I miss camp in films. It seems over the past 10 years we’ve witness blockbusters go from so overtly-serious to the point of self-parody (see Thor: The Dark World) or worse they’re so full of snark and irony that I find it alienating(see Thor: Love and Thunder). That’s why in a lot respects Masters of the Universe is a giant breath of fresh air. In a landscape dominated by adaptations that seemed to be almost ashamed of the original material’s camp, Travis Knight’s attempt to bring the 80s kid hero turned internet meme to 2020s himbo feels like a plea to bring back the high-octane sincere cheese of the blockbusters of yesteryear. This isn’t the first time Knight has attempted this. 2018’s criminally underseen Bumblebee attempted to change the trajectory of the Michael Bay’s Transformers universe from the post- 9/11 conservative military wet-dream it was by taking it to a back to basics route with a coming of age story about a girl and her dog. The dog being Bumblebee. However there were glimpses in that film of the high-sci-fi-fantasy that probably laid the foundations of what we now got with Masters of the Universe.
Adapted from the cartoon He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (which itself is based off a toyline), the story follows Prince Adam, played by Nicholas Galitzine, or better known to his co-workers as Adam from HR. He spends his free time, and even his time on the clock, searching for the Sword of Power. When he was transported to earth following a siege by Skeletor, played by Jared Leto, on his homeland of Eternia Adam lost it in the process. After searching for 15 years he finds it in a comic shop of all places and following some hi-jinks involving police (turns out people don’t like it when you rob a store of their sword and swing it around at people) he’s found by Teela, played by Camila Mendes, his childhood friend turned warrior badass who brings him back to Eternia which has now become a desolate place under Skeletor’s rule.
At it’s best, Masters of the Universe feels like it was tailored made for me. With a bombastic score by Daniel Pemberton (with a special appearance of Brian May delivering sick guitar riffs and solos), highly stylized but well choreographed action scenes, and an aesthetic that feels like it was ripped from power metal album covers the film delivers on everything I’ve missed about blockbuster filmmaking with the camp being high but the emotions behind it being pure. Which makes it frustrating when the film decides to take small detours to point and wink to the audience about how stupid some of it is.It comes across as studio mandated notes with some of them giving the vibes of being reshot or poorly ADRd in. Thankfully these moments are only prominent in the return to Eternia and mellow out once we reach the end of the second act but they land with a dull thud when they appear.
The cast is near perfect for their respective roles. Galitizine plays the titular character with a sensitivity that’s surprisingly endearing and an innocence that could be grating but somehow makes it work with his almost puppy-dog like attitude. Idris Elba plays mentor turned drunk Duncan also known as Man-At-Arms and once again Elba elevates what could be a one-note character. But the real scene-stealer, and I can’t believe I’m typing this, is Leto as Skeletor. He’s unfortunately phenomenal as the villain, keep the character’s cheesiness intact while giving the right amount of sexual edge to him that will have you glued to the screen and in hysterics while watching. This was the character he was born to play.
It’s a shame that it looks like Masters of the Universe will have a middling response, both critically and financially. I would love to see more of Knight’s version of this world. Yes there is sequel-bait (always mandatory) but considering opening night it was outgrossed by Digital Circus (what a time to be a YouTuber releasing an independent film) and looking to come under Scary Movie 6 by the end of this weekend that sequel looks uncertain. Still, even with it’s shortcomings, Masters of the Universe, is a lot of fun. See it loud and big.
4/5
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