Passenger

I have drived all across Sweden on many different highways over the years, all across different cities and even along the Swedish coast lines. This is a very beautiful country to drive through with lots of beautiful forest areas, there are many beautiful smaller cities and i have to say there are some great resting places along the highways for drivers to stop at, especially near different lakes. Usually nothing strange have ever happened while i was driving through Sweden, except for one moment that happened back in January of 2016. I was driving down towards Gothenburg and stopped at a gas station in the city known as Karslstad. It was a cold winter day so i needed a hot cup of coffee and a hot dog as well. While i was getting gas for my car, a drifter walked up to me asking if i could drive him to Stockholm because he needed to travel to his brother. I told him:- Im going to Gothenburgh so it´s the wrong direction but good luck finding help by someone else. He got really upset saying:- Can´t you just fucking help me? I could tell he might have some mental problems because him mood changed very quickly. I was respectful and said:- Im sorry i can´t help you. I paid for the gas and got in the car, while i could see him standing looking at me from a distance. The way he stared at me was creepy. I understand if you don´t have money you will ask for help, i have no problem with that part. I just feel that this man could not control his emotions, because he got in a really bad mood quickly. Either way, i will never forget this drifter outside of the city of Karlstad. Speaking of drifters one of the best psychological thrillers ever made, is the 1986 classic film The Hitcher from director Robert Harmon. The plot is really simple but very effective. A young man named Jim Halsey ( played by actor C. Thomas Howell ), he is delivering a car from Chicago to San Diego. On his way there he pick up a hitchhiker named John Ryder ( played by legendary actor Rutger Hauer ), who seems quite odd at first. But that´s not even close to the real truth, he is actually even worse than that. He is a mentally disturbed serial killer and he want´s to play some disturbing games with Jim along the highway. The Hitcher is one of those psychological thrillers you can rewatch, and never get bored of. Really well made thriller with excellent acting performances, and this is one of those films you should own on physical media or own a digital copy of. Speaking of hitchhiker´s i finally sat down to watch Norwegian director André Ovredal´s latest horror film Passenger, that looked interesting for a number of reasons. Since i am a fan of André´s previous films, is Passenger a film you should see or is this hiw worst feature film so far?

Couple Maddie Brecker ( Lou Llobell ) and Tyler Gennochio ( Jacob Scipio ), are travelling in a van across the country to live a simple life, enjoying sightseeing and exploring different locations for six weeks completely. One late night while Maddie is driving along a highway, a car speed very dramatic as if the passenger is warning them. Maddie slows down to let the driver pass them by. As they continue their journey they see the same car have been in an accident and alarm the accident. The passenger named Lucas ( Miles Fowler ) is suddenly killed by the crash protection car pillow. But something doesn´t seem quite right at the accident location, as if someone else is there out there in the darkness.

If you have seen some of the previous films from director André Ovredal, you know that he is clearly a very talented director of especially horror films. Passenger is of course also a horror film, but leaning more towards the supernatural horror genre. I know that director André Ovredal have worked with a limited budget in the past such as Trollhunter. Even if that film did cost a lot more than the general Norwegian cinema releases, it was still made on a limited budget if you compare to big Norwegian movie titles. Passenger only cost around 15 million U.S. dollars to make and i love to see films such as this being made on a limited budget. We don´t need to make horror films on a 100 million U.S. dollar budget, when you can make really good horror films on a much more limited budget. And since this film is spending a lot of time along a highway it feels like a throwback to similar films of the 1986 classic The Hitcher. That film was obviously a psychological thriller, still you can feel a similar tone in Passenger as i begin to wonder if director André Ovredal might have been inspired by similar films such as The Hitcher. Let´s get into what i feel works well with Passenger and i love how simple this film feels, the plot is very basic and yet it matches well with the horror elements. When you think about how the film is constructed it is either original or different than similar films, but what makes Passenger effective as a horror film is the atmosphere surrounding this journey on the highways. What if you meet someone out there that could destroy your life completely, when you are just trying to travel? One very important detail is the religious undertone of this film. There is a connection to why faith is very important to have, since this Passenger is like a demon from hell and you need faith to fight against it. The Passenger itself is very creepy looking, with long hair and dark demonic eyes, and it matches the storyline pretty good while keeping a dark atmopshere wherever it shows up. The acting especially from the main actors Jacob Scipio and Llobell both give solid performances, where especiallya ctor Joseph Lopez as the Passenger makes the strongest impact. In general i would say that Passenger is a good choice for a horror film, it´s well made, have some effective horror scenes and the plot is actually quite interesting. Definetely a good choice if you enjoyed the previous films from director André Ovredal and if you are interested in reliigion as well.

