I was one of those kids who grew up in the 80's, collecting He-Man toys. They were cool because they came in so many variations; they had moving parts, or fur, or snake arms or they could punch. He-Man was a classic toy line with so many imaginative characters. The cartoon, however...well, I can't say that I have a great need to go back and watch it. And that "Masters of the Universe" film from 1987, with Dolph Lungren and Frank Langella? I happened to re-watch it on Netflix a few weeks ago, and I wasn't that impressed. Nor did I think the film was all that great when I was a kid anyway. I mean come on! A cosmic key that brought them to Earth? Why couldn't they just fight it out in Eternia?
But that brings me to "Fall of Grayskull". Geeks A Gogo had the pleasure of catching this movie at the Patio Theater in Chicago a few weeks ago. "Fall of Grayskull" is a fan-made film, funded through Kickstarter. The film was written and directed by Daniel Benedict. It's got a great cast, with strong man Brian Cage taking the lead as He-Man. The story is dark. Very dark. And because of this, it's the best He-Man story that I've ever seen.
Not to give away too much, but the story begins, actually in a comicbook that you can download here. In it, Skeletor steals an ancient artifact that will allow him to conquer Grayskull once and for all. The movie details Skeletor's assault on Grayskull, and the bloody aftermath involved. The story is pretty brutal, and some of your favorite childhood characters will be killed off.
But it's very cool. The cheesiness of the cartoons and the '87 film are abscent from this movie. It's a dark, brooding story that really puts a new spin on what you're used to with He-Man. It makes He-Man a lot more interesting for adult viewers. It's got some amazing effects and costumes that make you wonder how it was all done with only a $12,000 budget. And it's only got 2 more showings on the big screen.
If you're on the West Coast, you can see "Fall of Grayskull" this weekend at the Tower Theater in Roseville, California on Friday, November 13th, 2015. Tickets are available here.
If you're on the East Coast, you can catch the movie at Ellis Con in Danielson, CT on Saturday, November 14th, 2015. Find out more about Elliscon on their Facebook page here.
For more info on "Fall of Grayskull", check out their webpage here. Also, keep your eyes open for our full review in coming days.
