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Total Film
Total Film
Entertainment
Lauren Milici

Masters of the Universe wants to be a Marvel-esque summer blockbuster, but it's actually a children's movie about hope – and that's okay with me

Nicholas Galitzine as Adam in Masters of the Universe.

The funny thing about living in the 'Golden Age' of remakes in conjunction with an ever-changing and neverending nostalgia boom is that we either get a) grade A slop that lacks in a compelling story in favor of fan service or simply ignores the source material altogether, or b) something so good it heals your inner child and makes you genuinely happy that a brand new generation gets to discover it for the first time. Enter: Travis Knight's Masters of the Universe, which takes everyone's favorite loincloth-wearing warrior prince (and all of the memes that have surrounded him in the years following his debut) and turns it into a campy action-comedy about the pesky need to prove yourself.

Though you could easily compare it to Transformers or Voltron, He-Man is one of those toy-turned-cartoon phenomena that stands out especially for its overall weirdness. The titular character is a rather aloof prince and his nemesis is a dude with a skull for a face who's really into maniacal laughter. Rather than lean into the overall absurdity, the 1987 live-action movie starring action man Dolph Lundgren plays it pretty straight, and wants the viewer to think they're watching a true fantasy-adventure film a la The Dark Crystal (which I don't really think is speculation, seeing as both films share the same screenwriter).

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