I Have the Power
Or Do We?
I started yesterday by watching the news coming out of Iran and answering questions from many people interested in my opinion on what’s going on, and finished the day by taking my son to Masters of the Universe last night, as the Spurs were up 20 points, but finished the night watching the nail-biting conclusion.
If you read to the end, you will see how it all fits together.
Asking my son what he thought about the movie, the first thing he did was inform me that the moment Adam raises the sword and shouts “I HAVE THE POWER!” is cringeworthy.
What? That’s the main reason I saw the TV show every chance I could, had the toys, and wanted to relive that moment with him.
But it got me thinking about us, the president, Iran, and the Knicks.
Why are people endlessly fascinated by power while having no idea what to do with it?
Adam, not as He-Man, isn’t much. He’s uncertain and hesitant. I wondered what inherent trait, without being told directly, makes him worthy of holding the sword of power when he’s putzing around at the beginning of the movie.
It was the fact that he kept looking for the sword. He kept trying to remember his past and make it a part of who he is.
Without the sword, he is really just Adam. The first man. The man without a history. The man who literally has no guidance or heroes to look up to.
The sword doesn’t create the hero but helps him channel the legacy of what was before.
That’s not just a movie lesson but a lesson in civilization.
My son may not have picked up on it, but those are valuable lessons the film subtly shares.
(Off topic, Memento, the movie that made Christopher Nolan famous. was a man trying to remember who he is. If only the younger Nolan can slap the older Nolan, who apparently is adopting the Odyssey in an ahistorical way, and tell him that when you play games with one’s memories, it will not lead to finding yourself and your place in it)
As the movie winds down to the showdown between He-Man and Skeletor, they surprisingly play with the conventional battle between the eternal foes by having He-Man stop the battle by wanting to negotiate with Skeletor.
Where have we heard that in the past few weeks?
If you are watching the US-Iran battle, there has been a pause for negotiations. Art imitating life? Or vice versa?
But Skeletor enjoys being evil and wants to fight it out.
Skeletor, naturally, enjoys being evil and wants to fight it out. He gets wrecked, waves the white flag, and He-Man quips, "that moment has passed."
The movie’s underlying theme probably stemmed from the Director, so I asked Google what his political leaning is. I saw two nuggest from my Google search
And his artistic vision
I believe that with a more balanced view and broader appeal, this director is going to accomplish a lot more and get more people into movie theatres.
The only thing I can’t figure out is what Mattel is trying to sell? The way the film was presented, my boy wasn’t jumping to buy He-Man toys. And for that matter, my daughter, who just saw Barbie, isn’t hopping to buy any of the blonde’s merchandise.
So, as an investor thinking about Mattel, who the hell greenlighted this?
It’s an entertaining movie, but no big marketing push for Mattel (wonder what the 10k will say - did Barbie movie bump sales)
The funny thing is, while watching the credits roll and waiting for a quick glimpse of end scenes, I kept thinking less about the characters and more about the credits.
It ran for what felt like eight minutes with hundreds of names.
Writers, designers, editors, assistants, artists, technicians. People we’ll never know.
The movie exists because thousands of people showed up to work. Nobody buys a ticket for the assistant lighting coordinator, but without that person, it doesn’t happen.
Some of them will become famous and make a living from Hollywood, but how many? If agendas ruin this great art form.
As my theme argues, it’s legacy and tradition. Not just one man.
And it was reinforced as I saw the 4th quarter of the Knicks. But I’m not talking about the game but everything surrounding it. The celebrities in the crowd. They want to be part of something. And the NBA wants to show the viewers that you are part of something grand.
But the advertisers and the celebrities on the commercials don’t understand this. It’s always celebrities now selling things. Billie Bob was selling T-Mobile and something else, I can’t remember. These guys don’t need more money.
They should allow new actors to participate in commercials to allow them a chance to grow. We need a farm team again. We have to celebrate the entire system.
Few appreciate the system.
Success is requires large number of competent people taking their shot at the right time.
SpaceX isn’t about Elon Musk it’s easy to focus on just him. But who on his team that’s doing the day to day, the management, that will elevate this above the $1 trillion market cap?
Every generation wants the next great actor, entrepreneur, leader, or investor. So don’t knock on Elon. With all those businesses, he has to hire the future generation to grow it.
Somebody has to give them a shot.
Civilizations that stop taking chances eventually stop producing greatness.
Maybe that’s the lesson. Whether we’re talking about presidents, athletes, investors, nations, or cartoon heroes, the goal isn’t acquiring power.
It’s remembering what the power is for.
And what has made the USA celebrate its 250th anniversary.
Wielding power requires an understanding of history and legacy.
Otherwise, you’re just standing there yelling “I HAVE THE POWER!” while everyone else wonders what happened to the kingdom as Skeletor can’t seem to understand.
Enjoy the movie, it was great to watch, and great music
Eric