Film Name: 宇宙巨人：希曼崛起 / Masters of the Universe
I consider myself a very, very easygoing viewer with low expectations, but even someone as easy to please—or fool—as me found myself constantly bored and embarrassed while watching *Masters of the Universe*, and even considered checking my phone several times. You can imagine just how terrible this movie is.
If Hollywood ever again harbors the delusion that it can make a quick buck by remaking old IPs, remember: this *Masters of the Universe* is a textbook example of what not to do.
At the end of the day, many classic IPs from the last century have very thin foundations; not just anyone can revamp or remake them for today’s audiences, especially relatively simple works like *Masters of the Universe*.
To appeal to modern audiences, old works inevitably have to undergo drastic reimagining. So how did this *He-Man* adaptation handle it? It turned He-Man into a complete idiot.
We’re not opposed to reimagining old-school heroes through a modern lens, and we can accept flawed, imperfect heroes—but you can’t portray a hero who’s supposed to meet certain basic standards as a wimp and a fool. This goes beyond the line of trying to make something sweet out of something salty; it’s turned into a purely unpalatable, bizarre concoction.
Prince Adam in the film is completely unconvincing. While on Earth, he’s nothing more than a corporate drone who spends his days “daydreaming” and is constantly distracted, lacking any sense of “empathy and compassion.” When the time comes for him to step up, all he can do is offer a foolish, awkward smile and spout hollow rhetoric—and yet, surprisingly, many people actually bought into it… In the end, the solution to the problem once again relies on the Sword of Power and the fact that he was bestowed with a cosmic energy vessel.
What kind of impression does this leave? A dim-witted rich kid who never had the physique to become a muscle-bound hulk as a child naturally grows up to be a weakling, only to be spoon-fed by the script until he transforms into an invincible, super-strong savior. With just a few awkward lines of dialogue, he commands the masses, and the villains line up to offer their heads on a platter… While watching the movie, I actually found myself hoping the Skeleton King would just win already…
What kind of crazy screenwriters did they pair with Travis Knight this time? The entire creative team—directors, writers, and everyone involved—needs to take a long, hard look at themselves. You’d be better off making a traditional, old-school American blockbuster where “muscles do the thinking.” Even if it looks outdated and worn-out, at least it’d have that authentic feel—and who knows, maybe a lot of people would actually prefer that.
My expectations aren’t that high—I was just hoping that even if I didn’t get a full nostalgia package, a mouthful of industrial saccharin would be enough to satisfy me. Who would’ve thought they’d just dump industrial pollution right on us?