Given that the franchise it extends dates back to the 1982 release of a Mattel line of action toys and that its protagonist’s moniker, when in superhero mode, is He-Man, sensible viewers will not approach the adventure “Masters of the Universe” (Amazon MGM) expecting brilliant insights into the human condition.
On the positive side of the ledger, the dust-ups to which much of the running time is devoted are kept bloodless. Yet numerous lapses into coarse dialogue suggest that this popcorn movie is not for kids. Some parents, however, may consider it acceptable for older teens.
This is, in part, an origin story for He-Man’s alter ego, Prince Adam (Nicholas Galitzine). Sent to Earth as a child to protect him from Skeletor (Jared Leto), the evil skull-faced warlock who had just seized control of his father, King Randor’s (James Purefoy) realm of Eternos, the prince struggles to fit in on his adopted planet.
Adam heedlessly tells anyone who will listen that he’s really an alien. He’s also constantly distracted by his search for the Sword of Power, the magical weapon that was sent into space with him but that he lost after arriving on terra firma. Eventually his hunt for it is rewarded and he’s able to return, after a 15-year exile, to the now oppressed Eternos.
Skeletor, however, covets the Sword of Power and so Adam must struggle to retain control of it. He’s aided, amid the strife, by Duncan (Idris Elba), his dad’s senior military leader, and by Duncan’s daughter, Teela (Camila Mendes) with whom Adam shared a childhood friendship that may now develop into a romance.
As scripted by a quartet of screenwriters, director Travis Knight’s film does include some exchanges about realizing your destiny and the proper use of force. There’s also a smattering of self-satire along the way, including a very funny cameo appearance by Dolph Lundgren, the He-Man of this iteration’s eponymous 1987 predecessor.
Still, the real purpose of the whole exercise is for Galitzine to flex his muscles while walloping Skeletor and his innumerable minions. As for the element of sorcery – supposedly both good and bad – that’s thrown into the mix, it’s pure fantasy unfolding on a fictional planet and so need not be taken seriously.
The film contains frequent stylized but sometimes harsh violence, a drug reference, mature wordplay, at least one profanity, about a half-dozen milder oaths, a few crude terms and some crass language. The OSV News classification is A-III – adults. The Motion Picture Association rating is PG-13 – parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
