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.
Chuck says:
Realizing their mistake in passing up the opportunity to license toys for a little movie named “Star Wars,” the suits at Mattel charged their head designer, Roger Sweet, with coming up with something to rival George Lucas’ universe. Released in 1982, the result was “Masters of the Universe,” a sword-and-sorcery fantasy line that consisted of characters who had little in the way of backstory but had a distinctive visual style that appealed to kids and resulted in sales of over 125 million in the first three years. A series of mini-comics that would appear in later toy series sketched in a backstory regarding the mythical land Eternia, a magic talisman called the Power Sword and the battle for both that raged between the line’s hero and villain, He-Man and Skeletor, respectively.
I mention all of this not simply to get the uneducated- of which I was one – up to speed but also because the simplistic nature of “Masters” beginnings and storyline is one of the running gags in Travis Knight’s delightful new big-screen rendition. Tongues are planted so firmly in cheeks by everyone I wouldn’t be surprised if multiple cases of bruising of the buccal mucosa (yep, that’s a real thing) hadn’t occurred. Inexplicably, there are four writers credited to the screenplay, a pastiche of cliched action movie tropes and characters. And though that is overkill, obviously the mandate all were told to follow was to not take any of this too seriously and to have fun, which they succeed in doing, much to the delight of fans and newbies alike.
A prologue takes place in the kingdom of Eternia. The evil Skeletor (Jared Leto) has invaded this realm with the intent of obtaining the mystical Power Sword. With this, he will be able to become – you guessed it – master of the universe. However, King Randor (James Purefoy) and Queen Marlena (Charlotte Riley) send their young son, Adam, through a portal with the talisman before this can happen. The boy’s unfortunate fate is that he lands in Oklahoma City, losing the weapon in the process.
Events jump forward 15 years and we see Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) as a lost young man, trying to come to terms with his memories, which none of his Earth friends believe. Scouring the internet for clues as to the whereabouts of his sword, he tracks it down in a local comics shop. Upon attaining it, a signal is activated, prompting Princess Teela (Camila Mendes) to travel through dimensions to retrieve him. Upon returning to Eternia, he sees the kingdom has been laid to waste. While Teela and other Eternians expect Adam to save the day, he has doubts about his role and place in this battered world.
Not at home on Earth or Eternia, Adam is just one of many characters facing an existential crisis. The supporting characters, sporting names like “Fisto,” “Ram Man” and “Trap Jaw,” (the simplistic nature of these monikers is explained), have all forgotten who they are. Fierce warriors and proud citizens before the coming of Skeletor, they have now become servile under the despot’s rule and like Adam, must find the impetus to become who they once were.
The forming of one’s identity has been a core premise for myths, tall tales, legends and comic books from the beginning, always appealing to kids and teens coming to terms with who they are. Galitzine is very good at tapping into that, giving us a naïve, eager-to-please young man who stumbles as he tries to figure out if he’s worthy of the mantle of He-Man. The innocence he brings to the role and his relatability is key to our buying into the story.
The plot follows the standard beats of a summer action film, but thankfully there’s more than enough humor to make the familiar go down easy. Skeletor is portrayed as a third-rate ham actor with a flair for theatrics, his grandiose actions landing with a thud every time. This leaves him fuming and apoplectic, the unintentional humor stemming from this executed with marvelous effect. Whether it’s Leto in the suit or just providing the voice, I can’t say, but the end result is a scene-stealing character whose pop culture appeal I’m beginning to understand. Numerous sexual double entendres also provide a great many moments of humor, the sort I didn’t expect in a movie of this sort,
From the reactions of some in the preview screening I attended, those coming to the film familiar with the premise and characters will get more out of it than I did. Even I was able to pick up on a few Easter Eggs here and there, while the post credit scenes, of which there are three, make allusions to other characters and events that will likely be explored if a sequel is made.
Hopefully, this franchise will meet a better fate than that of the 2023 “Dungeons and Dragons” reboot which was similar in tone but criminally underseen. To be sure, there’s nothing new here, but as popcorn movies go, “Masters” is everything you want in a summer movie, a light-as-air good time that delivers more than expected. I mean, this thing has a green tiger?!?! What other movie can make that claim?
3 Stars
