Now Showing: Masters of the Universe: The Sword of Power

 

Masters of the Universe: The Sword of Power

Genre: Action/Fantasy

Director: Len Wiseman

Writer: Mark Newton

Based on the animated series

Cast: Alan Ritchson, Samara Weaving, Callan Mulvey, Eleanor Tomlinson, Manu Bennett, Rufus Sewell, Dolph Lundgren, Virginia Madsen, Katheryn Winnick, Olga Kurylenko

Many moons ago...

In the golden halls of Castle Grayskull, joy is in the air. A younger King Randor (Dolph Lundgren), who has only recently become king, and his wife Marlena (Virgina Madsen), along with the rest of the Kingdom of Eternia, are celebrating the birth of twin - Adam and Adora. Banners float in the the breeze and music fills the air, but there are whispers from the dark reaches of the planet of the twins' intertwined destinies. 

Hordak (Rufus Sewell) and his younger pupil Keldor (Callan Mulvey), the man who will eventually become Skeletor, slither through the castle's corridors. In the nursery, Man-At-Arms (Manu Bennett), then known as Duncan, stands guard. When Hordak and Keldor emerge from the shadows and reach for the twins, Duncan is quick to attack the intruders. Hordak manages to snatch infant Adora and flee the castle. Leaving Keldor behind to be captured by other guards and imprisoned.

Duncan and King Randor pursue Hordak all the way to Snake Mountain. Just as they catch up to him in a deep cavern, Hordak disappears through a portal with Adora into another dimension. Randor tries to follow, but the portal closes before he can. Randor roars in anguish. Randor and Duncan return to Castle Grayskull empty-handed. Randor and Marlena are crushed at the loss of their daughter, but they wish not to instill fear in the people of Eternia. They call upon the Sorceress (Katheryn Winnick). She weaves her magic through the kingdom. The minds of Eternians are rewritten with her spell, their memories of Adora erased. Only a select few retain the truth: King Randor, Queen Marlena, Duncan, and the Sorceress herself.

Thirty years later...

Castle Grayskull, in the heart of Eternia, stands high above the kingdom as Skeletor's horde of skeleton forces attack. Seeing the onslaught, Prince Adam (Alan Ritchson) transforms into He-Man. On one side of the castle Adam and Man-At-Arms fight valiantly against Skeletor's horde - Adam with his sword of power and Man-At-Arms with his energy blasters. They work together with the Sorceress  to fight back the forces. King Randor , a seasoned warrior and ruler of Eternia, leads the charge on the opposite flank. Skeletor  himself emerges, attacking Randor with his obsidian blade. 

Meanwhile, Evil-Lyn (Olga Kurylenko) has taken advantage of the various battles and captures Teela (Eleanor Tomlinson), Adam's beloved. She uses her magic to bind Teela, taking her outside. Adam hears Teela scream for help. Adam uses his powers to transform his pet tiger Cringer into Battle Cat. Adam rides Battle Cat toward Teela's screams.

The duel between Skeletor and Randor still rages up to the steps of the castle, toward the throne of Eternia. Skeletor's magic and sword overwhelm Randor. Skeletor stabs Randor through the heart with his osidian blade. Randor stumbles to the floor as blood seeps from his wounds. Skeletor makes his escape from the castle, with his damage being done.

Adam catches up with Evil-Lyn and Teela, but she steps through a shimmering portal. They are soon joined by Skeletor, who taunts Adam, telling him he might want to check on his father. Adam rushes back to the Castle Grayskull on Battle Cat to find his father King Randor lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood. Queen Marlena is by her husband's side, her regal gown stained in Randor's blood. Adam kneels down at his father's side as well. Randor with his last bit of life grabs Adam and tells him to protect Eternia.

Teela, now a captive in Skeletor's lair in Snake Mountain, struggles against her bonds. Evil-Lyn cackles at having captured the Sorceress' daughter. This is news to Teela, having not known her mother is the Sorceress. 

Queen Marlena tells her son Adam that he has a secret twin sister that has been hidden from him all these years named Adora. She explains to Adam that Adora was stolen from them as an infant, taken to Etheria by the malevolent Hordak. She insists that she and Randor searched for her, but were unable to travel to the world she was taken to without leaving Eternia susceptible to Skeletor's forces. She tells Adam that he must team up with Adora as she wields the Sword of Protection just as Adam wields the Sword of Power. Both blades will be required to pierce the veil of evil that shrouds Skeletor. 

The Sorceress steps forward. She offers to create a portal to Etheria, knowing that this is the only way to make the kingdom of Eternia one again. She channels her magic. A rift materializes - a swirling vortex of energy. Adam steps forward with Cringer. Adam calls on the Power of Grayskull, transforming himself back into He-Man and Cringer back into Battle Cat. Together they step into the Sorceress' portal to Etheria.

After He-Man and Battle Cat have disappeared, the Sorceress channels as much cosmic energy as she can to send a psychic message to Adora, telling her that her brother has come looking for her. Adora doesn't know what to think of the message, assuming it was just a strange dream.

Adam rides Battle Cat through the jagged landscape of Etheria. Its skies are perpetually overcast, its soil scarred by the tyranny of the land's dictator, Hordak. Soon, bat-like creatures swoop down at Adam. He slashes at them with his sword. Battle Cat roars, swiping at the creatures with its claws. And then, she appears - a figure clad in white armor and a crimson cape, riding her white horse, Spirit - Adora (Samara Weaving), Hordak's loyal captain. Adam arms himself with his Sword of Power when he sees both his sword and her Sword of Protection both glowing in their close proximity. At that moment, Adam makes a choice. He allows himself to be captured by his long lost twin, raising his hands in surrender. Expecting a battle, Adora demands to know why Adam has surrendered. Adam simply tells her that they share more than a battlefield in common.

In the recesses of Snake Mountain, Evil-Lyn continues to taunt Teela after she learned that Teela did not know she is the daughter of the Sorceress. Skeletor tells Evil-Lyn that the taunting is not necessay, Teela is simply a pawn in his plan to take control over Eternia. Teela tries to wriggle free from her chains to no success.

Adam is imprisoned in a cold, iron dungeon. Adora interrogates him, demanding to know who Adam is and where he comes form. Adam tells her that he is Prince Adam of Eternia. Adora says it is impossible that Adam is from Eternia. Adam continues, revealing that he came from Eternia to Etheria in order to find her - his long lost twin sister. Adora is stunned, realizing that the Sorceress' psychic message was no dream after all. Adora whispers asking if it he is really speaking the truth. Adam tells Adora that he came to find her as they need to work together to save Eternia and Teela his beloved from the grasp of Skeletor. He tells her that their mother said that their two swords - the Sword of Power and the Sword of Protection - will need to be used together and will make them both stronger than they are alone. 

Adora is called into the chambers of Etheria's ruler, Hordak, who has become something of a sorcerer-king over the years. Cybernetic enhancements have kept him young and repaired the battle wounds that he earned on his way to power. Hordak asks Adora to tell him about the new prisoner. Adora is careful with how she speaks to Hordak - the only father-figure she has ever known. She lies to him, claiming that the prisoner is noboy important, just another worthless rebel. Hordak senses that Adora is not telling him the entire truth. Adora's mind races as she tries to formulate a story. Finally, she tells Hordak that the prisoner is stubborn and did not break upon her interrogation to tell her what rebel group he is aligned with. Hordak touches Adora's cheek and asks her if her loyalty wavers. Adora looks him in the eyes and insists that her loyalty is to him. Hordak dismisses Adora, but hints that he may have a talk with this new prisoner himself.

That night, Adora kneels in her quarters, with the Sword of Protection cradled in her hands. Its blade begins to shimmer. She hears the voice of the Sorceress telling her to look into the past. The light of the sword projects the images of her origin. Adora watches the projection as her infant self is torn from the arms of her true parets, King Randor's desperate pursuit, Duncan's loyalty. The power of Grayskull surges through Adora's veins. She stands, her sword ablaze. Her armor shifts, morphing her into She-Ra. 

She-Ra uses her powers to fight through Hordak's bat-like guards, eventually reaching Adam's cell. She gives him back his Sword of Power. As soon as his hand reaches the blade, his armor morphs into the armor of He-Man. As they leave the dungeon, He-Man mounts his Battle Cat. She-Ra mounts her horse Spirit, who begins transforming, becoming Swift Wing, a winged unicorn. Together the twins flee, leaving chaos in their wake. Hordak arrives to speak with the prisoner, finding him gone. Hordak orders his guards to find the prisoner and Adora. He-Man and She-Ra ride away from Hordak's palace of pain, galloping through a portal back to Eternia opened up by the Sorceress.