Rating: DDD

If you live in Europe and want a physical copy of Passenger on blu ray, you can get your UK copy on the following link:

Passenger [Blu-ray] [Region A]: Amazon.co.uk: Melissa Leo, Lou Llobell, Jacob Scipio, André Øvredal, Melissa Leo, Lou Llobell: DVD & Blu-ray

Capture

Some people don´t want to watch older horror movies, they would rather just watch new releases and don´t even bother to see what titles there are out there from the past. I feel that is a bit sad, because there are some really good horror films out there to choose between. They don´t have to be really old from the 1980´s or the 1990´s, they could be just about 15 years old and still be really good. Well, not all titles might be brilliant, but still worth a watch for a number of different reasons. I could easily pick at least 8 movies during this time period worth a watch, but let´s just focus on one specific title. For example if i mentioned a horror film title released in 2011 called Lovely Molly, how many of you would have said:- Oh i remember that film? This is one of those horror films you don´t hear much about in horror communities worldwide, and honestly i feel it deserves to be talk about. The plot is pretty simple, a newlywed woman named Molly ( played by actress Gretchen Lodge ) moves into her deceased father´s house in the countryside, together with her husband. At first it might seem like a wonderful idea, but the longer she stays there, the more painful it becomes as old memories start to haunt her. Lovely Molly is a mixture of found footage styled horror film, combined with a slow burn atmopshere. When you know this film is directed by Eduardo Sanchez, you know that name have a very special heart among horror fans. The director of the 1999 cult found footage horror film The Blair Witch Project, and he actually use some found footage scenes in Lovely Molly as well. Im not going to say that Lovely Molly is as good as The Blair Witch Project, it´s not. But i do think the film feels effective from a story telling perspective, considering how thin the plot is and yet works so well. Lead actress Gretchen Lodge is really good as Molly, and she is actually the biggest reason why this film feels more creepy as she begin to change mentally, physically, emotionally, the longer she stay inside this house. If you want a good horror film to watch to prepare for Halloween weekend, Lovely Molly on streaming or physical media is a great choice. One of the horror movies i did become curious about that came out earlier this year, is a horror film called Capture from director Bruce Wemble. I found out about this film from a review of British film critic Screen Stars, and the story sounded like something i might enjoy since i enjoyed Lovely Molly. also set inside a cabin. Is this a great choice for horror film this autumn, or is Capture not the film you should choose and pick Lovely Molly instead?

Abby ( Kaitlyn Lunardi ) is a young woman and causing a lot of trouble in her life. Her own sister is even fed up with her. When she is chosen by her parents to inherint their old house, she is shocked but this gives her a chance to start over with her life. What she doesn´t know is the dark past of her parents, and what happened in this house while her mother had sessions with patients she was supposed to help....

Something i remembered while watching Capture is that this film is directed by the same man who made the 2020 horror film The Retreat. This turned out to be a great horror film from director Bruce Wemble and is a well made creature feature horror film, considering the limited budget. His film Capture is quite different from The Retreat and feels more like a supernatural horror film. There is almost a sense that this film could have been inspired by the 2012 horror film Sinister, since the main character Abby find old VHS tapes that´s been recorded for patiemts of a psychiatrist. This is the part of the film that´s actually interesting, what secrets are hidden within the walls of this house? What will these VHS tapes reveal? This part also reminded me a bit of the great 2009 psychological horror film The Fourth Kind with actress Milla Jovovich. Another interesting detail is the main character Abby, played by actress Kaitlyn Lunardi ( who i recognized from the horror film The North Witch, worth checking out ), and why i think her character especially work in this plot is that she is struggling with her adult life. She doesn´t really have any goals in life, she have no idea what to do with herslef other than party, sleep around with guys. Having a young woman like her inside an old house is of course not the best combination, especially when strange things are happening around the house. Since she is already struggling with herself, how much can she take mentally if she have to face something evil within this house? The acting performance from actress Kaitlyn Lunardi is good, she capture the broken soul of the character Kaitlyn and make her look realistic. When it comes to the horror elements there are some creepy horror scenes in this film, where the sound effects help certain horror scenes become even more effective. I would definetely say that this is the best looking film from director Bruce Wemble, and his best horror film so far as well. It´s not a horror film without flaws, but i do think the story works better than i expected. If you are already planning what to watch during Halloween weekend, you should definetely rent or stream Capture on your list of Halloween films this year. A horror film that actually works, for such a simple yet effective premise. Let´s hope i never inherit a house, i might have doubts after my experience with Capture.

