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Masters of the Universe Lacks the Power

The primary objective of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe has always been to sell toys. That should be fairly obvious, the brand was after all invented by Mattel to capitalize on the resurgence of the sword and sorcery genre in the early 1980s, but it is also seemingly forgotten about when brought up in the context of nostalgic 80s franchises -especially given the nature of its lore and universe, intended to appear vast and multi-faceted. But it was all a fairly blatant marketing ploy the whole time -and this intrinsic shallowness is something of a key part of the legacy of this series, remembered primarily for its toy line and its cheesy Filmation cartoon show that has permeated the culture much more for its camp appeal than anything genuinely narratively or artistically compelling.
Which is not to entirely discredit the thing -indeed the silliness of that cartoon’s various clichés and impressions of masculinity, not to mention the queer aspects of its characters and the villain Skeletor in particular, have had great value and provided great entertainment through the years. In rebooting the franchise under Amazon (and the company is sure to make you aware of their presence), there really needs to be an awareness of that -even a desire to embrace it. A Masters of the Universe movie should be less Conan the Barbarian and more Dungeons & Dragons.
Director Travis Knight gets that largely at least in principle -this is not a particularly self-serious take on the franchise. Yet in execution he struggles to deliver on it, never quite finding a tone of its own to hit. It’s evident from the early bland exposition by Prince Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) on the world of Eternia and its mixture of fantasy and science-fiction aesthetics. As a child, his city Eternos is invaded and suppressed by the evil sorcerer Skeletor (Jared Leto), and much like Superman before him, he is sent away through a portal along with the Sword of Power -the critical magical weapon of Eternia- only for him to lose it on the journey. He lands on Earth in Oklahoma City and spends the next fifteen years acclimating to American society and culture while desperately searching for the sword to take him home.
But the movie doesn’t limit its scope to our world the way its 1987 predecessor was accused of doing. Adam actually finds the sword fairly early into the story and is taken back to Eternia by his childhood friend and love interest Teela (Camila Mendes) where he of course embarks on a mission with a collection of family allies to retake the kingdom from Skeletor. But there is a double-edged sword (no pun intended) to this creative choice that no doubt was driven at least in part to avoid that earlier film’s criticism. Namely, that Adam's situation, trauma, and lived experience on Earth is entirely undeveloped. By the time we meet him as an adult he has lived there longer than he did on Eternia, but there is no comment on the culture clash or how he was raised. On Earth, his real heritage only manifests as a joke of nobody believing the truth of where he came from and his obsession with finding the sword impacting his work and social lives. While on Eternia, his Earth experience is likewise used for comic relief, as his gentler nature and human resources approach to conflict stands in contrast to the rough-and-tumble machismo of the depleted resistance forces he aligns with. There is an intended virtue in this, not unlike last year's Superman stressing human foibles as its hero's greatest strength; but it is not so ardent on this film, Adam's connection to humanity limited to just an affable relatability and some references.
And it is a shame that he is this kind of empty vessel, because Galitzine is fairly charming and endearing in the role. He plays well into the beats of humour especially, occasionally selling a line or bit that wouldn’t be funny under normal circumstances and also handles decently the emotion around his personal journey of self-autonomy. It is better than most of his cast-mates -Mendes is rather flat, Idris Elba as her father Duncan almost literally sleepwalks through his performance, and Alison Brie as hench-woman Evil-Lyn attempts to play up an excess extravagance to her character but it isn’t convincing. As he always has, Skeletor captures that better and it is probably Leto’s only halfway decent performance since House of Gucci -the fact he is entirely unrecognizable perhaps contributes to that. But even with some comic relief in his reactions and insecurities, it is a far cry from the silliness most associated with the character. And as with everywhere else in the movie, all queer text is toned down.
Knight has to be aware he is doing this, considering he is clearly not ignorant to the other pop culture associations of this brand, inserting references to the famously awkward animation clichés of the cartoon, the really amateur names to most of the characters -He-Man included (attributed to Adam’s immaturity in recalling the figures of Eternia), and of course “What’s Up?” by 4 Non Blondes making an appearance (the soundtrack also includes the fairly obvious “Princes of the Universe” by Queen, originally written for Highlander which is also name-dropped). Each of these do come across a bit like pandering though. Knight is a fine director -as CEO of Laika Animation, he has overseen (and directed on a few occasions) some of the most technically and visually ambitious films of the last couple decades. And there are some particular thematic links as well between this movie and his first hero’s journey, Kubo and the Two Strings.
But while Knight edits the movie together with some minor pizzazz (such as crash zooms, quick cuts, and some curious pans), it is visually pretty unremarkable. As with so many blockbusters, a muted colour palette leaves the world of Eternia looking positively dull and hollow, even as the film spotlights a handful of its varied geographies. The CGI ephemera is pretty bland and unconvincing, even the sword often feels like merely the toy it was designed to be. None of the action hits with any weight either, poorly examined narratively and technically unambitious in choreography and execution. It is also interspersed awkwardly within the climax -the start of one fight cutting away for an extended period to another less consequential fight elsewhere. 
Perhaps not by accident it resembles the last act trajectory of a Marvel film -I was specifically reminded of Thor: Ragnarok- and that is the tenor also of the movie's sense of humour and subversive attitude. A lot of the movie's comedic relief fails as a result of this, leaning into irony and sarcasm and a self-effacing sensibility that lacks in sharpness or originality. There are also quite a few gags and comic observations that fall flat on context or delivery. It might be the film's biggest misfire, Knight understanding the tone requires a certain conscious absurdity but plays it out dryly and with an attitude that is above the goofy overtones of the brand, as much as he is happy to reference them. While the thematic core of the movie does undercut the franchise's broad notions of masculinity, the movie is just as afraid of being camp.
Yet that is for better or worse the legacy of Masters of the Universe, and this reboot is under served by reining it back. Though perhaps it would not have made a difference. This is a nostalgia property from the 80s with limited intergenerational reach and Amazon is not invested in calibrating that in any meaningful way. In the end, it is a vessel for Galitzine's star potential; a movie with a measured approach that failed to crystallize, pinpointing exactly what it did not want to be but with no understanding of what it does.

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