Masters of the Universe

Masters of the Universe (1987) – This certainly isn’t the He-Man film we wanted to see in 1987, but it’s a passable fantasy movie with a pretty good cast (Dolph’s line delivery notwithstanding), compelling villains, and an impressive visual theme, although the mediocre action and Earth storylines hold it back quite a bit. 6

Batman (1966)

Batman (1966) – Driven by Adam West’s perfect deadpan, this is an utterly delightful, very funny film featuring a goodly number of the greatest moments in the history of camp. 7

Les Misérables (1998)

Les Misérables (1998) – This is a perfectly respectable adaptation with some good performances, although it often feels like it’s just going through the motions and the pivotal romance is underdeveloped to the point of being broken; in short, while it’s generally satisfying and it has some emotional impact, it lacks the punch one expects from a story this powerful. 6

Brave

Brave (2012) – This is a gorgeous film with a very nice score, but one can’t help but think that Pixar spent much more time on the princess’s hair than on the vague, unoriginal story (in which the princess doesn’t actually learn anything), which, although it has a couple good mother-daughter moments, is strictly for kids and may quickly grow tiresome for adults. 5

M.A.N.T.I.S.

M.A.N.T.I.S. (1994) – It’s more than a little cheesy, but this feature-length TV pilot has a boldly African-American cast, an intense social relevance, and a good sense of humor and character focus; it has some script problems, but this is quite an auspicious beginning. 7

The Perfect Host

The Perfect Host (2010) – There’s some decent suspense here, but the final act strains credulity well unto the breaking point; Clayne Crawford does fine, but even with all the flashbacks and sad faces and (ham-fisted) chess, the film never manages to generate much sympathy for his character, and it certainly doesn’t help his cause that David Hyde Pierce puts on a completely fantastic one-man show. 6

He-Man & She-Ra: A Christmas Special

He-Man & She-Ra: A Christmas Special (1985) – It spends too much time with a bunch of robots we don’t care about and haven’t seen before or since, and there’s other general silliness (e.g., the Laser Bolt flying), but it’s unrelentingly endearing, and “good” Skeletor is worth the price of admission all by himself – plus, Orko gets to hear the Gospel. 7