(film review) - Masters of the Universe

I grew up on 'He-Man and the Masters of the Universe' cartoon, and when I think of ‘80s cartoons, not many hold the kind of place in my heart that He-Man does. There have been a few attempts over the years to recapture that magic—a good example being the 2011 ThunderCats reboot, which I thought was actually really strong in its anime style, but it never caught on. And then there was the Netflix Masters of the Universe series, directed by Kevin Smith. That was a continuation of the ‘80s show, and for a while, I was completely hooked. It dug deeper into the lore, gave us new angles, but at a certain point, it lost me. I’m not sure if it was all canon or if they were just experimenting, but some of the choices didn’t sit right with me. Still, even when it veered off, it had brilliant ideas, and the animation was top-tier.

So when I saw Travis Knight was directing the new Masters of the Universe movie—this is the guy who gave us 'Bumblebee', which was a breath of fresh air in a Transformers franchise that was losing steam—my interest piqued. Then I saw the pedigree of the film. Knight gave us 'Paranorman' and 'Kubo and the Two Strings', so he’s proven he can handle imaginative worlds with heart. And for me, overall, Masters of the Universe was entertaining—but it left me disappointed as it could have been so much more.

The film follows Prince Adam of Eternia, a young boy sent to Earth after a cosmic event. As he searches for the Sword of Power, he’s eventually found by Teela and brought back home, where Skeletor has left Eternia in ruins. Adam must discover his inner strength, do the right thing, and defeat Skeletor.

Is the movie bad? No. It’s fun, it’s got energy, and I’d absolutely watch it again because I did have a good time. But it’s a film that could have been so much more with a few key improvements—mainly in the dialogue, tone, and execution. The story is fine—it hits all the beats—but the supporting characters, though not the focus, could have been fleshed out a bit more. The acting was a mixed bag—some performances skirting between decent and flat-out weak—and I think a lot of that fell on the direction. The dialogue didn’t always land, and the tone was all over the place. At times, it felt like a throwback to the ‘80s cartoon—made to sell toys—while I know there are films out there that balance being kid-friendly but still sophisticated—like Pixar or Marvel, for example. Here, it felt like they didn’t quite know how to strike that balance.

I’d heard before going in that the humour didn’t always land and that serious moments were undercut by offbeat jokes—there’s a lot of rapid-fire innuendo, and yeah, a few went too far and broke the tone. That said, there was a thin layer of camp that, surprisingly, I didn’t mind. And even though Nicholas Galitzine was solid (despite some of the character choices they went for), and Idris Elba was good, Skeletor stole this movie. I know Jared Leto gets a lot of hate—some of it totally fair after his Joker antics—but as Skeletor, he brought a perfect balance of menace and camp. I think people either do not know or forget he is an Academy Award-winning actor, because he captured that iconic laugh, the sinister charm, and gave the role his own twist. If you love Skeletor from the cartoon, you’re going to love him here—he was, for me, the highlight.

The score is fantastic, the special effects are mostly great, and the action sequences are solid, but where the film really falters is in its tonal execution. It didn’t quite know how to balance a film for adults aimed at kids—or vice versa—like Pixar or even Marvel often manage. And I can’t help but think, maybe Knight had a better cut, and due to studio interference, this is what we got, because with someone who brought us earlier films which are deemed as really good to great by many, what happened here? Everything about the world, the world-building and even how they explained the character names was very well done and it worked, but as a whole, for me, I was simply disappointed because they played it simple and safe. I really hope they do a sequel and, due to the post-credits, open up the world a bit more, but maybe the movie will do well internationally, leading to a sequel where they can learn from what went wrong in this one and improve on it.

(trailer review) - Wonder Woman 1984

(Official Main Trailer)

(Official Main Trailer)

(Official Trailer)

I'm guessing this is the FINAL trailer as the link only says "Official Main Trailer" (again) but having looked at the above two links, the Official Main Trailer above for the Warner Bros. UK & Ireland YouTube page is pretty much the exact same trailer!

I'm not sure if this is an error on their behalf, or maybe it is because I have access to UK & Ireland YouTube page, but this is or at least seems like the same exact trailer from August where at the end, Wonder Woman grabs Cheetah by the scruff of the neck.  With talks of possibly now dropping this movie on HBO Max and countries where cinema's are still open, in the UK, our cinema's are closed and we do not have access to HBO Max, so it's interesting how this would now pan out!

