I wasn’t sure if I should bring up Travis Knight’s MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE on these pages but hey, the movie features some awesome looking monsters (Beast Man!, Moss Man!, Mer Man! Etc.) so I say it’s all kinds of welcome here. Who knows, maybe Skeletor’s evil glowing eyes will freak out a few kids and create future Kindertraumas? One can hope. Yours truly was a smidge too old when the toys and eighties cartoon first appeared but I was well aware of the characters thanks to my friend’s younger siblings and the ubiquitous TV commercials. My knowledge of He-man and his friends and enemies battling it out on the distant planet of Eternia is mostly limited to my yearly watch of the incredible HE-MAN & SHE-RA: A CHRISTMAS SPECIAL ('85) which I can not praise enough. It’s dopey, corny, charming and hilarious and my Christmas season would not be the same without it. Still, I don’t have the extensive childhood nostalgia that many people close to my age do. It’s fine though because I certainly do have an extensive childhood nostalgia for thereliable mood enhancer known as FLASH GORDON (’80) and I think the new MOTU works as a direct homage to that fantastic spirit-cleansing film and may be the closest thing to a remake/sequel of it that I’m ever going to see. Its even got Brian May of QUEEN shredding up the proceedings (BTW: I’m so glad I saw this gem in Dolby)!
MOTU is a sort of a reverse WIZARD OF OZ tale. Young, insecure Prince Adam is thrown of of the colorful world of Eternia for his own safety and lands in our bland reality forever searching for his lost sword which can return him home. As an adult, Adam’s honesty about his extraordinary background has him looking like a lunatic but he never loses hope or conforms. Eventually he does indeed track down his magical weapon but his connection to it instantly attracts the attention of his arch-nemesis Skeletor. Soon with help from childhood chum Teela, Adam returns to his rightful world and is tasked with saving it from the forces of darkness and oppression. Nicholas Galitzine (THE CRAFT: LEGACY) is perfect as the humorously naive and guileless Prince Adam/He-man who eventually learns his power is in his heart, not his sword, Camila Mendes (DO REVENGE) endears as formidable besty/love interest Teela and my pal Idris Alba (ALIEN: PROMETHEUS) rules as Duncan/Man-at-Arms, her hardy yet inebriated father who is looking to get his mojo back (he’d be my favorite character if there wasn’t a giant green cat named Cringer running around). Jared Leto and Alison Brie seem to be having the time of their lives as camptastic villains Skeletor and Evil-Lyn, who zealously deliver the snickering goods.
As I write this MOTU has already left most theaters and is considered a box office disappointment but it’s reassuring to know that most people who have witnessed its offbeat charm and inspiring attitude thoroughly enjoyed it. Even as an on-the-fence fan without much background with the franchise (besides the X-mas special, of course), it was able to make me feel like a kid again with its spectacle and rousing nature. It sincerely feels like the ultimate summer movie to me. The fight scenes are impressively innovative and feel like comic panels sprung to radiant life, the environments are eye-poppingly gorgeous and otherworldly, the characters/creatures are fantastic and stunning and the classic Good vs Evil storytelling is engaging and satisfying. It may be based on 40 year old material but it’s a blast of fresh air thanks to its refusal to sink into the dark, drab monotones that most modern fantasy/hero tales do. I loved every second of it and I made sure to give this silly slice of escapism my highest compliment, I went and saw it twice. O.K. that was a lie. I saw it three times. In the future, when it’s on physical media, I will take it like a pill to cure my depression. For this movie, financially successful or not, has the power!!!
