Masters of the Universe movie review: It doesn’t do to go around dressed in a loincloth, wielding a shiny sword and declaring oneself “He-Man” these days – at least not in a big-bucks Hollywood film that is hoping not to cause any affront, to he, she, they, them, or it.So how do you tap into a character that was born as a Mattel toy and largely remembered only by an audience who first encountered him as an animated TV series in the 1980s, and is now into their middle age? Director Travis Knight and screenwriters Chris Butler and Adam and Aaron Nee (who have several award nominations between them) settle on a tone that is constantly mocking the whole concept while trying to kick off a successful franchise with it.Also read | Michael Jackson The Verdict review: A reality check for fans after $850-mn biopic whitewashIt is surprising how well they are able to do this when they do it well. It is as surprising how the film still manages to feel and look like a frenetic video game being played by a bunch of compulsive teenagers.As He-Man aka Prince Adam of Eternia, Nicholas Galitzine must literally do the heavy lifting. The English actor is a good choice for, more than muscle, he wields his mega-wattage smile and blond, wholesome good looks, to give a He-Man with a difference, which is what this film is going for.As his arch enemy, Jared Leto is excellent as the faceless Skeletor, given the juiciest lines which he delivers with a flourish that puts him in the category of villains who almost walk away with the film. From “pitiful petulant pissant (and several more ‘p’s)” to “muscle-bound milquetoast”, to “weak little palace boys”, Skeletor lays out his contempt for Adam thick.Masters of the Universe movie trailer:Camila Mendes and Idris Elba are the daughter-father pair of Teela and Duncan, Adam’s loyal companions when he decides to take on Skeletor. The dark lord has for company Evil-Lyn (Alison Brie, living it up), his witch-at-hand who is just about surviving with the few tricks she knows.When Adam is just 10, Skeletor attacks Eternia and holds Adam’s parents – the King and Queen – hostage. Adam escapes to Earth with the help of the Sorceress (Morena Baccarin). Fifteen years later, he is still dreaming of Eternia and to find the Sword of Power that will take him back there. When he does, with the help of Mendes’s Teela, the film kicks off.Story continues below this adIt feels compelled after that to keep kicking as much as possible, with Adam, Teela and the lot vs Skeletor’s army of deplorables fighting in the sky, in flying objects one more inventive than the next, or on the ground, against imposing castles or rock faces for backdrop. At other times, they just fall and fall, onto flora in psychedelic colours.In his Earth life, Adam worked in Human Resources, where he was paid to be as faceless as possible, behind a nameplate that bore two pronouns, and learnt to talk the language of “how not to hurt feelings even when firing someone”, and dialogue as the means of conflict resolution. Of course, this must clash with his new macho life in Eternia.Masters of the Universe is smart about playing up the contrasts, particularly a sequence where Adam dreams of encountering Skeletor in different scenarios on Earth, including in pinstripes at work.Among the many minor characters who are sketched out nicely is Roboto (Kristen Wiig), a warrior robot now turned into a helper robot, who has a mouth as much as a punch.Story continues below this adHowever, Masters of the Universe is too eager to rush into fights, with no coherence about where and to what effect the battles are being waged – just that they are.When the Sword won’t help Skeletor as he holds it up and declares the magic words “I have the Power”, Evil-Lyn advises him to try again: “Once more, with feeling.”This is once more – you can’t shake off that feeling.Masters of the Universe movie cast: Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Idris Elba, Jared Leto, Alison Brie, Kristen Wiig, Morena BaccarinMasters of the Universe movie director: Travis KnightMasters of the Universe movie rating: 3.5 stars