Nearly four decades after the critically and commercially unsuccessful 1987 live-action film became a cult classic, He-Man and a cast of colourful characters return for another shot at the silver screen.
Straight away we’re plunged into the fantastical world of Eternia, a magical planet where the iron age meets the space age; where the landscape and the characters resemble pages from a Frank Frazetta art book. It’s whirlwind cross between Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. A place where men are men and women are also very, very strong. The high level of attention to detail and the expert professionalism in the filmmaking is apparent from the start.
As with the 1987 film, this isn’t aimed at a child audience, more to the child in every adult. There’s servings of violence, gore and profanity but ultimately it’s unadulterated entertainment. It’s filled with self deprecating jokes, and the occasional well placed innuendo.
Our dim witted but likeable and compassionate hero Adam is played by Nicolas Galitzine, an actor typically known for playing lead roles in romantic comedies. He’s testing his comic and action chops here with great success, he’s goofy but falls short of being as deadpan as a similar character likeness Hansel from Zoolander, to the film’s benefit. Unlike mullet clad muscle man Dolph Lundgren who played Adam in the 1987 film and makes a pleasing small cameo here, Galitzine’s Adam is not about to steal your girlfriend.
Camila Mendes is Teela, the female lead. She’s a martial arts and weapons expert from another planet who’s looking out for, and after our hero. Mendes is very well adapted to this action role which she shines in as she fights, jumps and flies her way through our world and Eternia. Perfect casting.
Jared Leto plays Skeletor, for whom he channels his finest King’s English accent, along with his favourite classic English villains, complete with vocabulary and prose. The character design is top notch, the laser eyes and digital skull modelling are expertly articulated. Idris Elba gives a solid performance as Man At Arms, a troubled veteran father figure. Leto and Elba seem somewhat overqualified for these roles, but still add plenty of star quality to the film. There are a host of supporting characters that have been wonderfully reimagined. Highlights include Beast Man and Trap Jaw.
It’s clear that this project must have been very physically demanding for the entire cast, if not just to maintain the standards of physique, which are of course almost grotesque in places, but also the martial arts and stunt training. There’s a lot of on screen chemistry that shows this must have been a fun project to work on.
The party slows down every now and again to touch cleverly on themes of self worth and addiction, and a few other human conditions that it’s adult audience will have no doubt encountered on their three to four decade journey since The Masters Of The Universe last left their screens. A major theme is Adam’s struggle to live up to the macho role that his community in Eternia have ascribed to him, having lived on Earth for most of his life. These themes are treated light heartedly, so don’t expect any meaningful psychological observations of human nature.
Storyline isn’t this film’s strength, it’s a ridiculous and incoherent tale. It’s well paced but perhaps a little overlong; a familiar story of self actualisation with humorous Sword in the Stone tropes. However the original Masters of the Universe lore is treated as gospel, and this is one of the few aspects that is taken seriously.
The action and effects are the real draw, and they are both delivered in dazzling proportions by the bucketload. Hollywood’s finest are on the task; the fight, stunt and special effects are rendered to the highest possible quality. The same can be said for the costume design which is iconic and faithful to the original characters. It’s pitched perfectly somewhere between the original cartoon and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It manages to blend the worlds of Eternia, the 1980s and the mid 2020s together with a flamboyant style, right down to the famous loin cloths.
The sound design is outstanding, particularly in the action scenes when the industrial whirring of spaceships and heavy metal flying from all directions through the air in Dolby Atmos surround sound give a real sense of weightlessness.
Masters of the Universe might not win at the Oscars, but it’s clearly a labour of love made with a very high level of craftsmanship. This is a jovial light hearted escape, and you’ll leave the cinema in high spirits.
Author: Dan, Kingston Store
