By The Power of Greyskull: Cherished by fans of the original animated series and perpetually memed by a new generation of netizens online, He-Man/Prince Adam and his motley crew of Eternian heroes have made a few trips across the rainbow bridge to the silver screen, including a live-action film in 1987 and countless animated features.
Return of the Prince: Directed by Travis Knight, He-Man’s latest live-action adventure, simply tilted “Masters of the Universe, sees Nicholas Galatazine don Prince Adam’s iconic blonde bob and loincloth, while Jared Leto lends his voice to his archenemy, the blue-skinned, perpetually cackling and ever campy Lord Skeletor.
With Galatzine’s winning performance anchoring the (surprisingly potent) emotional core of the film, “Masters of The Universe”s brings humor and heart, even if an oversized cast and perpetual easter-egging bloat the runtime of what should be a non-stop romp through the cosmos.
The Story: Written by Chris Butler, Aaron Nee, Adam Nee, and David Callaham, with a story by the Nees, Alex Litvak, and Michael Finch, “Masters of the Universe” screenplay is (unsurprisingly) inconsistent, full of long chunks of arbirtary namedropping that will delight hardcore fans but bore those in search of compelling dialogue.
But while the script may bear surprising wit in some places while being brutally dull in others, Nicholas Galatzine breathes life and warmth into the film, with the gentle giant, “himbo”-esque charm he brings to Prince Adam.
He/Him, He-Man: Having grown up on Earth and now working in Human Resources, Galatazine’s (massively brawny) Adam believes in the power of solving conflict through conversation, not combat, much to the chagrin of his Man-At-Arms Duncan (Idris Elba) and childhood friend Teela (Camila Mendes).
Adam’s clashes with Duncan over what it means to be a “man” yields plenty of comedic hijinks, yes, but “Masters of the Universe”’s ideas about masculinity, identity, and self-discovery also carry and undeniable undercurrent of sincerity, offering interesting (if mostly unexplored) allegorical potential.
A Warrior Goddess Wasted: At surface level, though, those moments of extreme wit and insight seem dappled almost at random (likely a byproduct of the film’s baker’s dozen of screenwriters), and there are large chunks of egregiously exposition-heavy dialogue, often delivered by Mendes’ Teela in a frustratingly thankless role. Luckily for Knight, though, Nicholas Galatazine is a lighthouse that guides “Masters of the Universe” to victory, leading the film with boundless energy and guileless charm.
The Bottom Line: With just the right amount of wit and an utterly winning performance from Nicholas Galatazine, Masters of the Universe is a quintessential summer blockbuster whose non-stop action and over-the-top, self-aware comedy make for a charming (if clunky) interstellar adventure.
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