‘He-Man and the Masters of the Universe’: Creative reboot

This reboot of the cult classic ‘Masters of the Universe’ (starring Dolph Lundgren), which hit the screens 40 years ago, plays safe and retreads a similar path to glory. It delivers exciting entertainment and is more than likely to rake in the moolah world over.

Though lover boy Nicholas Galitzine is no Dolph Lundgren, he has managed to create a place for himself in the superhero pantheon by playing the eponymous role with enthusiasm and sincerity, while also buffing himself up.

The film is a coming-of-age story, a big budget production that tries to stay faithful to the source material while taking stray liberties with storytelling.

Following Skeletor’s (Jared Leto) invasion of Eternia, a young Prince Adam (Artie Wilkinson Hunt/Nicholas Galitzine) is forced to flee along with the Sword of Power from Castle Grayskull, through a portal created by the Sorceress (Morena Baccarin). The unimaginably powerful sword, however, gets lost in transit. It takes Adam 15 years, after an insignificant existence in Oklahoma city, to locate the weapon and then find his way back to Eternia.

He reunites with the King’s former ally General Duncan (Idris Elba) and his daughter, the fierce warrior Teela (Camila Mendes), to save his world and become the Master of that Universe.

Adam’s job on Earth prizes conflict resolution but given his circumstances, he has to eventually pick combat over mediation. That conflict gives us a new perspective on what being valiant and strong means.

Though the writers manage a fresh spin, the successful template of cheesy one-liners and familiar tropes deadens the excitement quite a bit. The absurdist humour translates into loud comedy though.

If action makes this film special, CGI and visual effects do their bit to make every element look alive. Daniel Pemberton’s soundtrack undulates, ebbs and soars with 1980s’ rock music.

This film is campy and over-the-top wild and yet it manages to draw you in. The actors infuse energy into their roles. A superbly committed Nicholas Galitzine plays Adam with great authority. Jared Leto as Skeletor, with a mask throughout, makes for a formidable villain with elasticity in voice and pitch alone. Camila Mendes as Teela and Idris Elba as Duncan also create lasting impressions.

Several other iconic supporting characters find themselves shoehorned into the finale without a proper fleshing out though.

This is a $200 million gamble meant to rejuvenate a dorky sword-and-sorcery multimedia franchise through nostalgia trips and modern interpretations. The initial hour is well-paced and funny, the mid-portion though feels a little tedious. There are a few plot holes and genre contrivances but they can be overlooked.

The final battle delivers a whopper. It would be quite circumspect to say that Travis Knight’s new take on ‘Masters of the Universe’ is an enthralling, imaginative and congenial experience.