Powered by copious sarcasm, 'Bumblebee' director Travis Knight and star Nicholas Galitzine modernize the ’80s macho man as sensitive and self-aware.
Powered by copious sarcasm, ‘Bumblebee’ director Travis Knight and star Nicholas Galitzine modernize the ’80s macho man as sensitive and self-aware. , the muscle-bound ’80s relic with the most iconic bob after Anna Wintour?
Launched in an era where machismo meant a goofy wrestler or metal singer with an eight-octave falsetto, the steroidal beskirted barbarian has always been a bit ridiculous. C’mon, his name is He-Man. What in the testosterone is) has made his reboot of “Masters of the Universe” a dopey, friendly comedy about modern masculinity in crisis with a He-Man who openly wonders what kind of a man to be.
Hurtled out of the kingdom of Eternia as a boy, this Prince Adam came of age in Oklahoma City as a sweet guy who happens to be obsessed with swords. Instead of transforming into the strongest man in the galaxy to protect his throne from the evil duo of Skeletor , earthbound Adam parries HR complaints while sitting behind a desk plate that labels his gender identity not as He-Man but He/Him. Times have changed.
Even He-Man’s talking pet tiger asks for consent before giving him a lick. Galitzine’s He-Man is more Clark Kent than Superman, a gentle, funny, under-estimated dweeb. On a blind date, his descriptions of magical griffins and burning deserts sound humiliatingly immature. Dumped before dessert, he sulks home where his bro-y roommate secretly watches the weepie “The Notebook” when no one is looking as the soundtrack spins an acoustic cover of the Cure’s “Boys Don’t Cry.
” Every man in this movie has a public persona and a private one. Even Adam’s irritable female boss, Suzie Leto’s grumbling Brit-inflected baritone is an unrecognizable concoction of trilled r’s and plummy vowels — and the best performance he’s done in years. With apologies toYes, that’s the humor level of the dialogue. Chris Butler, Aaron Nee, Adam Nee and Dave Callaham have written a heavy-handed script in which, when Castle Grayskull comes under attack,soldier is forced to yell, “We’re under attack! ” You know, in case the exploding laser beams weren’t obvious.
Obviousness is this film’s handicap — and the main joke. In this movie’s lore, juvenile Adam, played by an adorable Artie Wilkinson-Hunt, is the guilty child who invented his meathead He-Man moniker, as well the nicknames of his allies Ram-Man, Mekaneck and Fisto, who all look exactly as they sound to their chagrin.
“I don’t fist anyone,” Fisto , it’s here, along with a number of promising indie swings.debuted on television. As with his “Transformers” spin-off “Bumblebee,” he makes movies like a child who loves taking his action figures out of the box and giving them a silly soul.
, is the co-founder of Nike), he also feels obliged to include so much fan service for his generation that kids will have to swashbuckle through confusing callbacks to discover He-Man for themselves. One battle scene is scored toCulturally, hyper-machismo has oscillated from cool to lame to ironically cool and back again for decades. Even Queen itself was deemed lame untilresurrected “Bohemian Rhapsody” as headbanging slapstick.
If you spot a guy swaggering like a brute from Eternia on the sidewalk, masked or not, he probably thinks he’s more awesome than everyone else does. Likewise, when He-Man smashes skulls to a wailing metal soundtrack, I no longer know if I’m meant to be snickering with the electric guitars or at them. Neither does the movie, which seems to decide each scene’s individual tone on a coin flip.
Frankly, the dorky version of Adam is more fun than the heroic He-Man, even with Knight hammering us every minute to laugh that he’s a total weakling. Galitzine embraces the indignity. Zooming through the air in a flying Sky-Sled, he wedges his face into a triple chin.
Dazed and enthusiastic, Galitzine’s human charm counterbalances Eternia’s synthetic feel, a blandscape of bright forests and cliffside dungeons that looks dated — not to 1983 but to last decade’s greenscreen-heavy would-be fantasy franchises likePlease don’t make Galitzine do five of these movies, even though he’s very good. An unusually pretty leading man who is quirkier and funnier than he looks, Galitzine is the kind of rising talent Hollywood rarely knows how to handle.
In his previous roles, he gave off the impression of being flummoxed by his own attractiveness, whether as a queer prince . Here, Galitzine multiplies that self-conscious gag times a thousand, visibly dazzled by his own six-pack when he transforms from himbo to gym-bro. Even Skeletor is agog over the “big long sword dangling between his thighs.
” Smartly cast, Galitzine could prove to have the potential of Brad Pitt, another blond hunk who longed to get weird, chafing against roles that made him take off his shirt until he hit 55 and realized it was a flex. But shouldering a wobbly, expensive summer tentpole is a risk — just ask. If “Masters of the Universe” tanks, here’s hoping Galitzine summons the strength to dig himself out of the rubble.
Amy Nicholson is the film critic of the Los Angeles Times. She is a current on-air voice at LAist and KCRW, and a member of the Los Angeles Film Critics Assn. and the National Society of Film Critics. Her book “Tom Cruise: Anatomy of an Actor” was printed by Cahiers du Cinema/Phaidon Press, and her second, “Extra Girls,” will be published by Simon & Schuster. Nicholson also co-hosts the movie podcast “Unspooled.
”Leslie Grace talks her new album — plus ‘In the Heights’ and the lost ‘Batgirl’ movie on ‘The De Los Podcast’
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Movie ReviewThe He-Man and the Masters of the Universe movie has finally made it to the big screen, and it's a film that will appeal to longtime fans. The movie takes a cheeky approach, never taking itself too seriously, and it's clear that the problem was finding the right tone. The film, directed by Travis Knight, delivers a tremendous performance from Nicholas Galitzine, who embodies the opposite ethos of the entire movie: earnestness. The movie explores the idea that it's not the ability to lift heavy objects or swing big swords that makes you a man, but the entire picture of who you are as a person. Despite its flaws, the film's commitment to bringing the property to life is admirable.
Read more »
Masters of the Universe Review: A Sprawling, Charming Fantasy FilmThe new Masters of the Universe movie is a fun and exciting fantasy adventure that brings the world of Eternia to life. With a talented cast of characters, including Idris Elba, Kristen Wiig, and Jared Leto, the movie balances humor and heart, making it an entertaining and engaging watch.
Read more »
Masters of the Universe Review: A Perfect Summer BlockbusterMasters of the Universe is a fun and action-packed movie that will make fans of Mattel's long-running franchise very happy. The movie follows Prince Adam Glenn of Eternia as he grows and evolves to become the hero he's meant to be. With impressive fight choreography and a weighty approach to the fight scenes, the movie shines. Nicholas Galitzine delivers a phenomenal performance as Adam, and Jared Leto shines as the main villain, Skeletor. The movie also pays tribute to the 1987 Dolph Lundgren live-action film and features wonderful costumes that immerse you in the world of Eternia.
Read more »
‘Masters of the Universe’ Review: Not a Masterful RebootAll the bad jokes in this self-mocking blockbuster made me cringe(r).
Read more »