If you’re looking for a fun, campy action-adventure movie that’s at once hilarious and filled with some of the best fight scenes filmed in years, you’re in luck.
Masters Of The Universe may have done poorly at the box office, but I believe it’s destined to become a huge cult classic, much like the wonderful – but woefully underperforming – Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
I didn’t know what to expect going into the film, but I walked out of the theater shocked by how delightful the movie was. Not only is it a fun action-adventure, it’s incredibly respectful to the source material, while still having some fun at the goofiness of He-Man and his crew of heroes.
Much of the film’s success comes down to its fight choreography and excellent world-building, but it’s the surprisingly well-written script that carries the day. The movie makes you genuinely like and care about the heroes and villains in this fast-paced 2 hours and 12 minute film. In my review of Masters of the Universe, I wrote:
The casting is another huge win for this film. Two relative unknowns play the leads. Nicholas Galitzine plays Adam / He-Man and Camila Mendes plays his old friend, Teela, who helps him on his quest to save Eternia from the evil Skeletor. Both do a great job, and Galitzine doesn’t just look the part, he’s quite funny in the role. Established actors fill up many of the secondary roles. Idris Elba as Duncan / Man-At-Arms; Morena Baccarin as Sorceress; James Purefoy as Adam’s father, King Randor; Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn, Skeletor’s evil sidekick.
And then there is Skeletor himself, played delightfully by Jared Leto in what may be his very best role of all time. Skeletor is so much fun in this movie. Leto’s blend of petulant humor, oozing evil and an almost slurred British accent is not at all what I was expecting, but it works.
Indeed, Skeletor pretty much steals the show, and has many of the best moments. Better yet, he insists on being a villain. There’s no awkward subversion of the old He-Man series. Skeletor is the bad guy and he relishes in it; Adam is the hero, and while he has plenty of sidekicks to help him on his hero’s journey, the film doesn’t relegate him to the background. He kicks butt, but he also knows that with great power comes great responsibility. (Sorry, the new Spider-Man movie is almost here and I couldn’t help myself).
Masters Of The Universe is available to stream now on Amazon Prime Video, following in the footsteps of Project Hail Mary, which Amazon MGM Studios also released first in theaters and then later on streaming – a strategy that I hope continues, as these are both movies that deserved a big screen release.
A few other reasons to watch Masters of the Universe ASAP:
If you’re a fan of the old cartoons or toys (and boy was I a fan as a kid) this is a blast of nostalgia that’s just about perfect. If only Disney had done such an incredible job with its Star Wars sequel trilogy, that franchise might still be in good shape.
If you’re not a fan of He-Man, you’ll still have a great time with this movie. It’s the perfect blend of campy fun and poignant human emotion. There’s a solid story here behind all the jokes about Fisto and Ram Man. (At one point, in the middle of a big fight, Fisto says “Let’s fist some bad guys! Ram Man, give ’em head!”)
This is a fun movie for any age group. While there’s lots of fighting (and again, every fight scene is glorious fun and really makes a lot of recent Marvel movies look tame in comparison) there’s no blood or gore. Kids can enjoy this alongside their parents. Young adults who didn’t grow up with He-Man and Teela and Man-At-Arms will have fun with this slightly more modern take (though it pokes plenty of fun at modern life as well). It’s just a blast from start to finish. I’d give it three thumbs up if I had an extra hand. Let’s give it two thumbs up instead, but one of them is from Fisto’s massive hand.
Have you watched Masters of the Universe? What did you think? Let me know on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.