Director Travis (Bumblebee) Knight's Masters of the Universe (aka He-Man and the Masters of the Universe for the international crowd) is a big, bold, Amazon MGM retelling. It's scripted by David Callaham, Chris Butler and Aaron & Adam Nee, based on Roger Sweet's 1982 Filmation/Mattel, moral-based, animated/toy-tie-in line, though this adaptation mimics the Flash Gordon zest of its 2002, animated remake, while adhering to (and redesigning to a degree) the fish-out-of-water format of Cannon Films' 1987, live-action epic.
For this new version, we meet Nicolas Galitzine's exiled Prince Adam Glenn, swallowing "proper," HR code on Earth, all to ensure that his strength and glory are diminished for no other reason than to uplift his know-it-all detractors. Adam, we also learn, ended up in his sorrowful state after being thrust from Eternia (and its Camelot-derived hub, Castle Greyskull), due to Jared Leto's sarcastic sorcerer, Skeletor, having invaded the planet when Adam was a weak, undersized boy.
As luck would have it, Adam, though sent to Earth with his sacred sword (a vessel of fated transformation), managed to lose it in transport, which leads him on an impassioned quest to retrieve it. When he does find it (in a comic-book shop of all places), he wastes no time to tap its Shazam! capability, but the process of becoming the genuine H-Man isn't easy, as his years of doubt and rejection make the transition more skittish than not. (In other words, it's more a matter of mind over matter than the mastery of a magic sword that shapes a champion.)
Adam's evolution is flanked by a roster of personas, some familiar, others new and a good many essential to Eternia's tapestry. They include Artie Wilkinson-Hunt's young Adam, Camila Mendes' Teela, Eirie Farrell's young Teela, Idris Elba's Duncan (aka Man-At-Arms), James Purefoy's King Randor, Charlotte Riley's Queen Marlena, Morena Baccarin's Sorceress, Tom Wilton & Fletcher Glenn's Cringer (aka Battle Cat), Alison Brie's Evil-Lyn, Johannes Haukur's Malcolm (aka Fisto), Jon Xue Zhang's Ram-Man, Sam C. Wilson's Kronis, (aka Trap Jaw), James Wilkinson's Mekaneck, Gary Martin's Beast Man, Stephen Adentan's Moss Man, Hafpor Julius Bjornsson's Goat Man, Kojo Attah's Tri-klops, Hung Dante Dong's Karg, James App's Spikor, Christian Vunipola's Hussein, Shasheer Zamata's Suzie, Kristin Wiig's Roboto and on the conspicuous, cameo side, Christopher Ragland's Orko, Lauren Saliu's She-Ra and Dolph Lundgren's gym lunk.
It's a heavy lineup, but perhaps no more than what one finds in most space operas or Krull-spun sojourns. The script defines its members well enough so that it's never difficult to know who's who, in the odd event that one has never experienced a portion of this pop-cultural phenomenon.
When Adam becomes all-out He-Man, the movie (like the 2002 series) then shifts full throttle into Flash Gordon territory. Like Gordon, He-Man shows compassion and contemplation where needed (even to Skeletor), but never whines about the burden placed upon his shoulders (as some so-called men of the modern age would). He realizes he must fight (maybe even kill his enemy) to win, with wink-nudge, Thor/Guardians of the Galaxy humor inserted for those moments when he does slip (and any hero worth his salt will). All the while, the progression is decorated by stunning, computerized effects, fueled by music from Daniel Pemberton and Brian May. (A slice of Highlander's Queen track, "Princes of the Universe," even makes an appearance.) The culmination builds a visionary spree that puts viewers in He-Man's committed corner, as they grow and achieve with him.
Masters of the Universe, whether this current incarnation or what came prior, isn't meant for stuffed-shirts who frown upon aggressive (or vengeful) behavior. It's not meant for weak-wanded Potterheads or those who promote sappy, New Age Star Wars. It's meant for moral-abiding individuals who wish to right wrongs. It's also meant for those who believe that, no matter how daunting the task, uncompromised completion is the only option. Masters 2026 (thank God!) doesn't promote any more than that, and because of that, it succeeds in being what it always was and always should be: one helluva rousing adventure.
No comments:
Post a Comment