Masters of the Universe Movie Review: A Silly, Fun Adventure Perfect for Family Entertainment!

MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE

(12A) 132mins

★★★☆☆

Duncan, Adam and Teela are on a mission to defeat Skeletor Credit: Alamy

CHILDREN’S TV shows in the Eighties were relatively scarce.

So most kids, myself included, would pore over the cartoon He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe at the weekend.

Based on the Mattel toy of the muscle man, this is the second feature (the first being 1987’s stinker of the same name) that brings to life the characters many of us had on our lunch boxes.

In the scene-setting prologue, we are introduced to Prince Adam (Nicholas Galitzine), and the magical land of Eternia which is ruled by his father, King Randor (James Purefoy).

Then Eternia is attacked by Skeletor () and his army of lunatic fighters.

Duncan (), the chief Man-At-Arms, desperately tries to protect a young Adam, but the prince must be sent through a portal to with the strict instructions to hold on to the sword, as it gives him the ability to return.

Hilariously, Adam loses the sword en route and spends the next 15 years on Earth trying to find it.

This involves putting up endless missing posters, advertising online, and even checking sword websites. Something that doesn’t go down well in his HR job.

Adam eventually manages to find his weapon with the help of some geeks and is immediately hunted by Skeletor’s army.

Luckily, childhood pal Teela () swoops in to take him back to Eternia, where Adam turns into a buff, bronzed, loincloth-wearing superhero, He-Man: the most powerful dude in the universe.

There, his ­prior­ity is to reach Castle Grayskull and defeat Skeletor and his devoted lady friend, Evil-Lyn ().

He takes his motley crew of hard-fighting heroes with him — and many, many ­minutes of bloodless battles follow.

A tremendous amount of goodies and baddies are thrown against pillars in the castle, with little to no consequences. These scenes can feel repetitive and even frustrating, as there’s little jeopardy.

But, there’s plenty of laughs along the way, with Adam continuing to be a bit of a doofus, even after he has bulked up into He-Man.

There’s also a nod to the first film, with original He-Man Dolph Lundgren, making a cameo that will certainly satisfy superfans.

There’s also plenty in this silly, fun film to entertain the family with a few unexpected sniggers thrown in.

MADFABULOUS

(12A) 108mins

★★★☆☆

Callum Scott Howells as Henry, 5th Marquess of Anglesey, and Rupert Everett as Gelert Credit: James Stack Inc. All Rights Reserved

THIS quirky historical British drama is based on the true story of Henry Paget, the 5th Marquess of Anglesey.

A black sheep, Henry (It’s A Sin’s Callum Scott Howells) arrives in dress­ed in a decadent ball gown and looking for mischief.

He is a man far ahead of his time, and this is highlighted when he is greeted by his uptight extended family and butler Gelert (Rupert Everett).

Henry soon marries his dreamy and playful cousin, Lily (Ruby Stokes), who adores him and his passions for and the arts, but ignores his clearly questionable sexuality.

The two certainly have a bond, but it’s more like playmates than lovers.

Eventually, Henry’s ailing health puts pay to his hedonistic lifestyle, and he dies aged 29 having spent a breathtaking sum of money. Howells’ performance is giddy, while Everett brings his expertise, as always.

There’s a wonderful photograph of the real man himself, looking very confident with his flamboyance.

Directed by Celyn Jones, sadly the film never really gets under Henry’s skin and depicts him more as a caricature than the clearly complicated man he was.

SAVAGE HOUSE

(15) 114mins

★★★★☆

Claire Foy as Lady Savage and Richard E Grant as Sir Chauncey Savage Credit: Paramount Pictures/Dean Rogers. All Rights Reserved

ENGLAND in the 18th century was a pretty grim place.

If you didn’t have Smallpox, you may well have had rotten teeth, gout or gangrene.

Even the upper classes suffered, as is shown in this hilarious and often horrifying film featuring an abundance of British talent.

Sir Chauncery Savage () and Lady Savage () are living hand to mouth in their crumbling manor. The couple aren’t conventional for the time.

Lady Savage is from a blue bloodline, but married her tearaway husband within weeks of meeting him.

Chauncery is from the lower classes, but thoroughly embraces his wife’s money, over the years blowing a lot on bad business and brothels.

A letter from Lord and Lady Devonshire asking to attend dinner at the ruined mansion sends the couple into a spin.

Deciding this could be the making of them, they sell heirlooms, employ criminals, perform duels and have affairs – all in a bid to impress.

Directed by Peter Glanz, this very dark has echoes of 2019’s The Favourite, with plenty of spectacle and satire.