Rating: DDD

Obsession

Falling in love with someone is a wonderful thing, and especially if both people feel that they love each other. I truly believe in real love, that we definetely need this all over the world where we want people to be happy. Loving someone no matter what flaws they have, when you truly love someone it´s ok if you are clumpsy, if you can´t sing, if you have a terrible hand writing, because the person who truly loves you accept the way you are. So im always happy to see people in love, and im hoping that we can keep this wonderful feeling alive among humans of all ages. That includes even older people falling in love, it is never too late to find your partner in life as long as you hold on and believe in yourself. However, if you become obsessed with someone who doesn´t feel the same as you, that could become a huge problem. No matter if we are talking about if you are a fan of an author, an artist, or simply fall in love with a person but in a very obsessed way, this could become a truly horrible situation. There have been a number of films talking about someone becoming obsessed in a person, perhaps perfectly shown in the 1987 classic psychological thriller Fatal Attraction. Seeing legendary actress turn into a complete psycopath in the big screen was really scary, she really goes all in on her performance as the mentally disturbed character Alex Forrest. By the way, also a really strong performance by legendary actor Michael Douglas as well. This is a must see on streaming or physical media if you love psychological thrillers. Speaking of really good psychological thrillers, you have to see the 1990 film Misery, based on the classic book by iconic horror author Stephen King. Legendary actress Kathy Bates gives one of her best acting performances of her career in this film, as the very mentally disturbed woman Annie Wilkies who takes care of her favourite author Paul Sheldon ( brilliant performance by legendary actor James Caan ), after he is in a serious car accident. Misery is a personal favourite film from director Rob Reiner, and you should definetely see this one as well. One good advise though if you get a physical copy of Misery, listen to the commentary track and find out some really interesting details during the making of this film. Speaking about being obsessed with someone, there have especially been one film that have been talked a lot about all summer, and that is the horror film known as Obsessed. I did read some really positive reviews about this film and heard films critics being really positive on radion as well. Now, i was supposed to see Obsession this summer on the big screen, at least that was my plan. I ended watching Masters Of The Universe in cinema instead, wich im still grateful for. So i rented Obsession on digital instead and decided to review this film. Is this as good as many films critics are saying, or is this not even close as good as it should have been?

Baron "Bear" Bailey is deeply in love with one of his female friends, Nikki Freeman ( Inde Navarrette ), they work together in a music store with friends, Ian ( Cooper Tomlisson ) and Sarah ( Megan Lawless ). After Barron´s cat Sandy is found dead, he mourn the death of his close friend. As he visits a crystal shop to buy Nikki a replacement crystal  necklace but instead buy her "One Wish Willow", a novelty toy that claims to grant someone one wish when broken. After a group hangout that night, Nikki asks Bear if he likes her, but he is unable to admit his feelings. Frustrated, he breaks the One Wish Willow and wishes that Nikki loves him more than anyone in the world. His wish do become reality, but Nikki is to become a completely different person than anyone have ever seen....

