In "Masters of the Universe", this franchise is brought back to the big screen in this epic live-action adventure. After being separated for 15 years, the Sword of Power leads Prince Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) back to Eternia where he discovers his home shattered under the fiendish rule of Skeletor (Jared Leto). To save his family and his world, Adam must join forces with his closest allies, Teela (Camila Mendes) and Duncan/Man-At-Arms (Idris Elba), and embrace his true identity as He-Man--the most powerful man in the universe.
Others to round out the cast are Johannes Haukur Johannesson as Fisto, Jon Xue Zhang as Ram Man, Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn, Sam C. Wilson as Trap Jaw, Charlotte Riley as Queen Marlena, James Purefoy as King Randor, Morena Baccarin as the Sorceress, Kristen Wiig as voice of Roboto and Christiaan Bettridge as Dian.
This was directed with grit and explosiveness by Travis Knight ("Kubo and the Two Strings" '16, "Bumblebee" '18). This filmmaker doesn't have an extensive resume, however he has proven himself with just the two films. Certainly, helming a multi-faceted big-budget film isn't an easy task, but Knight carries it off with relative ease. His staging and pacing is amazing. He does have three films coming down the road, and if you like his style, his "Six Billion Dollar Man", although has no known production slated, should be awesome, and his "Wildwood" is in post production. This was interestingly written by Chris Butler, Aaron Nee and Adam Nee and Dave Callaham, based on a story by Aaron Nee & Adam Nee and Alex Litvak and Michael Finch, which is based on "Masters of the Universe" by Mattel. It's interesting that David Callaham received the least billing of the writing credits considering he has the lion's share of the screenplay. But, Butler and Aaron Nee and Adam Nee are more connected with the director, Knight, so that must've had something to do with it, and certainly, Callaham might have given these other writers center stage since he already has considerable experience. Over all, this was better than I ever thought it would be--the trailer really didn't sell me, and I thought it was a bit cheesy, but, since I have no experience with knowledge of this franchise, it was made to be a bit cheesy I was told. And it was a bit long-in-the-tooth, and it could've been edited about 10 minutes from the final cut. But otherwise, this script was impactful and kept you moving through a vast amount of this. And the visual effects predominantly designed by ILM (Industrial, Light & Magic) and Double Negative, were incredible and were in your face, but considering this was meant to be a bit cheesy, this would be permissible.
Certainly, if you like comic book films, or more to the point, the Masters of the Universe franchise, you'll love this. And, as long as it makes a ton of money, wait through the end credits, because there will be a sequel. I know, what a shock! But, it's an entertaining way to spend a couple hours for a summer afternoon.
Out of 4 Stars: 3 Rated: PG-13 140mins.
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