I’d been wanting to watch Masters of the Universe in theaters when it came out. Then it dropped right in the middle of several work trips, and I, like many, did not catch it during its theatrical run, though I’ve had time now that it’s one of the new streaming movies. I did catch The Odyssey a few days ago, and I was a little shocked to realize Masters does one thing way better than Christopher Nolan’s film did. I’m not someone who was super familiar with Mattel’s Masters of the Universe before I watched it with my Amazon Prime Video subscription this week. I am not an ‘80s kid, and I had never more than a passing familiarity with the concept, so one thing I really needed when watching was a solid introduction to the characters. Frankly, Masters of the Universe does this way better than The Odyssey does. As someone with no foreknowledge of what I was getting into, Travis Knight’s movie does a great job of explaining what Eternia is and who the relevant stakeholders are. This is particularly true when it comes to the folks from Eternia who are not the major names in the movie but who help to build the universe: Ram-Man, Dian, Fisto, Mekaneck and more.Masters of the Universe really hammers home these names. There’s a whole backstory behind their ridiculous nicknames, and how Adam had given them when he was still a child before he left for Earth. Adam doesn’t know that much about his people because he left when he was 10, and we learn about them through his younger perspective. This explanation helps us to understand why the names feel a little silly, but it also burns them into our brains, no prior knowledge required. Then, later in the movie, Adam also gives a speech during which he repeats character names and asks his motley Eternos family to join together. Because of this, there’s a second time where we are asked to focus on the side characters and how they impact the story. It’s not just the good guys either. We learn a lot about Eternia, Eternos, and baddies beyond Skeletor. Audiences learn who Beast Man and Trapjaw are. These people are not just background scenery. This movie wants you to remember them as characters. (And presumably buy toys later, but that’s another story.) OK, So Here's Where The Odyssey Comes In...In comparison, can I tell you Himesh Patel’s name in The Odyssey? Sure can’t. I can’t actually tell you the names of any of Odysseus’ men outside of Sinon (Elliot Page), who isn’t really around much. I don’t even think I can name Robert Pattinson’s character, or Jon Bernthal’s or Charlize Theron’s, and I only really know Samantha Morton is Circe because I read Circe by Madeline Miller many years ago. Sure, I know Odysseus himself and Tom Holland’s Telemachus and Anne Hathaway’s Penelope, and we all know Lupita Nyong’o is Helen of Troy, but mostly that’s because there was backlash to her playing the character. It’s clear The Odyssey has a side character problem, and it’s noticeable when you watch. Listen, I’m not trying to compare apples to oranges here, or say I liked Masters of the Universe better than Nolan’s 94% positive-rated new 2026 movie release; that would be disingenuous. The Odyssey is a wonderful movie, but this is one area where I think it struggled. Plus, I do think Masters does an A+ job of letting us know who its many characters are and what they stand for. The movie has strengths beyond He-Man’s physical ones. We may not get more Masters of the Universe after the film failed to convert its $170 million+ budget at the box office. (Although Amazon has been very clear that theatrical windows and making theatrical money is a bonus rather than the end goal). Regardless, I just wanted to call out one thing the fun little Amazon/MGM collaboration did well. If you’re giving it a watch streaming, just know that if you weren’t in the Masters target audience way back in the ‘80s, this one is very easy to pick up and throw on, no background information required.