He-Man Isn’t an 80s Archetype and That’s By Design [EXCLUSIVE]

He-Man from this iteration of Masters of the Universe isn’t an 80s archetype this time around, and that’s largely by design.

The Mary Sue’s Rachel Leishman sat down with Masters of the Universe director Travis Knight to talk about the new film. Our friend mentioned that the soundtrack never quite veers into nostalgia overload. And, Knight thinks that’s by design.Yes, He-Man is an 80s creation. But, it was important to not cynically lean into that decade. 

During our chat, Knight mentioned the amazing work of Dario Marinelli. The composer helped bring Bumblebee roaring to life. He and Knight have proved to be a great team on 3 films. 

But, this time, Spider-Verse alum Daniel Pemberton climbed aboard Masters of the Universe. His ethos ended up helping inform the story of Prince Adam this time around.

Knight began, “For this movie, I worked with a composer who was brilliant, Daniel Pemberton, who also is a genius and the kind of, finding the balance of tone and spirit for this movie was something critical to get right.” 

“In my initial conversation with Daniel, my big touchstone was the 1980s movie Flash Gordon. Famously scored by Queen and Queen kind of encapsulated everything I was going for in this movie,” the director added. “In that it’s big, operatic, theatrical, it’s over the top. It’s balls to the wall craziness. And yet, there’s something beautiful and emotionally sincere about their work and complex emotions. That really was what the movie was. So, that kind of became the core, part of the musical story of the movie.”

Masters of the Universe goes past 1980s nostalgia

As great as that old soundtrack was, it was important for the Masters of the Universe team to do something different this time around. After all, it’s been a long layover for he man to make it back to the big screen. 

Knight and his collaborators thought about something that feels underrated for a series based upon such a merchandisable concept. Namely, sincerity!

 Yeah, Nicholas Galitzine is ready to throw down as our leading man. But, there’s a real heart that shines through all the magic swords and epic fight sequences in Masters of the Universe. It’s important that the film never lost sight of that emotional core.

“The way Daniel phrased it was extreme sincerity. Which, I think, is kind of a funny way of looking at it. I think I agree,” Knight shared. “And, then once again that was the bedrock, that was the foundation of the musical story that we’re telling.” 

“But, then finding just the right song for the right moment in a way that can playfully, and kind of cheekily, and emotionally speak to different aspects of the character’s story along the way,” he added. “That was critical to get right.”

Well, judging from our critics’ reaction they managed to achieve that balance with some aplomb. We wouldn’t have minded hearing more 1980s jams on the soundtrack. But, having the movie be such a fun ride more than makes up for it.

He-Man has the power in theaters on June 5.

(featured image: Amazon MGM Studios)

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