Ribald and full of life, Masters Of The Universe is quite unlike any superhero movie that has come before it. Channelling the spirit of James Whale, this fantasy romp is filled with hilarious running gags and many moments of provocative innuendo. The fact that it doesn’t take itself so seriously is in stark contrast to a lot of the po-faced work of the genre.
We catch Adam Glenn (Artie Wilkinson-Hunt) way before he becomes He-Man or an orphan. His planet, Eternia, is an idyllic place, and he is the son of King Randor (James Purefoy). Into this garden come a marauding pack of miscreants headed by Skeletor. Jared Leto is unrecognisable as the main villain with the heavy makeup and electronically manipulated voice. He also provides the film with its most misguided character.
Through circumstance, Adam (now played by Nicholas Galitzine) is forced to flee his planet and ends up on Earth. He is far from regal, and Galitzine gets his nerdy tone just right. His uneasy interface with our modern world is played for maximum comic effect and sets up the audience for the conflict to come quite nicely. When he ultimately returns to save his home planet, it’s easy to get behind his initially amateurish attempts to be a badass.
Hitting the bullseye for the rowdy and fully engaged audience on opening night was encouraging, and one hopes this work finds its own congregation. It’s difficult gestation and departure from the original live action version released back in 1987 and starring Dolph Lundgren is substantial. It also stands alone from the Kevin Smith animated series Masters of the Universe: Revelation. Its frivolous and fun nature is delivered with a nod and a wink and is more engaging because of it.
Rob Hudson
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