The Town, and then Argo, and now he's winning Golden Globes for directing, and Argo is nominated for Best Picture in the 2013 Academy Awards, but Affleck is not up for Best Director.  But that's a different blog about the Oscars and how Leonardo Dicaprio is always under-appreciated by those snooty pricks.

It's been a bumpy road for dear Mr. Affleck.  Although I feel some of his films like Daredevil(director's cut) and Jersey Girl were over-scrutinized he has had a few bad apple that spoiled his film making orchard.  But a new day has dawn for him; I hope.  He's got the hot wife, the great kids, and hopefully good buds who he'll continue to work with.  I don't know if this all seems like an E! True Hollywood Story or a stalker's rant, but I'm intrigued by the maturity of Ben Affleck's career and excited to see where it'll go from here!  Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go browse Netflix.