Director: Travis Knight
Writers: Chris Butler, Aaron Nee, Adam Nee
Stars: Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Idris Elba
Synopsis: A young man on Earth discovers a fabulous secret legacy as the prince of an alien planet, and must recover a magic sword and return home to protect his kingdom.
When it comes to Masters of the Universe (or rather He-Man and the Masters of the Universe), Mattel’s premiere toy-line turned media franchise, the power hasn’t always been there. Despite some small successes on the small screen with few various animated series – including one starring his female counterpart She-Ra – the silver screen attempts at He-Man and friends have been fraught at best. Starting with the box-office failure of 1987’s Masters of the Universe starring Dolph Lundgren, the idea of another stab at bringing Eternia back to life via a complete reboot has been held hostage by development hell. Everyone from John Woo (yeah, that John Woo) to Netflix and Noah Centineo being involved with it getting so close off the ground, only for it never to materialize.
Luckily, director Travis Knight’s Masters of the Universe is a fun, engaging, yet surprisingly earnest ride from beginning to end. With Knight’s MOTU, along with Kubo and the Two Strings scribe Chris Butler, Knight balances a traditional fish-out-of-water story and high-octane action with ease. Butler’s script also echoes tonal elements of Thor: Ragnarok – in which the film uses situational humor to downplay or uplift serious moments. This works, but also doesn’t always succeed at times. But, this is too far in-between. Yet, the film surprisingly strikes a balance between this type of humor with genuine earnestness, most of which is due to reverence for the source material.
This is also extended into other areas with production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas (Maria) applying a faithful look to the world of Eternia. Dyas’ production designer also goes in line with what costume designer Richard Sale (Jurassic Park: Rebirth) is cooking, in which bright and pure colors are on full display. Additionally, this is also present in the cinematography with director of photography Fabian Wagner (Venom: The Last Dance) giving the film a glowing bright aesthetic. At times though, this does clash with some of the VFX work – with some of it not computing well. But, for the most part, visual effects supervisors Tim Burke (The Little Mermaid) and David Vickery (Jurassic Park: Rebirth) along with VFX companies Industrial Light & Magic, Double Negative, Rodeo FX, Cinesite, Untold Studios, and Host VFX manage to supply the film with an insane wealth of effects, balancing both digital and practical at the same time.
But, the one area that does an insane amount of heavy lifting is the score (and by extension – the soundtrack). Composer Daniel Pemberton – fresh off of the incredible Project Hail Mary – in collaboration with Queen guitarist Brian May combine ’80s synth with a heavy electric guitar presence. Thus, amplifying scenes that should be basic into a fun, jovial ear-worm. Now, in regards to the soundtrack, music supervisor Kier Lehman (Spider-Noir) included some major needle-drops. (Some of which, I refuse to spoil.) Others, were surprising in nature asking “How is this song in this movie?”
As for the cast, Nicholas Galitzine (Bottoms, The Sheep Detectives) leads with an interesting balance. Portraying both Prince Adam (or in this case, just Adam) and He-Man, he uses broad humor to breakdown and display the character’s personality. We see this especially with the fish-out-of-water aspect of the film, for which Galitzine excels at. Once he starts to turn into He-Man himself, Galitzine takes a very Superman-like approach, honoring the film’s main messaging. However, when it comes to the rest of the ensemble, most are game and feel right. Examples include Camila Mendes (Riverdale) – whose dynamic between her and Galitzine is fun, Idris Elba (Zootopia 2) – who as Duncan provides a combination of strength, humor, and heart, but most especially with Mendes’ Teela, and Alison Brie (Together) – whose Evil-Lyn straddles the line between menacing and somewhat sympathetic. But, a standout that is present (and one that I’m hesitant to include because of all the baggage this particular individual has) is Jared Leto (Tron: Ares). As Skeletor, Leto combines Shakespearean wit and gravitas with elements of camp. This not only recognizes the character’s flair for the dramatic, but also represents Leto’s Skeletor as being a formidable foe in the form of Galitzine’s He-Man. In other, more simpler words – he’s actually pretty good (God, everything about writing that felt wrong).
By embracing the absurdity of its source material and showing reverence and respect for the cartoon, Knight’s Masters of the Universe is a fun, yet surprisingly earnest ride. One that balances high-octane and hilarious humor. Not to mention, the VFX, score, cinematography, and production designer all help bring the world of Eternia to life. Finally, the cast led by Galitzine not only feels right, but in some cases, feels too right (looking at you, Leto). To quote He-Man himself: By the power of Grayskull, this film simply does…have the power.