Do some of you remember the classic 1988 comedy Big with Tom Hanks? Where a young boy use an antique fortune-teller machine called Zoltar, and makes a wish that he could be "big"? Obsession does something similar as the 1988 film Big, but this is of course a horror film with a completely different twist. I do think the idea behind a One Wish Willow is interesting in the context of the plot, if you would imagine that it actually worked if you made one wish. I mean just imagine if you could wish for anything and your wish would litteraly come true, what would you wish for? In this case it is the character Bear ( played really well by actor Michael Johnston, who i recognized from TV series Teen Wolf ), he wants the woman he loves to fall in love with him. I can understand the character of Bear being a man myself, we all had that special crush in our youth and we are afraid they won´t feel the same. The most interesting part of Obssession is of course how the young woman Nikki ( brilliant played by actress Inde Navarrette ) goes completely nuts, becoming completely obsessed in Bear in a very disturbing way. As the film goes on you see how Nikki completely loose control of herself, almost as if she have been possessed by a demon. And you begin to question what is really going on with her mind, did the One Wish Willow give Nikki some kind of evil entity, or is there another explanation to her psychotic behavior? Obsession open up a lot of questions, and give some of the answers that we are looking for. As a psychological horror film i would say this film works really well, especially because of the incredibly strong acting performances. Even if i enjoyed actress Inde Navarrette´s performance in the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why, i feel she takes her acting performance to a complete different level in Obsession. This film really show why you can´t force someone to love you, that his has to be a natural process. It´s a very well made film, the horror scenes are very effective from a psychological perspective and the strength of Obsession is without a doubt the acting performances. I still prefer Misery over Obsession for a couple of reasons, but this is still a really solid horror film. One notice as well, considering how low budget this film was made on, this proves that you can make really good quality films while throwing away over 350 U.S. million dollars on Fast X with Vin Diesel. Director Curry Baker clearly wanted to show us with Obsession the danger of being obsessed with someone, and he really manage to find the right tone to make this story really effective. If you love disturbing psychological horror films, this is without a doubt the film you have been looking for.

Rating: DDDD

Speed Demon

Autumn is getting closer and you know what that means. This is the beginning of the season when The Hallmark Channel prepare to release all of their 200 Christmas movies....oh sorry, i meant 204 titles. They are so many it is easy to loose track. Of course they will release their autumn season inspired films at first, and it always seems like The Hallmark Channel posters are so polished that you can´t even make them look filthy. If i am going to watch any Hallmark films it will be Christmas inspired stories, because they are extremely cheesy, with terrible acting and everyone looks like they just had an orgasm underneath the mistletoe. So yes, i would say i am quite easy to entertain. While i do watch some of these terrible films, i prefer to watch Christmas horror movies instead if im being completely honest. Because they can actually be good for a number of reasons, especially if we are talking about classic ones such as the 1974 horror film Black Christmas, I remember the very first time i watched this film, it was a UK DVD release from the distrubution company Tartan Video ( they had a huge catalogue of DVD releases back in the early 2000´s ). A pretty well made Christmas horror movie, with a great cast such as Margot Kidder, Olivia Hussey ( from the TV mini series Stephen King´s IT ) and of course John Saxon ( from the 1984 classic A Nightmare On Elm Street ). The 1974 film Black Christmas is like a traditional slasher horror film, with a simple but effective plot. Worth picking up on physical media especially from distribution company 101 Films. In 2006 we got ourselves a remake of the same name, with a cast full of names i have never heard of before, except for actress Andrea Martin who was in the original Black Christmas film as well. The 2006 remake didn´t have anything unique to offer or felt like a worthy remake to the 1974 film. They did try making a more modern take on Black Christmas, too bad it falled pretty flat. However, it was in this horror remake i encountered actress Katie Cassidy for the very first time. She would later be found in the TV series known as Arrow, which is actually pretty good. I knew that Katie have a role in a horror film called Speed Demon, where she fights the forces of evil on board a train. This film have no physical release yet from what i could see, so i had to rent the film on VOD to actually see it. Being a fan of exorcism horror films in general, is Speed Demon exatly what we need to see as we enter autumn or is this a film you might as well skip and choose a better title in this specific genre?

Sister Lu ( Katie Cassidy ) is travelling on a train with Father Novak ( William H. Macy )), who knows about her struggling addiction past. Sister Lu is still to this day trying to deal with her personal problems, while doing God´s work helping Father Novak. As the journey go on, something strange begins to happen on board this train. It is almost as if an evil force have entered this train to attack Sister Lu and challenge her faith in God.

