I Expected a Marvel Clone: Masters of The Universe Exceeded This By a Long Shot

I went in expecting the movie to be a serious attempt at another Marvel Universe clone. Instead, Masters of the Universe seems to have gone the Guardians of the Galaxy route with humor, and it works!

Masters of the Universe is a breath of fresh air among all the serious superhero stuff, while keeping things in line with the goofy vibe of the cartoon series on TV. There is a lot of self-aware comedy, an over-qualified cast ( in the best way ), and great CGI where it really matters.

What is Masters of the Universe About?

The plot is simple: Adam Glenn flees from Eternia and his loving royal family when Skeletor attacks and is sent by the sorceress to Earth. This appears to be a trend from James Gunn's Brightburn to Superman and even the titular Invincible cartoon on Prime Video.

Skeletor wages a war to obtain the Power Sword in the Castle of Grayskull, which will give him infinite power. This is when everyone panics, and people either scatter, flee, or die altogether. Masters of the Universe is really funny and light, with some good emotional heft as well.

The Masters

Camila Mendes has put on lean muscle for this movie, and she is amazing in the action sequences alongside her costars. She is also funny and, according to her co-stars, a delight to work with! Idris Elba pulls off Duncan or Man-at-Arms easily, with the role being a cakewalk for someone who has played much more complex roles, such as the saviour in Hijack Season 1.

This is the first time seeing Nicholas Galitzine on screen ( big or small ), and he was amazingly funny with great comedic timing. Only one thing was unintentionally funny. They showed Nicholas Galitzine with and without 'the pump' to show he's weak and suddenly strong after he wields the sword.

Apparently, there was this trend of hiring writers on shows, but now the latest trend is picking up established and talented stunt people to act in supporting roles. This is pretty awesome.

This stunt performer, now an actress named Christiaan Bettridge, did a Michael Jackson spin. That, with the rock music and the battle ambience - Omg, chef's kiss. Turns out she is Gal Gadot's stunt double in Wonder Woman! She also played Lady Pool in Deadpool and Wolverine. The entire movie is filled with such actors and performers, which is why it feels like every actor seems to outperform their role.

My man Jon Xue Zhang plays Ram Man in this movie with incredible dialogue delivery and cool powers. Jon Xue Zhang's Ram Man reminds me of a character on The Boys S5 called Bombsight, where there is a sound as if a missile is launched or a bomb is dropped.

Dude has incredible gravitas and a cool accent while being the only serious dude in an entirely comedic movie. After seeing him take on headshots in everything from Guy Ritchie's The Gentlemen, The Brothers Sun as BloodBoots, and even in Kraven The Hunter, it looks like poetic justice where he is invulnerable to cannon fire, let alone a bullet.

Jon Xue Zhang - Get this man his own action movie!

Apart from being a certified badass Martial Artist, Jon is also a grandmaster in selfies on the sets of Masters of the Universe, with amazing selfies with everyone having an awesome time.

Also, Alison Brie as Evil-Lynn is unintentionally funny from start to finish. Cos I remember her from comedy roles such as the Community series and her role on GLOW ( Netflix ). Also, they've made her role unexpectedly funny in this movie, even more so than the other characters.

Then there is Jared Leto, who does not completely disappoint as the villain Skeletor with nefarious motives just for the sake of being nefarious! His voice performance in this movie reminds me of his Joker in The Suicide Squad.

There is one scene that might seem cheesy to some, but to hardcore He-Man fans, it will be awesome, where the previous person who plays the same role in the 1987 movie advises Nicholas Galitzine on how to perform his role in the movie. This was pretty cool.

There is a scene that reminds one of Nick Fury fighting off Hydra in The Winter Soldier, and a massive truck comes out of nowhere to destroy the bad guy's car. Watch out for this, for you will either chuckle or groan depending on how into the movie you are.

I found that Fisto is cool with his name and what it implies, but Ram Man gets angry when Fisto compliments him on giving great head lol. A comedic inconsistency that I can live with.

There was even a moral lesson told by Orcho the magician in the post-credits scene, along with a post-credits scene which even I, who has watched every episode of the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon, could make out the heads or tails of.

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CGI and Practical Effects

The initial scenes remind me of Thor 2: The Dark World, especially with young Adam Glenn being trained in all kinds of battle. The ambience is great and sets a great stage for King Randor of Eternia.

The CGI and practical effects are pretty cool, and they've done an outstanding job bringing the cartoon to life. A few things people will recognize are Snake Mountain, Skeletor's lair, the Castle of Grayskull, and the space transport and flying craft.

Teela's flying craft is called the Talon Fighter, with the design being pretty cool and shaped as a falcon or something, and it reminds one of a Klingon Bird of Prey from Star Trek.

The small flying crafts that have the form factor of a Jet-Ski are called Sky-Sleds by the Eternians and are portrayed accurately, although they don't have such an important role in the storyline as a whole.

This cartoon always had a goofy background score that was a bit campy, but the transformation scene was divine and still is.

The scene where Adam Glenn holds the Power Sword and transforms into He-Man has some great CGI, which matches the cartoon scene with it being an explosion of many hues and brightness.'

Should You Master This Universe? Yes!

Travis Andrew Knight has done a great job with a sneakily funny movie, a la Guardians of the Galaxy, leaving the door wide open for franchise growth and expansion. Watch Masters of the Universe for the laughs, understated action, and brilliant stunts with just a touch of emotion. You'll have a great time!