The Mosley Review: Masters of the Universe

Oh the 80's. Perhaps the most innovative, creative and stylish era of all time that bore the most iconic and epic stories in entertainment that are still beloved to this day. Being a true 90's kid, I too grew up on live action and animated films, tv shows and franchises like Ghostbusters, G.I. Joe, Transformers and the list goes on. One series that was in my peripheral, but sadly never truly caught my eye, was He-Man and the Master of the Universe. I saw the toys and a few moments here and there, but the iconic catchphrase I knew and repeated. So I had a pretty fresh set of eyes walking into this film and I knew to expect a fun sci fi fantasy adventure that lived for the silly and thrived in the scope of its lore. I was thoroughly entertained for sure, but saddened by the insane amount of mistakes made by other franchises that share the same spirit of fun, infect this film. What I wanted was to live in Eternia the entire time. I wanted to explore the plains and dungeons of this new world as we get a taste if that in the awesome opening. Unfortunately, we are thrust into suffering an ungodly amount of time on Earth. The mistakes I mentioned also range from an inconsistent tone across the first half of the film. I love good humor as much as the next person, but whenever there is a moment of character development, emotional depth or a sliver of darkness that gives the film gravitas outside of the action sequences, a horrible amount of jokes are shoved in to distract or derail. At least the cast knew what type of film they were in and nailed it.

Nicholas Galitzine was outstanding and fun as Adam Glenn / He-Man. I loved that from the moment we meet him and to the very last shot of the film, we see the natural progression of him yearning to return home and understand his destiny as the champion of Eternia. He never forgot where he came from and was still that kid at heart that was good and believed in giving everyone a chance. When he eventually gets the iconic sword of power and becomes He-Man, Adam never forgot the man underneath the muscles. We don't get a true evolution of a character like this in movies that often anymore and Nicholas handled it very well. Camila Mendes was a bit of a mixed bag for me as Teela. Camila brought to life her great physicality and commanding presence but unfortunately, that was the majority of her progress. She was that one note for the majority of the film and there were moments where she would relent and not be so harsh to Adam or her father. There is a heart underneath that tough exterior and I wish I saw a bit more if it. The chemistry between her and Adam was good, but it could've been better. Idris Elba was having the time of his life as Teela's adoptive father, Duncan / Man-At-Arms. There was a great deal of compelling storytelling trying to pry itself free of the joke’s maw as he was dealing with the guilt and shame of losing the battle for Eternia with alcoholism. The heart to heart moments between him and Adam were good as he finally started feeling alive again as Adam tries to level with him. The relationship between him and Teela were truly stomped on by the comedy and I hated that. It was a good opportunity for him to have a reconnection with his daughter and his inner strength that Adam inspires, but like I said, jokes. Alison Brie was good as Evil-Lyn, but really got the short end of the character development stick. I loved that she was the right hand sorceress of Skeletor and how abusive that relationship truly was. I just wish she had more of a motive or something else to do instead of posturing. Jared Leto has always been a great and committed actor, but recently hasn't been cast in the best roles to show off his skills. As Skeletor, he was beyond perfection as he captured the characters' menacing presence, innuendos and wonderful dark humor. He knows what and who he is and he doesn't relent at all. Jared nails that balance between evil and mustache twirling comedic timing with ease. When He-Man and Skeletor eventually meet and clash, it is the highlight of the film as they both deconstruct each other in the best way.

The score by Daniel Pemberton absolutely captures the soul of the epic 80's metal sound and I loved every bit of it. There are times where the main theme becomes repetitive, but there was enough evolution of it as the film progressed. Visually, the film was stunning as the costumes popped and the visuals of Eternia mesmerized. The sound design was truly pulsating with enough base that you felt every punch, blast, sword clash and explosion. Like I said before, the biggest flaw with this film was the tone. By the final 30 minutes of the film, it finally found its footing as the previous hour and a half stumbled along the way. It was almost like the film was afraid to be serious or emotional as if it would lose the audience. We don't need to always cut the tension every second with a hardy amount of quips every five seconds. Also, there is a character that returns in the last few minutes of the movie that really drove my last point home of being miserable in the Earth segment. I hope the eventual sequel learns from these mistakes and goes for the depth of the characters instead of undermining them every chance it gets. I don't mind cheese, but there is such a thing as too much cheese. Do stick around for the 3 end credit scenes though. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!