Masters of the Universe

3.5/5

Each year I like to ask a couple variations of a similar question. What movie did they get that I didn’t? And what movie did I get that they didn’t? This year, I’m already thinking about Obsession - which is the movie that just did not work for me (despite my deep appreciation for how it was made), but is resonating deeply with audiences, who are propelling it on a truly historic box office run (overtaking Star Wars, increasing weekend after weekend - it’s a true outlier and will likely be the biggest story of the summer). And now I have found an answer to the other question. The film that I greatly enjoyed that almost no one else seems to get. That film is Masters of the Universe.

I’ll confess I am not much of a He-Man fan. I don’t have fond childhood memories of it. I maybe caught glimpses of the show when I was younger. But Batman, it is not. So, lo and behold, I am as surprised as anyone what a delight this movie is. Like 2024s Fall Guy, I am sad to report that another excellent summer blockbuster has been released and has somehow failed to connect with audiences.

Masters of the Universe is a treasure - and it’s the closest thing we will get to a boy-version of the Barbie movie. For a property that started as toys before any sort of narrative took hold, I am as shocked as you may be about how successful it is at being a movie with a complete narrative.

Like Barbie, Masters of the Universe works because it’s not aiming to be the shallowest adaptation of a property for mass audiences - it has a vision and a message and while it doesn’t always hit, I can’t help respect the swings it takes. And the thing is, more than enough here works to warrant a trip to the multiplex.

For one, this film feels like an antidote to the Marvel+Star Wars=Disney machine. This film immediately has stakes. It smartly twists the usual blockbuster formula that we are so accustomed to in ways that keep this film familiar but fresh.

For example, I love that our hero remembers his past - there is no amnesia at play here to conveniently create conflict as he learns about his powers or his past. Instead, the film smartly leans into the humor of a grown man trying to tell people he grew up on another world with absurd landmarks like Castle Greyskull. And this really feels like the ethos in the entire film. At no point is the movie trying to be anything else than the best possible Masters of the Universe film, and it does so by leaning into what makes it special. This all started because of toys, and the whole film feels like a child’s imagination running wild with the newest action figures.

There is no pandering to the audience here. There is no cute little creature designed by a focus group to make you care about something regardless of whether the narrative earns those feelings (Ahem, Mandalorian).

And the action! Travis Knight impressed greatly with every action sequence and set piece. The CGI does not feel floaty and weightless, every punch and kick feels real and powerful. There are no quick cuts - these battles are well choreographed and Knight ensures you have the best view the whole time.

From a technical perspective the film is outstanding. But then it does something really special with the narrative, too. Perfectly poking fun at gender norms (like Barbie), it was a blast to see Nicholas Galitzine prantz and fight in a miniskirt and harness, while his childhood friend Camila Mendes is fully dressed. This film highlights the ways our masculine ideals can sometimes be toxic, and paves a way forward to be more authentic and open-minded.

And I guess that’s probably why this film isn’t working for most people. This is not really for kids (way too many sexual innuendos), and it’s asking a lot of a potential fan-base - to basically reject the nostalgia-tinted glasses that we so often wear and expect more, better, and new things from those that held a fondness to in the past. Masters of the Universe feels like an antidote to nostalgia-slop - the remake of the remake that seems incapable of doing anything besides hitting the exact same beats. Masters of the Universe works so well because it simultaneously comments, criticizes, and elevates its source material. That may be why audiences are missing it: Masters of the Universe is not selling nostalgia back to us; it is asking nostalgia to grow up.