All posts tagged: HeMan

‘Masters of the Universe’ Review: Nicholas Galitzine Plays He-Man

‘Masters of the Universe’ Review: Nicholas Galitzine Plays He-Man

The creators of the new Masters of the Universe movie really, really, want to let you know that they’re in on the joke. They know deep down, or at least they should know, that their juvenile material is only suitable for children or overgrown adolescents with a terminal case of childhood nostalgia. So director Travis Knight (Bumblebee, Kubo and the Two Strings) and his quartet of screenwriters have loaded the proceedings with so much campy, self-referential humor that you don’t know whether to laugh or cry. The film winds up feeling so much like one of those fringe festival musical theater parodies that you find yourself waiting for the characters to burst into song. All of this might go over well with the fanbase who grew up playing with the Mattel toys and subsequently immersed themselves in the myriad product spin-offs, including comic books and an animated television series, that followed in their wake. The packed house at the preview screening, greeted with swag including free tote bags and action figures, certainly roared with approval, …

Roger Sweet, the toymaker behind ‘He-Man,’ dies at 91

Roger Sweet, the toymaker behind ‘He-Man,’ dies at 91

Roger Sweet, the toymaker who designed the brawny superhero He-Man, has died. He was 91. Mattel, Sweet’s longtime employer and the toy company behind the Masters of the Universe characters, confirmed his Tuesday death to The Times. No additional details were immediately available. “Roger played a pivotal role in the early development of Masters of the Universe, helping introduce iconic characters like He-Man and Skeletor to the world and inspiring generations of fans to find their inner power,” Mattel said in a statement. “His legacy endures in the characters he helped bring to life and the imaginations he ignited.” Sweet’s death comes after his wife, Marlene, launched a GoFundMe page in February to help support his move into a memory care facility after he was diagnosed with dementia. The fund raised more than $90,000 as of Thursday, with the help of some die-hard “He-Man” fans. Sweet was born April 4, 1935, in Ohio. He attended the Institute of Design in Chicago and moved to California in 1972, where he took a role as a toy …