What Are Individual Critics Saying About ‘Masters Of The Universe’?

Liz Shannon Miller of Consequence is among the top critics on RT who gives Masters of the Universe a “fresh” score, writing, “Given the choice between a silly take on this material and a grounded one, the silly version feels far preferable. If nothing else, the film is doing its best to have fun. The way playing with one's toys should feel.”

Donald Clarke of the Irish Times also praises the movie, writing in his “fresh” take on RT, "Combining the small-screen cartoon’s brash aesthetics – the neon whoosh is sickeningly retro – with sharp, self-conscious wit, this Masters of the Universe dances gaily, to quote This Is Spinal Tap, on the 'fine line between clever and stupid.’”

Clint Worthington of Roger Ebert.com also gives Masters of the Universe a “fresh” score on RT, but with some reservations, writing, “When it works, it proves a rollicking underdog space adventure. When it doesn’t, it feels like it’s ashamed of what it truly wants to be.”

Nick Schager of The Daily Beast is also high on Masters of the Universe in his “fresh” review summary on RT, writing, “Nostalgia is a hell of a drug, and fans are apt to overdose on it with this rollicking live-action affair.”

Helen O’Hara of Empire Magazine also realizes the limitations of Masters of the Universe, but still gives the movie a “fresh” review on RT, noting that it’s “a delightfully silly film for a perfectly stupid franchise. It could have had a few sharper lines and more narrative drive, but this should still win over a new generation of He-fans.”

William Bibbiani of The Wrap is among the top critics on RT who gives the film a “rotten” score, noting in his review summary, “Travis Knight’s Masters of the Universe is so blah, and so embarrassed of itself, that it could very well be the final nail in the coffin for 1980s nostalgia.”

Edward Douglas of the New York Daily News knocks the director specifically in his “rotten” RT review summary of Masters of the Universe, writing, “Travis Knight needs to stop playing with toy franchises and go back to being a serious filmmaker and animator.”

Another critic not feeling the Power of Grayskull is Frank Scheck of the Hollywood Reporter, who writes in his “rotten” RT review summary, “The film winds up feeling so much like one of those fringe festival musical theater parodies that you find yourself waiting for the characters to burst into song.”

Jesse Hassenger of AV Club isn’t a fan of Masters of the Universe either, writing his his “rotten” RT review summary, “The movie somehow concludes that Adam serves as a beacon for empathy, which has all the conviction of the corporate seminars that the movie briefly attempts to satirize.”

Lindsey Bahr also gives Masters of the Universe a “rotten” score, writing on RT, “The movie might have worked better if it had just gone full Saturday morning cartoon with fewer self-deprecating jokes. But that would have required more conviction about what everyone was making in the first place.”

Rated PG-13, Masters of the Universe plays in Thursday previews before opening in theaters nationwide on Friday.