'Masters of the Universe' Review: Travis Knight's Overlong Adaptation Fails to Capture Franchise Magic
By
Guy Lodge
Slow-proofed and worth the wait. Worth its weight in flour.
Summary
A review of Travis Knight's 2025 'Masters of the Universe' film starring Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Idris Elba and Jared Leto. The review criticizes the film as a bloated, overlong nostalgia trip that raises occasional chuckles but is fatally undermined by its excessive runtime. It reflects on the franchise's history since the 1987 Cannon Films flop and examines how this new adaptation fails to capture the spirit of the original while being weighed down by its own self-importance.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledNearly 40 years have passed since the colossal financial failure of Cannon Films' live-action feature 'Masters of the Universe' signaled the cultural falloff of Mattel's successful sci-fi sword-and-sorcery media franchise.
But in Mattel media, as in 'Masters of the Universe,' no one ever really dies: The denizens of Castle Grayskull have since lived on, in faintly undead form.
Travis Knight's 'Masters of the Universe' raises a chuckle but is fatally overlong.
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