I have probably seen at least 60 exorcism movies over the years in many different kinds of styles. I have seen traditional exorcism films, i have seen exorcism happning on an airplace, exorcism on a luxury South Seas ocean liner in the 1974 film Voodoo Black Exorcist, i have even see exorcism happening during an online filmed exorcism in the 2019 horror film The Clensing Hour. I will say that the idea behind the plot of Speed Demon is actually not bad at all. I mean, who doesn´t want to see a priest and a nun fighting against a demon while they are travelling on a high speed train? Since we need some plot changes to keep the exorcism genre alive, i think director Jon Keeyes at least tried to bring us something different with Speed Demon. I am a fan of his 2017 film The Harrowing that i actually rented on VOD back when this film was released, a film i feel is still worth watching. I have not seen  all the films from director Jon Keeys since at least 6 years ago, but i can tell he is passionate about telling different horror stories. That becomes clear as well with Speed Demon, however this film does have some issues that i need to talk about. The heavy amount of CGI used in this film, and m not against CGI effects, i definetely prefer CGI than AI effects. My problem with the CGI effects is that they don´t look that good in Speed Demon, especially in certain horror scenes where we are supposed to feel scared. I can accept terrible CGI effects if they work in certain scenes, when you can tell that they actually made an effort to make it work. I just don´t feel that effort here and that is too bad, because i do like the idea behind the main plot. On the positive note i do enjoy the performance of lead actress Katie Cassidy as Sister Lu. I do feel that we get an interesting perspective of her character knowing she is a struggling drug addict, which of course makes this journey quite difficult. Legendary actor Willam H, Macy us here as well as Father Novak, perhaps the strongest acting performance in this film. I am surprised he accepted a role such as this, considering this is more of a low budget horror film. There are a few moments where some horror scenes look ok, but they use way too much bad CGI effects than they should have and that makes this film loose some charm with me. Speed Demon is not the most awful exorcism horror film i have seen, it just could have been so much better than what we are left with. I do appreciate director Jon Keeys movies in general, but somehow Speed Demon don´t have that much to offer. I recommend his 2017 horror film The Harrowing over this one instead.

Rating: DD

R.I.P. Tim Curry, A Tribute Review For Tim Coming This Upcoming Halloween!

Greetings everyone!

As a lot of you movie fans worldwide you may have heard the tragic news of legendary actor Tim Curry who passed away. A man who not only brought us so many wonderful performances on theatre stages, but especially on the big screen for audiences worldwide. I could talk about some of his most magical performances over his amazing career, but let me tell you how i discovered him the very first time and it wasn´t in The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

I remember the very first time i saw Tim Curry on VHS back in 1991 when i was 13 years old ( i was going to turn 14 that summer, but this was during spring of 1991 ). I was at the videostore Videomix and they were putting up a huge wall poster of Stephen King´s IT, the TV mini series based on the very popular book by legendary horror author Stephen King. The picture of actor Tim Curry as the clown Pennywise became iconic that year because people were crazy about this VHS release. I remember that Videomix owner Mikael told me:- I can barely keep a copy in store they are being rented out daily. It got to a point that Mikael had to order more copies to the store, because people were crazy about this rental release. Now, you have to remember, back then most VHS video rental stores never ordered more copies of a TV mini series like this before, so you know this was a big deal back in 1991. So to make sure i got my own copy i went down to the city of Gothenburgh to buy my own copy at the movie store Movieline. After i finally experienced the TV mini series of Stephen King´s IT i finally did understand why this was such an amazing TV horror mini series. Pennnywise was to become a horror icon for horror fans worldwide, and no one could have done this performance as Tim Curry did. I did keep the VHS release for a very long time, until i eventually got the TV mini series on DVD instead ( which i still own from my visit to London many years ago ). It´s been a while now since i watched Stephen King´s IT ( i own a copy of the book as well ), but after the tragic passing of Tim i decided to do something nice in memory of him.

Since Tim Curry tragically passed away i want to honor him by making a special review this upcoming Halloween weekend, by doing a review of the 1990 TV horror mini series of Stephen King´s IT. I know i could have chosen another classic as well from his amazig career, but this TV mini series have always been close to my heart for many years. So, if you want to read this special review in memory of Tim Curry, it will be finished and published by Halloween weekend. Thank you Tim for all the wonderful memories and your work in the movie industry, you will always be remembered.

Life is short, be grateful for each day and take care of yourself everyone.

