Masters Of The Universe (12A)

Fifteen years after he was smuggled out of the kingdom of Eternia for his safety, Prince Adam lives a mundane life on Earth, searching for the missing Sword of Power. When he eventually finds the precious artefact, he returns home with close friend Teela to discover evil Skeletor has plunged Eternia into darkness with the help of sorceress Evil-Lyn. To reclaim his throne, Adam must transform into He-Man, the most powerful warrior in the universe, and assemble a small resistance army.

LondonNet Film Review

Masters Of The Universe (12A) Film Review from LondonNet

Rapper turned filmmaker Travis Knight, who reinvigorated the Transformers series with Bumblebee, demonstrates a similarly deft touch with a rollicking live-action adventure based on the popular toys and the 1980s animated series which was a staple of my adolescent escapism. A playful wink to a 1987 film version headlined by Dolph Lundgren adds fuel to a fan-service fire that burns bright throughout this nostalgia-speckled origin story, replete with three additional scenes in the end credits that signpost where the franchise may go next…

Fifteen years after his mother Queen Marlena (Charlotte Riley) sent him through a portal from Castle Grayskull to protect the legendary Sword of Power, Prince Adam (now played Nicholas Galitzine) is trapped in a thankless job in HR on Earth as Adam Glenn, desperately searching for the weapon. He locates the mighty blade and ventures back to Eternia with childhood friend Teela (Camila Mendes) to discover Skeletor (Jared Leto) and sorceress Evil-Lyn (Alison Brie) have plunged the kingdom into darkness.

The prince’s awkward return signals a bloodthirsty final battle. Adam prepares to realise his destiny as He-Man, the most powerful warrior in the universe, flanked by hard-punching Fisto (Johannes Haukur Johannesson), headbutt specialist Ram-Man (Jon Xue Zhang), mechanised soldier Roboto (voiced by Kristen Wiig) and feline companion Battle Cat.

Masters Of The Universe is overlong at 141 minutes and childhood scenes could be trimmed, but there’s an innate sense of kinetic energy once the prince returns home. Bombastic action sequences seldom touch the brakes including an airborne chase that nods to Return Of The Jedi. Galitzine embraces the goofiness of earthbound Adam but convinces equally as a swaggering musclebound hero who has yet to accept his calling. Leto has a blast capturing Skeletor’s wild personality swings from sadistic tyrant and bully to flamboyantly camp disruptor and self-aggrandising nincompoop. The script arms him with a rolodex of glorious innuendos and insults.

The camera luxuriates on Galitzine’s physique and Skeletor fixates on the long sword dangling between He-Man’s delightful thighs (the villain’s words, not mine), but four screenwriters drive home a message that a true hero demonstrates empathy and understanding rather than a six-pack. In the same way Barbie, based on another Mattel property, skilfully explored societal expectations on women and girls, Masters Of The Universe trains a lens on representations of masculinity. King Randor (James Purefoy) teaches young Adam (Artie Wilkinson-Hunt) that a man must be physically strong (“This world is no place for the weak!”), public displays of compassion are mocked, and Adam’s roommate (Christian Vunipola) conceals he has been crying at The Notebook. To transform into He-Man, Adam holds aloft his sword and bellows: “I have the power!” The power of Knight’s film is its willingness to poke fun at lore through tear-glistened contemporary eyes.

– Jo Planter