Review: Masters of the Universe – Power play
Directed by Travis Knight
Starring Nicholas Galitzine, Jared Leto, Camila Mendes, Idris Elba, Allison Brie
7/10
Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) has a memory of another world. A world where magic and science coexist, where brave warriors fight against evil hordes, and where his parents once ruled. All that came to an end when Skeletor (Jared Leto) invaded that land, seeking the sword of power and the power of the mystic Castle Grayskull. Now Eternia is but a distant dream, a vague memory of a place he fled in an attempt to safeguard the sword, a sword that the young prince has also lost. Yet decades later, while working a desk job, Adam still seeks the sword and yearns to return to that land of adventure and heroes. One in which he can hopefully prove himself a hero.
Part Conan exploitation, part Star Wars exploitation, part toy commercial, part morality play, and all Saturday morning cartoon—He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is a brand that casts a musclebound cultural shadow across the decades, despite its pastiche nature. Masters of the Universe pays appropriate heed to this nature and the patchwork of various lore that has arisen from its half a century of existence, remaining distinctly its own unique artefact while drawing heavily from those settings.
It uses its lost prince / returning hero narrative to interrogate the themes of masculinity that the ’80s power fantasy grew out of. This highlights the cultural factors at play in both eras, especially our current one—with Skeletor representing a particularly toxic brand of masculinity. Yet it does this in a way that’s perfectly in keeping with the ’80s morality play aspect of the series, albeit with slightly more modern language and take on the concept.
All of which brings us to a somewhat shocking revelation: Jared Leto is phenomenal in a cartoon villain role. Shifting the vocal delivery to a gravelly, deeper pitch, he still retains the whining, self-aggrandising, bullying, cowardly, abusive tone that is Skeletor, while giving it a slightly more menacing edge. In short, a role the renowned method actor seems born to play.
By comparison, Galitzine is a little less steady in his role. Although he does have comedic potential, as recently seen in The Sheep Detectives, he’s less consistent in his delivery here. In truth, that is more to do with minor issues in pacing and the script overusing some comedic elements than the actor’s delivery. Still, he does well in the dual role he’s given and manages to embody the bumbling Adam as well as the heroic He-Man. He proves that he does have the ability to play an action hero; it’s just in a slightly more examined way.
Despite the pace flagging a little in the middle and some of Adam’s bumbling comedy routine falling a little flat, Masters of the Universe does manage to bring the fantastical world of Eternia to life. Part of that is due to some extraordinary visual world-building achieved by the effects crew. Some of that is due to Daniel Pemberton’s score, allowing Brian May’s squealing guitar to be your heart’s guide.
Director Travis Knight makes this all come together to feel like a lost ’80s fantasy film, but with modern special effects and attitudes. Despite some flaws, like his previous dip into ’80s nostalgia, this certainly has the touch, it has the power.
DAVID O’CONNELL