Hugs from Daniel

Hokum

Even though i have been mostly to Scotland over the years, i did visit Ireland as well to explore the city of Dublin. The biggest reason i went there in the first place, was to see one of my personal favourite bands of my life, which is the Welsh rock band Stereophonics. Amazing concert and a wonderful night where Stereophonics proved they still deliver after so many years, where i especially experienced the song We Share The Sun live. But since i was staying for about a week in Dublin i decided to see some historical places around the city. For example i went to see Guiness Storehouse, the world famous Guiness museum with 7 floors filled with history, pictures, you get to see brewing history, how Guiness became such an iconic brand all over the world and much more. If you love alcohol and history as well, this is the perfect museum to visit. If you want to relax after checking out all 7 floors of this museum, you can get a drink at the 7th floor at The Gravity Bar. I did walk around the famous Dublin Castle, very beautiful and i can totally understand why the Irish people are proud of this historical castle. Let´s stay within Ireland but let´s talk about a film that was filmed in this country. Did you know that the 2014 horror film Dracula Untold was actually filmed in Northern Ireland? This is a horror film that divided a lot of horror fans, some people enjoyed it while others have several issues with this film. I personally enjoyed this film, it´s not one of the better Dracula related movies but as a horror film it does deliver some solid horror entertainment. Actor Luke Evans as Vlad The Impaler is a fun acting performance, i also have to mention legendary actor Charles Dance does a great performance as Master Vampire. There are some fun battle scenes in this film if you love historical references. Worth a watch on streaming. How many of you saw the 2024 excellent horror film Oddity from Irish director Damian McCarthy? A very fascinating story and really well made, Oddity really surprised me. I really enjoyed this film and i remember hearing about his upcoming film Hokum that was being filmed in Ireland. It was recently released on physical media here in Sweden so of course i had to pick up a copy and review this film as well. Is this just as good as Oddity or is Hokum not as powerful as i was hoping it would be?

American author Ohm Bauman ( Adam Scott ) is a struggling writer who is trying to finish his conclusion to his succesfull "Conquistador" trilogy. After glimpsing the ghost of his mother, Ohm decides to visit The Bilberry Woods Hotel in rural Ireland, where his parents had honeymooned, to lay their ashes to rest. What starts off as an ordinary hotel visit is about to become more strange, in a number of different ways....

If you have seen the 2024 horror film Oddity you might remember how good that film was capturing a very creepy atmosphere, surrounding a very odd wooden full body figure. Even if Hokum tell a completey different story than Oddity, that same creepy atmopshere can be found in Hokum as well. It is almost as if director Damian McCarthy wanted to keep that feeling that Oddity managed to do, make you feel engaged into the story and the characters. Honestly, i would say that this might be the best looking film from director Damian McCarthy. It is a very dark portrait of a depressed writer in the dark Irish landscape, and this combinaion works really well combined . I love the acting by the entire cast including the Irish actors, and the biggest surprise to me personally is how good lead actor Adam Scott ( who i really enjoyed in the American comedy TV series Parks and Recreation ) is as the author Ohm Bauman. One of the reasons why he is so good in this performance, is because his character is a really big asshole, who have no respect for anyone. And this matches well with the story since we are in a very dark place, a hotel that seems to be stuck in time and no big changes have been made within these walls. Bauman is exactly like the hotel, he doesn´t want any changes just minding his own business. The mystery of what is happening within this hotel is told in a fascinating, yet simple way that reminded me a little bit of the Australian horror film The Babadook ( a film everyone should see ). Not that these films have a similar plot, but they are both horror films with a very creepy atmopshere. Hokum is a really good horror film that proves you don´t need lots of blood or gory scenes, as long as you can tell a very effective horror story. Director Damian McCarthy could be one of the most promising horror director´s we have seen in a long time, and with Hokum he really proves that he knows exactly what he is doing with this genre. Lesson learned, never trust a suspicious Irish hotel, just book the most blend Bed & Breakfast hotel you can find instead.

