Photo via IMDb
By Keith Walther | Rose Law Group Reporter
The ‘80s called, and they want their blond, loincloth-wearing hero back. “Masters of the Universe” tries to resurrect the popular action figures and cartoon from the 1980s, and the aesthetic is certainly achieved for this live action interpretation, but the script leaves a lot to be desired. The nostalgia and self-deprecating humor are simply not enough to disguise the mundane story and subpar acting.
Jettisoned to Earth as a young kid after a hostile takeover of his home planet Eternia, Adam (Nicholas Galitzine), now an adult, continues to search for the legendary Sword of Power he lost along the way that is foretold to grant him godlike abilities. The evil Skeletor (Jared Leto) is also hunting the fabled sword to claim the power for himself, leading to a showdown back on Eternia. Will Adam, assisted by Teela (Camila Mendes) and Duncan (Idris Elba), be able to find his inner strength in time to fulfill his destiny, become the legendary He-Man, and thwart Skeletor and his minions to reclaim his homeland?
Director Travis Knight is not a stranger to updating popular ‘80s cartoons/toys to modern day cinema, having previously helmed “Bumblebee” in 2018, arguably among the best “Transformers” adaptation. As he did with that film, he does capture the visuals in exquisite fashion from the set design to the character appearances. In this way, he uses the massive $200 million budget to great effect with a combination of CGI and practical design. The color palette Travis employs is vibrant to harness the old cartoon look while giving it a more modernized boost. The costuming is extremely detailed, correctly opting for realism and only integrating CGI when necessary, like for Skeletor’s skull visage. The aesthetics are further complimented by the music that is assisted by Queen’s guitarist Brian May to supply an almost rock-opera dynamic that fits the production well and will remind older audiences of “Flash Gordon.” The explosive visuals and throwback score easily outperform the first 1987 live action adaptation in every way.
What that big budget does not pay for is a decent script/story. It’s another tiresome origin story that will beleaguer many with the main character bumbling and fumbling around for most of the film until about the two hour mark when he finally realizes he has an all-powerful sword strapped to his back and becomes He-Man. Knight wastes an excessive amount of time on sappy dramatic moments, and odd interruptions designed to make fun of itself for the sake of comedy, which do generate some chuckles. The problem is he goes to this well way too often, making it feel forced, which then cripples the pacing. At a nearly two-and-a-half-hour runtime, the sluggish pacing spells disaster for this film, making viewer interest wane and losing their buy-in for these surface value characters.
Making matters worse is the fact that Knight does not seem to know who he is making this film for, adults who grew up watching the cartoon and playing with action figures in the 1980s or children who have never been exposed to this franchise. He incorporates plenty of nostalgic elements and that self-deprecating humor, which can be inappropriate for children at times, only to shift tones to silly, over-the-top sequences that cater more towards little kids. Like trying to force puzzle pieces into openings that don’t quite fit, the film feels tonally disjointed. Despite the numerous issues, Knight does just enough to appease fans of the franchise, but with diminishing box office projections, it remains to be seen if it will be enough to warrant a sequel.
For as rough as the dialogue writing is, some of the acting is even worse and it begins with the lead, Nicholas Galitzine. He provides an almost childlike performance as if he were portraying the soul of a little kid in a grown-up body. His line delivery is as clumsy as his movements, and his facial reactions are silly and embellished. Basically, the golly gee, “Leave It to Beaver” schtick gets old very quick. The only commendable aspect of his performance is his preparation, spending five grueling months beefing up and adding the trademark muscular definition for which his character is known.
There will be plenty of people who will say it’s not supposed to be an Oscar contender, that if you just turn off your brain, ignore the bad dialogue, bad acting, and bad pacing, you’ll have a good enough time as if that’s a valid argument to excuse poor quality. But yes, if you work really hard to ignore all these elements, then you will find a measure of entertainment value from “Masters of the Universe.” For those who do make the trip to the theater, be sure to get your money’s worth and stay for the multiple end credit scenes (fans of the franchise will especially appreciate them).
This movie earns:
