Synopsis: In MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE, Director Travis Knight brings the legendary franchise back to the big screen in this epic live-action adventure. After being separated for 15 years, the Sword of Power leads Prince Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) back to Eternia where he discovers his home shattered under the fiendish rule of Skeletor (Jared Leto). To save his family and his world, Adam must join forces with his closest allies, Teela (Camila Mendes) and Duncan/Man-At-Arms (Idris Elba), and embrace his true destiny as He-Man — the most powerful man in the universe.
What We Thought:
Masters of the Universe is way more entertaining than it has any right being. I almost skipped it because I thought the trailers looked terrible. I’m an 80s MOTU kid so I have expectations of what a MOTU film should be and the trailers did not look good to me. The only thing the movie had going for it was that it was from Travis Knight. Travis Knight directed Bumblebee which is the only watchable live-action Transformers movie made so him being attached to this was the only shot I had of being entertained.
Thanks to Knight I had fun with Masters of the Universe. Don’t get me wrong, it has plenty of issues and is way too long, but I genuinely found myself enjoying it throughout most of the movie. Knight’s film feels like a movie for adults who grew up on the cartoon and collected all the toys. Well that’s me. There are plenty of characters you’ll recognize if you grew up on 80s MOTU and lots of inside jokes from the cartoon and pop culture since then. For a movie I considered passing up, it hits more than it misses.
Yes Knight updates the story by having Prince Adam escape to Earth, living there for fifteen years before coming back to Eternia, but it actually works. It has a great opening which leads to why Adam must escape (think Superman and Krypton), but unlike the Man of Steel, Adam leaves Earth to take back his home. The story works if you are already a fan and know of Castle Grayskull, Eternia, Skeletor and all the characters.
Why the film itself works is because it doesn’t take itself seriously. It very much feels like an old school space opera with a story out of John Carter or Flash Gordon. It feels like the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie or what Taika Waititi wishes he made with his Thor movies. Old school sci-fi serials were over-the-top fun and ridiculous and Knight leans into all of that. Add in the pop culture references and the 80s campiness of the cartoon and adult fans will find themselves laughing and cheering along. Plus it has a killer soundtrack. If the 1980 Flash Gordon flick is remembered for its soundtrack and score by Queen, and the Guardians movies are remembered for their soundtracks hand picked by James Gunn, MOTU will have audiences feeling the same way. The soundtrack and score mixed with the visual effects and jokes are all one great, big combo that worked for me.
As much as I enjoyed Masters of the Universe I genuinely can’t predict what it’s going to do at the box office because I have no idea who the film is for. I’m a GenX guy who grew up playing with He-Man toys that also enjoys sci-fi serials and all the movies I’ve mentioned. It’s made for me, but the trailers definitely aren’t targeted towards me so I’m not sure how much of my generation is going to show up. I also don’t think it’s kid-friendly enough and I’m not sure if my 7 year old nephew should watch it. It could very easily bomb like John Carter or Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. It could also catch fire and surprise people like Guardians of the Galaxy. I’m surprised that I enjoyed it so maybe it’ll get good word of mouth and catch on. All I know is that Travis Knight is proving more than capable of adapting 80s IPs into live-action flicks so he should be handed Thundercats immediately or if WB is smart, they ditch Gunn and let Knight take over the DC Universe. Knight would bring fun and humor to that for sure instead of the grimy, edgy, fan hating flicks they currently put out. If you grew up with He-Man toys and think 1980’s Flash Gordon is super fun then the live-action Masters of the Universe is…
RECOMMENDED!
Starring Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Alison Brie, James Purefoy, Morena Baccarin, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Charlotte Riley, Featuring Kristen Wiig as the voice of “Roboto” with Jared Leto and Idris Elba
Directed by Travis Knight
The Nerds Templar 