Directed by Patty Jenkins and starring Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright

(trailer review) - Wonder Woman 1984

(Official Main Trailer)

(Official Trailer)

What has been really weird of lately is that, I've not reviewed a few trailers and many would go by and somehow I would, well, not review it for some reason.  I'm going to try and get on top of that in a way that benefits us both, myself the reviewer and you, the reader.  In some ways, I'm thankful because I'm not reviewing 26 trailers for one film or TV series, like The Boys for a good example, but then at the same time, I'm not reviewing the subtle differences with these trailers.  The Official Trailer was 8th December 2019, pre-covid....lol!

Anyway, this trailer is a huge step up from an already great looking trailer.  It shows more of what is going on and what is meant to be happening in regards to plot.  It seems as though Maxwell Lord is able to grant people wishes in which Diana Prince wishes for Steve Trevor and Barbara, wishes to be more powerful than Wonder Woman, an Apex Predator and becomes a Cheetah.  She doesn't look like Cats the movie, so that's a good thing and the CGI/Special effects on her may need a little tweaking, but this film looks really good.  It looks like it's about greed and balance.  Imagine, the film is meant to be out already, but hopefully it is out soon.  I'm still loving that majestical flipping truck scene and Wonder Woman is gracefully floating.


Directed by Patty Jenkins and starring Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright

(trailer review) - Wonder Woman 1984

DC don't have the best track record in relation to Marvel, but they have released a few Gems, here and there.  After the first Wonder Woman, we got Shazam, Aquaman and Man of Steel (in my humble opinion) was great.  So it's good to know, the same director is back for the sequel of WW and this trailer looks great!

The confusion everyone had or will have, is the Steve Trevor aspect of it all, but we can wait until we find out how it pans out when the movie comes out.  I'm just hoping that the explanation isn't lame.  Also, how is she just lassoing lightening like no big deal?

Directed by Patty Jenkins, Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright

(film review) - The Martian

What have you done for me lately, Ridley? Some of us have these thoughts when we think of Ridley Scott. The guy who brought us some great and classic films such as Alien, Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down and American Gangster. So what was your last few films Exodus: Gods and Kings? The Counselor? Prometheus? Although I didn’t think Prometheus was that bad, but it wasn't a classic nor great. So, again. What have you done for me lately, Ridley?Ridley has done, nothing! And people are starting to think that this great director has simply run out of juice. Well, fear not, because The Martian might be his return.

The Martian is about a man named Mark Watney (Matt Damon) who with his team are out on a mission on Mars, but becomes stranded by himself when his team leaves him behind. Being the only human on Mars, Mark the Martian must figure out a way to survive and also return back to earth or die on Mars.

The premise is pretty simple and with that said, makes you wonder, ‘Is there anything else to this film?’, ‘This film is going to be pretty boring, right?’, ‘Can Matt Damon carry an entire film by himself?’, ‘He is no, Will Smith!’. Well, rightfully implied in the trailers, Matt isn’t by himself as there is a team trying to figure out a way to get him back to earth. Also, although this film is 141 mins (just over 2 hours and 20 minutes) long, this film does not feel long at all. The film gets straight into it at such a steady pace, you do not once think about the time. There is suspense, there is unexpected comedy elements and there is a lot of character in this film. Very clever script writing, directing and screenplay. At the end of the film, I actually wanted to clap for Ridley Scott. Like, literally stand up and cheer for him as the film I had just watched was soo entertaining, I felt it was necessary. I didn’t, but I did think it.

Although this film didn’t leave me gripping the seats whilst sitting on the edge of it like Gravity did, this film reminds me of Cast Away (not that I have seen it) fused with Gravity. I think what made me love the film more than the visuals and the story was Mark and his character as well as the supporting cast. Jessica Chastain, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sean Bean, Jeff Daniels, Michael Pena. The casting was brilliant as every character brought something to their role, or at least, every character had a pivotal part to play. I do feel that Sebastian Stan was a little under used, but that is probably due to the great performance he did as The Winter Soldier (Great film by the way). I felt very relatable to Mark and I actually felt like I was going through this situation with him. The film was very grounded, although set in space. I felt like he was the every guy voicing the things an every guy would do in his predicament. All the trials and tribulations, I was experiencing these with him.

It is out on the 30th, so go and watch it. If you don’t like it, honestly, there is definitely something wrong with you (although I know movies are subjective). A brilliantly Directed film by Ridley Scott. Well done, Sir.