Masters of the Universe: A Bittersweet Blast From the Past
When Mattel launched its film division in 2018, the two films initially slated for production were Barbie and Masters of the Universe. Barbie needs no introduction, releasing in 2023 to a meteoric box office of nearly $1.5 billion. The film was directed by the legendary Greta Gerwig and touted an ensemble cast including (but not limited to) Margot Robbie, Issa Rae, Ryan Gosling, Will Ferrell, Michael Cera, and Dua Lipa. Masters of the Universe has some big star power too, directed by Laika’s Travis Knight and starring Nicholas Galitzine, Alison Brie, Kristen Wiig, Jared Leto, and Idris Elba among many others. However, the film isn’t experiencing nearly the same success as the former, currently having earned only $62 million against its $170-200 million production budget since opening last Friday.
This is actually Nicholas Galitzine’s second blockbuster this year after last month’s The Sheep Detectives—another Amazon MGM Studios outing that I actually thought he did pretty good in. That’s not to say he’s bad in Masters, far from it. In fact, I would argue the passion Galitzine injects into Prince Adam’s narrative really helps sell what brought so many comfort in the Masters series in the first place. Life’s purpose isn’t just about finding where you belong and setting things the way you’ve been told, but making it your own in the process. In the process of finding belonging, you cannot lose yourself.
An unexpected hit in this film for me was Skeletor (Jared Leto). In the trailers leading up to Masters‘ release, I wasn’t a fan of Leto’s take on the character since it sounded like too far of a cry from the Skeletor I’d been familiar with from the original Masters of the Universe animated series. I promise you, this is just how the marketing paints him a lot of the time. In the movie, Skeletor is as hateful and menacing as he is hilarious and quirky, as he should be.
The film’s poor box office returns so far do disappoint me because I see as much potential in this as I remember seeing in Barbie. The sheer amount of properties Mattel has brought to the market have a near infinite amount of possibilities in countless genres and styles of filmmaking. A lot of their greenlit productions following the founding of their film division I think are great ideas, but if they perform the same as Masters currently is, I fear we won’t have a summer as fun as Barbenheimer again anytime soon.
The desire from the filmmakers to expand Masters into a wider cinematic universe is clear, as seen in the post-credits scenes and Mattel’s general business strategy with film right now. I’d really like to see more of these characters on the big screen, because the performances I saw last night aren’t just forgettable portrayals. I loved Adam’s struggle finding his sense of self throughout his mission, and Man-at-Arms’ struggle to get clean and reconnect with his daughter. I loved the classic sense of being evil for the love of the game every time Skeletor showed up, and the chemistry between the team members on either side of the fight. Everyone felt so layered, and yet the movie kept a fun air about its subject matter, a similar sense of wonder to a kid playing with Masters action figures or watching the show in the 80s. I want more films to feel this way, not afraid to have fun but with a world and characters that feel developed enough that they don’t talk down to the audience.
Masters of the Universe is now playing in theaters worldwide. If you’re in the mood for more Mattel, check out Extreme Dinosaurs now streaming on our sister site, Galxy!