First off, I quite enjoyed this one. It’s a fun popcorn movie that doesn’t take itself to seriously, and leans into its inherently fun nature. That being said, I had a couple of miscasts that kind of knocked me out of the film on occasion.

I adore Allison Brie. But I feel she was completely miscast as Evilyn. And Jared Leto as Skeletor – no thanks.

I love that the film pays homage to the original series, winks and nods at the toy line and the character names, embraces the memes that have sprung up around the cartoon, and that Dolph Lundgren cameo was completely on point.

Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) has been stuck on Earth for fifteen years. He recalls his life back in Eternia as a child, where he escaped thanks to the Sorceress (Morena Baccarin), and the Sword of Power. Unfortunately, he’s lost the sword, and has spent the time looking for it.

When he finds it, it triggers a signal, and he is reunited with old friends, like Teela (Camila Mendes), and her father Duncan (Idris Elba giving us a delightful action-comedy turn), and faces off against the villain who has captured his parents, the skull-faced Skeletor (Leto).

The film is about what defines a man and masculinity, and consequently, there’s a lot of fun to be mined from it. Adam works in Human Resources on Earth, when he returns to Eternia, he finds that he has amazing powers thanks to a transformation by the Sword.

There’s a lot of fun to be had, and he film is bright and colourful, and there’s some great music. Honestly, it feels like a worthy successor to 1980’s Flash Gordon, in a good way, it feels like it should have Queen music running through all of it, and they do get a nice nod, and there are a couple of great Highlander references to go with it.

I like how Adam’s memory of his childhood directly influenced how he refers to the people in his memory. And honestly, that is something that a kid would do. It works.

The visual effects are fairly solid, and the visual style of the film is a lot of fun. It’s a big, bright and loud film that just leans into its popcorn nature, and it ends up being a real joy.

If you’re a super die-hard fan, you may not like the film, as it definitely leans into the fun and goofiness of the concept. It’s not a serious film, it’s a rambunctious fantasy adventure that seems to be pretty self-aware, and I am here for it.