Rating: DDDD

Masters Of The Universe

Let us travel back in time to the year of 1984, when hair spray metal was blooming out, 80´s pop was selling big on the single charts from British rock band Queen´s latest single Radio Ga Ga, Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson released their hit single Say Say Say. It was also in 1984 we had cinema hits such as The Terminator, Gremlins, Ghostbusters, Beverly Hills Cop, Police Academy, Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter, Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom and many more films. 1984 was a magical year for a number of reasons. It was during Christmas of 1984 i got my very first Nintendo 8 bit station with the games Super Mario Bros and Iceman. One other thing i specifically remembered about this year was that our neighbor family The Ostwalds, their youngest son Claes had a big collection of toys from the cartoon series Masters Of The Universe. Since i was 7 years old at this time, i didn´t play with these toys as Claes did ( i think he was 5 years old at this time ). But i did enjoy Masters Of The Universe as a cartoon show, In fact, thanks to The Ostwalds family who rented the show on VHS and i got to see a lot of episodes. It was a fun action packed cartoon show, where the main character Adam who could transform himself to He-Man with his magical sword, became an icon for heroes in many ways wanting to help people in need. 3 years later we got our very first live adaptation of Masters Of The Universe, where action legend Dolph Lundgren was chosen to take on the lead role as He-Man. The film was a box office flop from iconic film distribution company The Cannon Group, but the film have become a cult movie that´s still appreciated by fans of 1980´s films. Especially on physical media where the film found a new audience. I appreciate this film for being somewhat of a 80´s classic and i can easily watch this film again, probably because i love so many of Dolph Lundgren´s best classic films. After many years in development and many ideas brought to the table, it was decided that director Travis Knight would bring back Masters Of The Universe to a new film adaptation. And the actor replacing Dolph Lundgren from the 1987 film would be actor Nicholas Gailtzine. I saw this film in cinema of course and was hoping this would be exactly what i wanted, a fun 80´s throwback. Is this even better than expected, or is the latest version of Masters Of The Univverse even worse than anyone could have imagined?

In Eternos, the capital city of the planet Eternia, a young Prince Adam ( Artie Wilkinson-Hunt ) and his friend young Teela ( Eire Farell ) are trained in the art of battle by Duncan ( Idris Elba ), the king´s Man-At-Arms and Teela´s father. The city is attacked by forces led by Skeletor, who captures Adam´s parents, King Randor ( James Purefoy ) and Queen Marlena ( Charlotte Riley ). Skeletor want to take the Sword Of Power, but The Sorceress ( Morena Baccariu ) will never allow this to happen. She open a portal to Adam to travel to Earth to live there protected and making sure he keeps the sword with him. In the portal he loose the sword, while he crash lands into water. 15 years later Adam ( Nicholas Galitzine ) is working an ordinary day job at a office, while living in his friend Hussein´s ( Christian Vunipola ) apartment. Adam have been searching for this sword online, asking around if anyone have seen this specific sword. He get´s contacted by a man who claims to know where it is, inside a comic book store. Adam must get this sword and figure out a way to get back to Eternia, making sure that Skeletor will pay for the crimes he commited.

I have heard some reviews where they complained that they didn´t like that Adam is not much more manly before he turns into He-Man, i personally don´t have a problem with that. I think it´s good we get to see two different sides of his personality when we see Adam transform into He-Man, that even when he gets his powers he still is the same individual inside his heart. There are a lot of details to appreciate with Masters Of The Universe and let´s talk about this for a while. This film capture some 80´s nostalgia moments with the right colors, the costume design from the cartoon series, and when they add music from legendary British rock band Queen you can´t ask for more. It´s almost like we are back on the fields of Scotland in Highlander with Christopher Lambert, but here we experience these battles in Eternia instead. Lead actor Nichloas Galitzine ( who i recognized from the Netflix film Purple Hearts ) as Adam ( and He-Man ), deliver a fun, energetic acting performance and i have to say he is quite funny in some scenes as well. I especially love his battle scenes towards Skeletor´s army towards the end that are far more brutal than i expected, and i love that they did not hold back on the violence. There are several great casting choices here such as actor Idris Elba as He-Man´s mentor and partner Duncan. I also appreciate actress Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn ( i love her costume design by the way ), because shes both funny and evil combined in her performance that works better than i expected. Actress Morena Baccarin as The Sorceress is a perfect match, she manage to capture the personality of The Sorceness in such a magical way. Of course we have Skeletor with the voice of Jared Leto ( who i am not a fan of, for personal reasons ), i do think the character of Skeletor is fun with some cheeky dialogue in certain scenarios. The action scenes are pretty intense with epic battle scenes, and i think the character development in this film show that you can succeed making a good movie live adaptation of a cartoon show. Masters Of The Universe may not be everyone´s cup of tea, but for me growing up watching the cartoon series this is a fun action adventure, with some quite unexpected funny dialogue as well. If you love the 80´s in general this could be exactly what you are looking for. Maybe a little bit too long, otherwise i have nothing negative to say. Director Travis Knight have definetely made the best film adaptation so far of Masters Of The Universe and i think this film could be appreciated for many generations ahead.

Rating: DDD