As Adam and Adora arrive to the Castle Grayskull, tears of both joy and sorrow stream from Queen Marlena's eyes as she hugs Adora for the first time since she was newly born. Adora looks around and asks where her father is. Marlenda regretfully informs Adora that Randor was killed by Skeletor's blade. Man-At-Arms steps forward to tell everyone that he has scouted Snake Mountain where Skeletor and Evil-Lyn are keeping Teela captive. Adora recognizes Man-At-Arms from the Sorceress' projection, thanking him for the effort he took to try to rescue her when she was taken. Man-At-Arms refuses to take any credit, insisting it was his duty to King Randor. Adam asks Adora to help him save Teela from Skeletor's clutches.  Adora agrees, saying that she would be a bad sister if she didn't help. 

And so, they rode - He-Man, She-Ra and Man-At-Arms. Battle Cat roars while Swift Wing glides against the winde. They descend upon Snake Mountain. They sneak through the caverns of the mountain until they find Skeletor's inner-sanctum. He-Man charges at Skeletor while She-Ra clashes with Evil-Lyn. Man-At-Arms, meanwhile, works to free Teela from her chains. Once Teela is free and at a safe distance, He-Man stops the fighting. He smiles at Skeletor, telling him that today is not his day. The Sorceress' magic conjures a portal behind them. He-Man, She-Ra, Man-At-Arms, Teela, Battle Cat and Swift Wing all disappear into the portal.

Upon returning to Castle Grayskull, Teela kisses Adam. When she sees the  Sorceress present though, she confronts her, demanding to know why the Sorceress never admitted to being her mother. The Sorceress explains that she simply wanted Teela to be able to grow up as a normal Eternian. 

Back at Snake Mountain, Hordak emerges through a portal of his own creation. He discovers that his old base of operations has now become home to his former pupil Keldor, who is now Skeletor, the principal enemy of Eternia. The two decide to reach a temporary alliance. Skeletor wants to rule Eternia, while Hordak wants Adora returned to Etheria. Hordak's bat army merges with Skeletor's skeleton army to create a potent force. 

As the armies reach the Castle Grayskull, the sun dips low in the sky, casting long shadows upon the battlefield. He-Man, She-Ra and Man-At-Arms fight side by side as the army reaches the castle walls. Skeleton soldiers crumble, bat creatures fall from the skies. The forces of good lay waste to the nameless soldiers of Skeletor and Hordak. Skeletor and He-Man begin battling up along a stairwell leading to the top of the highest tower in the kingdom. Sparks fly as He-Man's Sword of Power clangs against the obsidian blade that killed his father. Meanwhile, She-Ra faces off against Hordak. She-Ra with the power of Grayskull and the Sword of Protection gains the upperhand on the tyrant. Just as she is about to kill him, she hesitates just a moment, remembering that Hordak is the only family she had ever known until very recently. Taking advantage of She-Ra's hesitation, Hordak cowardly teleports away from Eternia. He-Man continues to grapple with Skeletor atop the tower. Skeletor lunges at him. He-Man uses Skeletor's momentum against him, sending him hurtling over the edge of the tower.

After the battle, a search is conducted for Skeletor's body, but none is found. Adora reveals that she froze when it came time to kill Hordak and he managed to teleport away.

In the grand hall of Castle Grayskull, Queen Marlena announces that the time has come for a new era. She tells Adam that he has earned the right to be the new king of Eternia. As she puts Randor's crown upon Adam's head, Marlena tells Adam that his father would be pround of him.

Adora is happy that she has found a family in Eternia, but something is missing. She tells Adam that she plans to return to Etheria to lead the rebel resistance against Hordak with the goal being to make Etheria more like Eternia. Adam gives his sister a hug, telling her that she will always have a home at Castle Grayskull. Adora rides Spirit away from the castle, waving to her new family as she disappears into a portal created by the Sorceress.

The now King Adam proposes marriage to Teela, asking her to be his queen - Eternia needs a new one now after all. Teela only has to think for a brief moment before excitedly agreeing with a kiss.