Displaying items by tag: Jared Leto

MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE

US, 2026, 140 minutes, Colour.

Nicholas Galitzine, Camilla Mendez, Idris Elba, Jared Leto, Johannes Hauker Johannessen, Alison Brie, Charlotte Riley, James Purefoy, Dolph Lundgren.

Directed by Travis Knight.

In the 1980s, Masters of the Universe was a Saturday morning television show, a cartoon from Mattei. Then, early in his career, Dolph Lundgren played the central character in a live action version, He-Man.

With the 2020s popularity of remakes of popular shows of the past, here is quite a lavishly produced, 140 minutes version of the cartoon. It might be called a live cartoon version, emphasis on cartoon-styled characters and appearances, performances, idiosyncrasies, very basic dialogue, more than a touch of parody, often setting itself up and expecting the audience to enjoy this kind of adventure.

Masters of the Universe first emerged in the 1980s, the period of Sword and Sorcery adventures rather than an emphasis on superheroes. The hero was He-Man (and, as the new hero starts on his adventures, whom does he encounters but Dolph Lundgren offering advice and challenge!).

This is something of an origin story for He-Man, the background of the kingdom, Castle Greyskull, a very colourful place, some of the trappings gaudy and garish, a King, his queen and little son, Adam, and the expectations of the King that Adam train military fashion, helped by his young friend, Teela, under the command of Duncan, Idris Elba, training the troops.

Then, the invasion, disaster, villain, Skeletor, looking skeletal, played by Jared Leto with a rather rhetorical British accent, and his skeletal and monstrous Lourdes, King and queen, vanquishing the Castle.

The little boy, Adam, is thrust out of the kingdom with the kingdom’s all-powerful sword – but he drops it in a marsh, and finishes up in Oklahoma City, spending 15 years growing up and working in an office, involved in Human Resources, driving many berserk with his continual telling of his story about the search for the sword, threatened by his boss with being fired. But, Adam is now very much a touchy-feely character, pink shirt, a label He/Him on his desk, quietly genial if someone diffident.

But, for fans, all is not lost. Teela finds him, brings him back to the kingdom, training, finding the sword, experience its power, being transformed into a highly muscled and buffed warrior.

Adam is not immediately accepted by the imprisoned members of the kingdom but gradually proves himself, explains that from Human Resources he learned that teamwork is essential and so they prepare to confront Skeletal, lots of battles, Teela often to the rescue, Duncan reviving with energy and leadership, and Adam reconciled with his-father and reunited with his mother.

However, he is transformed and becomes the leader, He-Man, British actor Nicholas Galitzine throwing himself wholeheartedly into playing the genial Adam as well as the warrior He-Man.

This film is an appeal to the fans of old as well as reaching out to the younger generation – but, the scenario and dialogue, the in-jokey references, the touch of parody are very much at the level of enthusiastic 13 to 14-year-old boys.

TRON: ARES

US, 2025, 119 minutes, Colour.

Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Jeff Bridges, Evan Peters, Jodie Turner-Smith, Hasan Minhaj, Arturo Castro, Gillian Anderson.

Directed by Joachim Honning.

Just over 40 years ago, there was a dramatic breakthrough in visual style in movies, focus on computer games in the early years, AI experimentation, IT business rivalries. This was Tron, starring Jeff Bridges. It can be seen as something of an alert to what was to come in imaginative moviemaking.

Then, 25 years later, 2020, the sequel: Tron: Legacy. In this meantime, IT technology, special effects and computer graphics had developed substantially. And the scenario moved from one generation, the Flynns, led initially by Jeff Bridges, and his rival with the ominous American name, Dillinger, David Warner. They have given way to the next generation and technology and business conflicts, Kevin Flynn, Bridges’ character, trapped in The Grid.

It is now only 15 years since Tron: Legacy. And the scenario has moved to the next generation, but the Flynn business taken over by two Korean-American sisters, one dead, the other, Eve Kom, played by Greta Lee, in the struggle with the new Dillinger generation, Julian, played by Evan Peter. One might say that Julian is not bothered by moral scruples – although his mother, a cameo by Gillian Anderson, does raise some questions of integrity. And, 40 years later, here is a venerable Jeff Bridges, a cameo reappearance as Kevin Flynn.

For the running time of the film, the central characters and the audience are confined, practically trapped, in the Grid. And in terms of characters, the scenario is confined to the key characters in the conflicts, Eve and her eager assistant as well as the public relations representative versus Julian. Not too many humans taking major roles. Sometimes, throughout the action, it is reassuring to see that some kind of normal life is going on in the background, the buildings in the streets, cars in the streets, glimpses of actual people…

The main life characters, in fact, are AI created warriors, Ares, with the name of the God of War, played by a rather subdued in comparison with his other performances, Jared Leto. The other is Athena, Jodie Turner-Smith, African-American, with a gold shaved head, named after wisdom but certainly, as the action goes on, female version of Ares.

The technology explains how they are created, the work of Julian Dillinger, a certain time span before they disintegrate and are reassembled, but, as they interact with the humans, developing many human qualities themselves. Which builds up to a confrontation because Ares sees the malice of Julian and becomes an ally of Eve whereas Athena builds up the hostility and confrontations.

But, perhaps the principal impact of this version of Tron is in the visuals, the darkness of the Grid illuminated by flashing light, red light, swift moving, part of the battles as more and more creations take to battling against Eve, rather spectacular confrontations. And, eventually, as we guess, a dramatic one-to-one.

It looks as though Ares has the potential to become a kind of AI superhero if there are to be more adventures (and the screenplay more than indicates that this is the intention) and Ares is given something of a saviour figure status in a momentary recreation of da Vinci’s Last Supper with him at the centre.

Probably best for the fans and for any audiences interested in technological visual developments – and another superhero franchise.

1. The franchise, over 40 years, the episode in 2011, 2025, the next generation?
2. The original, the plotting, the Flynn family, the rivalry with the Dillingers, AI, the science and technology, the technical possibilities?
3. The visuals, locations, labs, machines, special effects, the creation of Ares and Athena? The functioning? The musical score?
4. The Flynns, Kevin trapped in the Grid, his reappearance?
5. ENCOM, the history of the company, Eve, career, new manager, seth as her assistant, Ajay Singh and his expertise? The contrast with the Dillinger company, Julian, his motives, malicious, rivalries? The intervention of his mother? His staff, achievement, headquarters?
6. The creation of Ares and Athena, AI, capacity for absorbing human qualities? Disintegration and reconstruction?
7. Ares, his mission, the interactions with Eve, Alaska, the pursuit, the contrast with Athena, working for Julian? The buildup to conflict between the two?
8. The character of Ares, machine, superhero qualities, humane qualities, action, interventions, skills, final achievement?
9. Julian, his defeat? Eve, her final success?
10. A film for the fans, the story and characters, the technology, the musical score, the special effects? Ready for a sequel?