He-Management

A second Masters of the Universe movie (after the 1987 Dolph Lundgren vehicle) has been on the docket for a long time, with directors from John Woo to Jon M. Chu attached and rights bouncing around various studios. The success of Barbie (another Mattel property) is likely the reason this iteration of the project has finally made it to screens. While a look at what constitutes modern masculinity means it does share a little in common with its pink dappled cousin, it mostly just contents itself with being the most sincerely dumb summer blockbuster you can imagine.

Nicholas Galitzine plays Adam, the Prince of Eternia, sent to Earth as a child to escape the skull-faced villain Skeletor (Jared Leto) who has conquered our hero's homeland. Fast forward fifteen years, and Adam is now a friendly Human Resources worker freaking out potential dates by telling them he is the long lost prince to a land of magic and wonder. Finally finding the "Sword of Power" he dropped on his way to Earth gives him the chance to go home and eventually become "He-Man", champion of Eternia and the only person strong enough to defeat Skeletor.

The film makes zero apologies for its silly set-up and is all the better for it. While the trailers evoked "Thor: Ragnarok", the actual film is much closer to something like "Flash Gordon". In addition to being big and blond, Adam is a fish out of water in his homeland and he is facing a villain with absolutely no hint of moral redemption.

Skeletor being bad "just because" is a running joke and while the fact he can only be dealt with via a very hard punch in the face somewhat goes against the bringing people together theme of the movie, it is nice to have a villain who is just a villain rather than the wounded or misguided big bads of recent years. Leto is the subject of many an internet punchline for his inability to lead a movie but quirky supporting roles are where he shines and this is one of his best performances. That's despite (or some might argue because of) the fact you would never know it is him. The staff wielding menace sounds like the demon child of Tom Hardy's Bane and Stewie Griffin, with a dash of Captain Jack Sparrow theatricality. He isn't particularly menacing but provides good entertainment while you wait for him to get his comeuppance.

One of the reasons old bone face isn't all that threatening is because, as any devotee of the '80s cartoon will tell you, its pretty much guaranteed game over for the ne'er-do-wells as soon as He-Man enters the scene. Galitzine does a good job portraying the unstoppable force, he looks like he is chiseled from granite and dives into the action with meaty abandon. Its as the amiable goof Adam that he really excels though, giving him an earnest likability and wide-eyed wonder that gives the audience a way into the wacky world without everything descending into outright parody. The only problem is that his switch to He-man is lessened by the fact he is so visibly jacked as Adam. The transformation is supposed to be from scrawny pushover to unstoppable man mountain but no amount of baggy pink shirts can disguise how yoked the lost prince is. In fact, he actually looks bigger as Adam than he does as He-Man.

Helping and hindering the hero's quest are pretty much all the wacky characters from the classic show, complete with their toy gimmicks such as swappable arms and telescopic necks. If you grew up with the show there is plenty of fun nostalgia and even if you didn't, who won't be charmed by the likes of Fisto and Ram Man? (Yes, there are plenty of innuendos). Some of the side characters are portrayed by massively overqualified actors, with the likes of Idris Elba, Alison Brie and Kristen Wiig on the call sheet and everyone seems to be having a jolly old time.

Most viewers will have a fun time as well, despite the fact the stakes never feel particularly big. Director Travis Knight knows what's appealing about the property and hones in on the feeling of a kid playing with their toys. The film makes fun of itself without making fun of the audience for liking it and while the story is basic, it has heart. The humour doesn't always land but there are enough laughs that both nostalgia chasing adults and the kids they are introducing to the weird world of 80's toy commercials cum fantasy adventure will be entertained.

7 Princes of the Universe out of 10.

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