Masters of the Universe
Masters of the Universe
Starring Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Idris Elba, Jared Leto
Directed by Travis Knight
Growing up as Prince of Eternia, young Adam (Artis Wilkinson-Hunt) was the runt of the country, never really living up to his father's expectations even though he was trained by his Man-At-Arms, Duncan (Idris Elba). When Eternia comes under attack by Skeletor (Jared Leto) who covets the Sword of Power - a sword that grants the wielder the power of a god if they utter the specific phrase. Adam and the Sword are sent to Earth to be protected, but gets separated. Fifteen years later, a now-adult Adam (Nicholas Galitizine) works for a Human Resources company and is constantly searching for the Sword to get back home, even though no one believes him. He finally finds the Sword and comes under attack before his childhood friend Teela (Camila Mendes) rescues him and they head back to Eternia.
Arriving back on his homeworld, Adam finds his childhood home in ruins thanks to Skeletor, who wants to control all of Eteros with the Sword that Adam possesses. The former guard are all in hiding, and Duncan in particular is a shell of his former self. Adam uses his HR knowledge to bring everyone together for a final strike against Skeletor before he can obtain the Sword and become all-powerful.
Travis Knight does an impeccable job at crafting the world of Eternia to make it look like the 80s cartoon series in every detail - from the costume designs that pays homage to the classic pink shirt Adam dons before turning into He-Man to the CGI Castle Greyskull which looks totally ripped from the show itself. The costumes of all the other characters, mixed with CGI, are equally admirable, as seeing Man-At-Arms, Trap Jaw, Ram-Man, Fisto, Evil-Lyn and especially Skeletor in their animated-accurate outfits is sheer perfection. The surrounding effects are equally commendable, especially in a day-and-age where the MCU in particular has phoned in their CGI effects. It shouldn't come as a surprise, since Knight also directed the visually lovely stop-motion "Kubo and the Two Strings."
When it comes to the comedy, "Masters of the Universe" also excels. When they announced Jared Leto would voice Skeletor, there was understandably a groan across the fandom as he's essentially the death-knell for any movie he's been in recently, and then finding out they modulated his voice to where you don't even know its him left many people wondering why they even cast his voice in the first place. In recent years, Skeletor is the main attraction to the franchise as he's been used in countless memes, so in reality he was a bigger draw to modern audiences than He-Man himself. To my utter surprise, Leto killed it as Skeletor, giving him a menacing appearance but also leaning into his comedic timing.
So too is Nicholas Galitzine, a relative newcomer with a few films under his belt. As Adam, he is hilarious when searching for the Sword, and later when he returns to Eternia (especially in a running gag involving a beloved fan-favorite) and doesn't let himself get too serious in the role until it's necessary. He also makes Adam a man of the modern era in ways that'll make a certain group of people very upset, as through his training as a HR consultant he knows how to use his voice to de-escalate situations as opposed to just using pure muscle, and he understands the value of something called "empathy" that's mentioned in the movie - again, a word that many people will cower in anger at. Not to be mistaken, He-Man totally kicks butt in some dazzling action set pieces as well, and Galitzine physically embodies He-Man to a T (or a loin cloth).
The story itself is a trope that you've seen in countless movies before, but what makes "Masters of the Universe" special is the power of the ensemble cast that brings their unique spins to their roles. Along with Leto and Galitzine, "Riverdale" star Camila Mendes plays Teela with steely resolve but also sarcastically humorous. Idris Elba's Duncan struggles with failing his King and finding his true power again. Kristin Wiig voices Roboto, a killer robot-turned-maid-turned-killer-robot again with the deadpan humor that makes her the female equivalent of the Alan Rickman-voiced robot in "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," and Alison Brie leans on her comedic chops as Skeletor's right-hand witch Evil-Lyn.
As said earlier, the story is a trope in and of itself. The story of a hero who has never lived up to expectations returns to his hometown and must find the strength in himself to stand up to the enemy and claim his rightful throne is a story we've seen over and over, but due to the infusion of humor and passion the movie doesn't end in groan-worthy eye-rolling but rousing shouts and cries of laughter (most notably a stunning sequence near the end that has to be seen to be believed, and will have you gut-laughing, guaranteed). Throw in a rock-guitar score from Daniel Pemberton (as Queen's "Princes of the Universe" rocks in the final sequence) and you've got a modern re-telling of an iconic 80s animated franchise that deserves more respect than it'll probably get.
The Score: A
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