Masters of the Universe

What works best is that it understands quite well that it cannot face this material with absolute solemnity. If it tried to turn a fantasy of swords, muscles, skull-like villains, rays of power and mythical toys into a serious drama, it would probably look ridiculous. Instead, it embraces much of its own silliness, and that is where it starts to work. It is not a great film, nor a deep one, but it is a bright, light and entertaining adventure if you accept its rules: nostalgia, color, action, simple humor and cartoon epic brought to film with more affection than embarrassment.

That mixture is precisely what interests me. On one side there is the childhood memory, the idea of an exaggerated universe full of impossible names, glowing swords, castles, monsters, absurd technology and battles between good and evil without too many shades. On the other, there is a modern film that knows all of that can sound ridiculous and decides to play with it without destroying it. If it laughs too much at itself, it betrays the fantasy; if it takes itself too seriously, it becomes heavy. When it finds the middle point, it works as an unapologetic adventure, close to the spirit of old eighties fantasy spectacles.

Nicholas Galitzine fits better than one might have expected. He has the physique, clean presence and sincerity of a classic hero, which suit the character well. He does not need to reinvent anything, because the fun here is not in turning the protagonist into a tormented antihero, but in accepting his luminous, noble and almost naïve side. The film gains when it allows itself to believe in that goodness without apologizing. At a time when many adaptations seem ashamed of their own origins, it is welcome that this one keeps faith in simple adventure, the heroic gesture and the fantasy of picking up a sword and standing before evil.

The villain, however, feels more uneven to me. He has design, presence and moments of enjoyable theatricality, but he does not always impose himself as much as he should. The film seems more comfortable with jokes, adventure and nostalgic winks than with real threat. That does not ruin the whole, because the tone is not looking for dark terror either, but it does make some parts lose force. There are scenes where the story would need a more dangerous and magnetic enemy. Without that strong shadow, everything becomes more toy, more theme park, more friendly spectacle.

Visually, there are many enjoyable things. Not everything works, and at times the digital excess can be tiring, but there is color, imagination and a clear willingness not to hide the fantastic origin of the material. Eternia does not appear as a realistic world, nor does it need to. It should look like an impossible place, a cross between comic book, toy, heroic fantasy and space adventure. When it accepts that kitsch, when it does not fear ridicule, it becomes quite likeable. I enjoyed it more in its moments of sincere excess than when it tries to add too much narrative formula or explain basic conflicts.

You can also feel that it wants to please several audiences at once. It looks for the child who may discover this world for the first time, the adult who remembers it fondly, the family-adventure viewer and the fan who expects certain icons to be treated with respect. That ambition to please everyone causes problems. Some humor works and some is rather broad; some action has energy and some feels mechanical; there is genuine emotion and calculated moments. It has drive, but not always rhythm. It lasts longer than necessary and sometimes the story is not as solid as its wrapping.

Even so, I prefer a film aware of its absurd nature to a gray adaptation trying to make adult a fantasy that never asked to be adult. Here there is heart, a desire to entertain and a very simple honesty: it does not try to change fantasy cinema or offer a revolutionary reading of the myth. It wants to be an adventure of sword, magic, friendship, destiny and impossible villains. When it stays there, it is enjoyable. When it tries to justify its existence too much or stretch the plot, it loses charm. But even then it keeps a friendly energy that makes it easy to watch.

I am left with the feeling of an imperfect, goofy and fairly fun film. It may look like a very expensive toy commercial, yes, but that is part of its DNA. The question is whether it manages to turn that origin into entertainment, and for me it does so for much of its running time. Not every joke works, not every character has weight and the story is predictable, but there is color, rhythm, nostalgia and a sincere desire to have a good time. It is not for entering with cynicism or asking for complexity. It is for letting yourself go with a muscular, luminous and ridiculous fantasy in the best sense. A family adventure with a retro soul, less memorable than it could be, but more likeable than feared.