There's Something Off About the 'Masters of the Universe' Trailer

"I want to love Masters of the Universe. It looks fun. I don't harbor any affections for He-Man, his world, or his franchise. I'm just a simple man with simple needs: to watch big dudes with swords fight other dudes with swords. Give me two hours of swords and sorcery mayhem and I'm there. Yet I can't help feeling out of sync with the movie thus far."

"From a 30-second teaser coated in MAGA-adjacent yearning for a simpler time (never mind how politically tumultuous the 1980s actually were) to a full trailer hellbent on selling the film as an escapist power fantasy for stunted 40-year-olds, I'm torn between admiring the self-awareness or concerned who I'll be sitting next to in theaters come June 5. The promotion for Masters of the Universe, directed by Travis Knight, officially began yesterday with a 30-second teaser that preceded today's trailer premiere."

"Before glimpses of Masters itself, there is a montage of the '80s seen through the frame of a CRT television: diabetes-inducing breakfast cereals, primitive computers, aerobics, and yes, Saturday morning cartoons. "When times were simpler," so says the disembodied narrator. View full post on YouTube It's cheeky, at least at first. No, these cereals were not healthy. And kicking around in spandex was never the most effective calorie-burner. That's the joke."

An appetite for two hours of sword-and-sorcery mayhem contrasts with discomfort toward Masters of the Universe's promotional tone. The marketing adopts retro 1980s aesthetics—CRT visuals, sugary cereals, primitive computers, aerobics, and Saturday morning cartoons—accompanied by a narrator longing for simpler times. The teaser juxtaposes classic He-Man cartoon footage with Nicholas Galitzine as a new cinematic He-Man and frames the film as an escapist power fantasy seemingly aimed at middle-aged fans. The nostalgic framing mixes cheeky self-awareness with political-adjacent undertones, producing ambivalence about the intended audience and the film's tone ahead of release.

Read at www.esquire.com