Masters of the Universe is the new movie based on the classic 1980s media franchise from Mattel, this time brought to the screen by Travis Knight. Known for his work with Laika, and the modern classic film Kubo and the Two Strings, Knight is a gifted film maker who has a good sense of how to blend moments of gravity and levity. Yet, here, the work, despite being vastly entertaining, feels more like a James Gunn/Zack Snyder mashup. This is a first and foremost, a comedy. It is something which will delight fans of a certain age and type and horrify others, but perhaps not the ones you might think.
Courtesy Amazon MGM Studios
There is a belief in the Masters of the Universe fandom that the entire franchise is the most serious minded high fantasy meets Science Fiction union to ever be conceived, with each and every frame being a devotion to philosophy and any hint of a humor forced into the proceedings by the manufacturers through the person of Orko. The truth is, this is and always has been a story about a ridiculously upright prince who is given cosmic powers by a shape shifting sorceress in order to battle a sarcastic necromancer, his sorceress flunky and their alien overlord.
The characters have names like Man at Arms (played by Idris Elba), Roboto (voiced by Kristen Wiig), Ram Man and Teela The Warrior Goddess. Here, those names are explained as the monikers given them, internally, by a very young Prince Adam, who will go on to become the hero known as He-Man. In this version, he is exiled from his home world of Eternia after the evil Skeletor — a scenery devouring Jared Leto — and Evil Lynn, played by a barely holding back her laughter at the ridiculousness of it all Alison Brie, who is sorely underused here. After a long introduction, where we meet everyone, see the fall of Eternia and meet a now grown Adam as he searches Earth for the Sword of Power, we are eventually brought back to Eternia and thrust into one bad situation after another.
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There is a certain propulsive aspect to the way the action is stacked, but after a fairly solid first half hour where we get to know characters and settings, however thin they might be, we simply get action after action after action, all shot through with humor that is occasionally awkward, occasionally simply stupid but never meant to insult audience or character. Despite the paper cut deep story here, the film does show a genuine affection for what is happening and who these characters are. It is also very clearly setting things up for a sequel or three.
What we have is a film that goes from the “this is perfection for a preteen” to “did they really just do that?” with heavy doses of “oh, I see, yes, that is hilarious if a bit pointed” and your mileage will really vary. There is a truly special cameo here, and a joke that points out a cliché in far too many action films. In a sense, this could be a poor cousin of something like the Cornetto trilogy, in that the humor is so knowing and winking, but it is much more clumsily applied, and done toward a completely different purpose. You can also see why this has four writers named as contributors.
Courtesy Amazon MGM Studios
Again, this is not a terrible film. It is incredibly loving toward the fans and material, even with some liberties it takes with what some fans will consider canon. Nicholas Galitzine gives off a certain Hemsworth vibe as Adam, while Camila Mendes manages to imbue her role with a little more interest than the script calls for. Both get a lot of silliness thrown their way and they completely buy into the ridiculousness of it all. If this review has left you wondering “what is it really about” that is by design. This is a film that needs to be experienced for yourself, and if you are of a certain age and had a love for any of this franchise, you might have a smile on your face-as well as occasional pained grimaces-throughout the run time. No great art, but damn fun.
Masters of the Universe is now playing in theaters.
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