Mattel and Amazon are looking for a bit of that Barbie magic with Masters of the Universe, the latest doll/action figure to get their own movie. In the case of He-Man, this is the second time a Masters of the Universe movie has been made, after the 1987 disaster starring Dolph Lundgren.
The new film is markedly better—but it’s not great, thanks to tonal problems that make the film more uncomfortable and confusing than entertaining.
As with Barbie before it, the filmmakers here make an attempt at comedy. While Barbie scored laughs for its satiric vision, Masters leans more towards the goofy. Director Travis Knight’s approach is real hit or miss. Yes, some laughs land, but there are a lot of moments that are just silly—and they destroy any comic momentum.
Granted, Masters of the Universe isn’t really a comedy. It’s supposed to be a fantasy adventure based on the iconic ’80s toy line/animated series, with an infusion of laughter. The result is messy, inconsistent and awkward.
Nicholas Galitzine (very funny in Bottoms) stars as Adam, aka He-Man. In a departure from the original animated series, Adam escapes his homeland of Eternia to live on Earth, Superman-style, where he tries to convince the people around him that he is a prince with a hero’s destiny. When childhood friend Teela (Camila Mendes) seeks him out, he returns to Eternia with the Sword of Power to battle the evil Skeletor (Jared Leto).
Leto camps it up with his vocal performance, rolling his R’s and cackling. As with his performances in Tron: Ares and Morbius, and his sad attempt at playing the Joker (Suicide Squad), his work here will probably be a one-time thing. The search for a franchise to make him continuous money will have to continue.
Idris Elba, who participated in the far more interesting incarnation of The Suicide Squad that didn’t include Leto, is on hand as Duncan, He-Man’s former trainer who became an alcoholic and is now seeking redemption. He labors hard in a movie that doesn’t deserve him. A game Alison Brie chimes in as Evil-Lyn, a character that might’ve been interesting had she been allowed to come out of the background more often.
There are some impressive action and fight scenes; Knight knows how to block a brawl. The money was well-spent on visuals in this large-budget film. Too bad it’s in service of something so mediocre.
Easter eggs abound, the best one being an attack by a beast-like creature to the tune of 4 Non Blondes “What’s Up?” About 20 years ago, some crazy dude named Jay Allen produced perhaps history’s all-time-greatest lip synch/cover video, with He-Man, Skeletor and others delivering a rousing rendition of the track, alongside some stellar dance moves. I would like to take this moment to recommend the 10-hour loop version. You’re welcome.
That said: Unless you are a huge He-Man fan, this film will probably not appeal to you. At two hours and 20 minutes, this thing runs nearly an hour longer than it should.
I’m quite unsure about this movie’s intended audience. I don’t know a lot of He-Man fans, and I grew up when he was at his most popular—so it seems that Mattel threw a big old campy party that a lot of folks are avoiding.
The film isn’t good enough to justify itself, and it isn’t bad enough to become a “so bad it’s good” cult film. It’s just a big, decent-looking snoozefest for a toy line that people stopped caring about a long time ago.
