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 Galzadine 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.
