It’s not always easy to tell whether modern directors are making a movie because they love the material or because the paycheck is good. Passion projects can turn out terrible, and blatant cash-grabs are sometimes pretty good. Every now and then, though, a film comes along that makes you think, “Oh, they love this project.” That’s exactly the feeling I got from Masters of the Universe. It’s clear that director Travis Knight is passionate about He-Man and the original 80s cartoon, because he has lovingly translated it to the big screen in one of the most faithful adaptations I have ever seen.

The story follows Prince Adam (Nicholas Galitzine), a young man from the world Eternia who is forced to hide on Earth when his realm is taken over by the evil Skeletor (Jared Leto). Fifteen years later, Adam returns home with the magical Sword of Power to become Eternia’s newest protector as he rallies the surviving heroes and battles Skeletor with the fate of his world hanging in the balance.

The plot is as generic as possible, with very little deviation from your stereotypical Heroes Journey. Adam is a down on his luck loser who is obsessed with finding his sword until he is thrust into a world of magic and danger and forced to become the hero he was always meant to be. If you’ve seen any fantasy media from before the 21st century, it is almost beat for beat just that.

There’s something endearing about the simplicity of the story, and it allows the world and fun characters to thrive. The “good guys” are all good, the “bad guys” are unapologetically bad just for the sake of it, and the answer to most problems is “Adam punches it.” If you gave a kid a box of toys, this is what he’d come up with. That is exactly what this kind of movie should be and it is refreshing to see.

The acting is also pretty good, though the earnestness of the story doesn’t ask a ton from its stars. Galitzine is starting to build quite the resume of being the best part of everything he’s in. He’s the perfect He-Man, charming, funny, likeable, and he nails the physicality of the role. On the flip side, it feels like Leto has been waiting for a role this campy for a long time. He is a very good Skeletor, just the right mix of menacing and ridiculous. The rest of the cast, Idris Elba in particular as the gruff former Man-At-Arms, do their level best and usually come out looking pretty good, but it’s Galitzine and Leto that shine.

Visually there’s also plenty to like. The world of Eternia is magnificently realized, even at its darkest it is still vibrant and imaginative. All of the costuming looks great, and the action scenes are just about perfect. Importantly, nothing looks over-polished. Movies today often aim for perfection and try to make scenes believable. Masters of the Universe seems to be more interested in being cool, even if it doesn’t look quite as real. For this kind of movie, it’s the absolute right call.

There are, however, a few major flaws that I think hold the movie back. For as drenched as it is in 80s nostalgia and old-fashioned storytelling, it struggles with tone and pacing. While it decidedly leans into the camp, there are a few too many dull moments. There’s a weird section about Adam’s time on Earth that drags in far too much realism and then ultimately doesn’t even matter. All it really does is give Adam a reason to try to talk out his problems thanks to his job in HR. The movie repeatedly tries to make that a thing, saying that his strength is his ability to talk to people. The message is undermined a bit by his solving 90% of his problems with his fists.

In addition, basically everything after Adam returns to Eternia feels incredibly rushed. It has to rush though, because the movie spends so much time on Adam as a child and then on Earth looking for his sword, there’s just not a lot of time left for actual He-Man stuff once he finally gets his power. I’m not saying the backstory doesn’t matter, but the movie could have managed its time much better.

Flaws aside, the only real question you have to ask about a movie like Masters of the Universe is whether or not it’s fun. It is. It’s a lot of fun. If you start nitpicking design decisions or pacing issues, you’ll find plenty to critique. This is not a perfect film. However, you’d be somewhat missing the point. Sometimes it’s ok for a movie to just make you feel like a kid again. A hero can beat up a bad guy, spaceships can fire laser beams, and robots and talking green tigers can spark your imagination. That’s the power movies used to revel in. Masters of the Universe has that power.