For a lot of older audiences, He-Man feels like a flashback to their childhood. He was a warrior hero with faithful companions, a powerful sword and a memorable enemy in the skull-faced warlord Skeletor. The character was popularised in a series of toys, resulting in a longstanding legacy stemming from its 1980s cartoon series to the 2021 Netflix series by Clerks director Kevin Smith. But while the 1987 version of Masters of the Universe, starring Dolph Lungren and Frank Langella, is a cult classic among audiences, younger fans have been waiting for a modernised film adaptation to hit cinema screens.
Starring Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Idris Elba and Jared Leto, Masters of the Universe sees Adam Glenn (Galitzine) return to his home planet of Eternia 15 years after it was forcibly overtaken by Skeletor (Leto). With the future of his home at stake, Adam teams up with childhood friend Teela (Mendes) and her father Man-At-Arms (Elba) to save Eternia.
When audiences first meet Prince Adam, he doesn’t seem like a warrior in the making. Too small to be taken seriously and too weak to be considered a threat, he is sent to Earth for “safekeeping”. However, a moment of carelessness sees him spending 15 years away from Eternia. As an adult, he has been reduced to an ineffective HR worker where his memories of Eternia are the only thing tying him to his home. But these memories just drive everyone away, with potential dates disbelieving his childhood and his boss reprimanding him for researching swords while working. This compounds Adam’s constant need for someone to believe in him, however, the plot and supporting characters make this difficult.
With various screenwriters behind the sharp screenplay, the narrative seemingly prioritises Adam’s goofiness and lack of self-awareness in an unfamiliar world over his journey of self-belief. In a particular pivotal scene involving one of Skeletor’s henchmen, he believes that talking his way out of a situation is better than fighting against a character (and some backup soldiers) with a robotic arm. Naturally, reoccurring moments like these and the general scepticism around Adam’s identity (and, in turn, his destiny) make audiences wonder how this character is “the most powerful man in the universe”. The film also leans towards its silliness through its homoerotic tones with various chucklesome innuendos and blatant abs-appreciation moments. Therefore, the film is more a camp adventure about someone unsure of their life rather than a compelling journey for an endearing hero.
The film’s camp tone extends to the performances of its pretty stacked cast. Galitzine meanders as the hapless hero while Idris falls into the trope of the former war general turned drunk. Even Leto tries to banish the ghosts of his numerous lacklustre film performances with an overly theatrical performance as Skeletor, but he doesn’t become so much of a threat as much as a vessel for additional comedy. Somewhat more serious notes are, however, delivered by its female characters such as Mendes’ cynical Teela and the wise Sorceress (an underused Morena Baccarin).
Visually, the film feels a project solely targeting audiences who grew up with Masters of the Universe franchise. Director Travis Knight (Bumblebee) ensures little nods resonate with fans, whether it be its characters, costumes or even the production design. These appreciated touches create an aesthetic more vibrant to the sombre palette of the 1987 film but with nostalgia as the film’s primary fuel, it occasionally feels that this isn’t enough to drive it.
Masters of the Universe is as a typical popcorn movie: something fun and not too serious with a focus on loud action scenes filled with special effects. For a film that has an iconic 80s toy as its hero, audiences shouldn’t expect anything less.
Masters of the Universe is out in UK cinemas on 3 June.
Rating: 
Director: Travis Knight; Chris Butler, Aaron Nee, Adam Nee, David Callaham (screenwriters)
Stars:
Nicholas Galitzine,
Camila Mendes,
Alison Brie, James Purefoy,
Morena Baccarin, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Kristen Wiig, Jared Leto, Idris Elba
Runtime: 141 minutes
Country: USA
