Masters of the Universe

Posted on July 23, 2026 by Dr. Tennyson

Vampire Owl: Aren’t we the true masters of the universe?

Vampire Bat: I do not think that they are talking about the vampire universe.

Vampire Owl: Every universe requires its own masters.

Vampire Bat: We already have Uncle Dracula here.

Vampire Owl: Yes, even Vampire Elders are there, but they are all symbolic heads.

Vampire Bat: So, you consider us as the true masters.

Vampire Owl: Well, this is the only working universe, isn’t it?

Vampire Bat: The only true universe with relevance, yes.

Vampire Owl: And the only realm without the pure human evil.

Vampire Bat: The human evil has already reached our borders. There is not much of magic left that seems to stop it.

[Gets a thattu dosa and three cups of Munnar tea].

What is the movie about? :: Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) works in human resources, while keeping on searching for a certain sword and lives with his only friend Hussein (Christian Vunipola) in Oklahoma City. People think that him keeping on searching for a sword and telling everyone a specific story about his escape from another planet are parts of his nerd madness which he always had since he was a kid. The search for the sword would affect both his work and social life, as he even tells the same story when on a date. Obsessed with finding the sword due to his memories about being part of another strange world in which he lived as the prince and had come to Earth with a magic sword, Adam receives an anonymous tip in the form of a text message that the sword is located and he reclaims it at a comic store, running away with it. But the next day, he is arrested for stealing the sword, but the police car is stopped in transit on the highway when a strange creature attacks them and halts the traffic. The ape-like creature turns out to be Beast Man (Gary Martin) who had come from another world and chases Adam.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: As Adam keeps running, a woman in white comes to the scene, identifying herself as his childhood friend, Teela (Camila Mendes). She tells him that the sword had given her a signal when it was claimed and raised to the sky, seemingly provided the same signal to many others of their planet far away. In this planet named Eternia which was once ruled by Adam’s parents King Randor (James Purefoy) and Queen Marlena (Charlotte Riley), no longer maintains that peace and prosperity after being taken over by Skeletor (Jared Leto), his sidekick Evil-Lyn (Alison Brie) and a number of other evil minions. This loss after being defeated by a cyborg and weapons expert of Skeletor, Trap Jaw (Sam C Wilson) had also left the commander-in-chief of the army of Eterna, Man-At-Arms a.k.a. Duncan (Idris Elba) to severe depression and alcoholism, much to the dismay of his daughter Teela. After training so many people of the planet to defend the evil forces, he along with many others had fallen into disarray after Skeletor took over and unleashed chaos.

And what more can happen in this world of chaos and destruction unleashed by forces of evil? :: It was the Sorceress (Morena Baccarin) who sent Adam to Earth to save him and the sword from Skeletor, and as it was the original home planet of the queen a long distance away from Eternia, safety was guaranteed, but as a child, he had lost the sword only to be found now, triggering alarms all around the universe. Adam and Teela manage to outrun the Beast Man and escape in their spaceship in front of shocked humans who could do nothing but stare. Back home, the resistance forces against Skeletor who are not imprisoned by Teela leaving her defence outpost and bringing a strange man with the sword, imprisons her and Adam along with an alcoholic Duncan and a former combat robot reprogrammed as a cleaning robot, Roboto (Kristen Wiig). But they escape with the help of the robot and keeps the sword with them while the defenders of the resistance are either killed or captured by Skeletor’s forces. As they try to escape them and come face to face against Trap Jaw, it seems to be the end for them, but can they find a way to defeat him and his shooters against all odds?

The defence of Masters of the Universe :: The movie has some stunning visuals with the setting in a beautiful planet. The world is too good with the fantasy model buildings and the environment which makes it feel like a colourful paradise. Nicholas Galitzine makes a fine impact as the protagonist, while Idris Elba brings the fun. But the best impact is made by Camila Mendes as Teela, who remains a stunner in those action sequences with her movement and style, as the only one true character who is a born-fighter continuing to be so at all times. Jared Leto as Skeletor is a villain to remember, and gets the screen-time he missed as the Joker in Suicide Squad. Morena Baccarin who gets back after The Wrecking Crew gets less screen time even as such a significant character. Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn works nicely too as one never sees any evil this cute and strong in magic. The humour in the movie also remains so much fun, and the elements taken from cartoon are nicely placed here without too much darkness ever coming into picture. Adora a.k.a. She-Ra played by Lauren Saliu shown during mid-credits also keeps us interested as the one scene itself seems to bring lot of hope for a possible sequel about which we are still not that sure.

Positives and negatives :: This is a feeling of nostalgia, and as we had the cartoon of the same name running in Malayalam in this part of the world, there is no other superhero who had this much of an influence on us as children. We had to return home early from school and then we would successfully watch this one. In the case of the movie, people might find that this is a little bit too cartoonish and as more for the children, but those would be the people who forgot how they grew up watching this, and if Avengers, Justice League and team could be taken as full action, this could be too. The supporting characters here could have had some more time, while cutting some time from the moments spent on Earth. The final fight is lovely to watch, even though the moments back on Earth coming in between do not impress much. The quality of the computer-generated imagery losses some quality at times, but remains stable and stylish for most of the time. Use of more magic could have made the world look more charming, and even more shown as part of an exploration like in Avatar, as the design here never far behind.

How it finishes :: The lack of some seriousness might be the reason why it had the same effect as John Carter at the box-office, but one cannot forget the fact that it was one fine movie, and one of the best of that year. We can blame the strange movie-watching habits of the biggest markets of the movie which did not even make Pacific Rim a super-hit, but Asia serves that title well. All these movies surely did well in this part of the world, and one keeps wondering if a better trailer could have meant better result for the movie at the box-office. I would surely love to see its sequel with the lady superhero, but one has to wonder if the same would happen when the total collection is considered. But this is sure to do well on Amazon Prime Video, and that should also mean something to everyone. For now, this is a charming adventure and entertainer which does not have a dull moment once the scenes shift to the far away planet. The beautiful spectacle of a world with a classic adventure with battles to remember is not something that we can always see with this much charm. People can find cartoon-faults, but I find this to be something I should have watched on the big screen with all of its big screen splendour.

Release date: 5 June 2026
Running time: 140 minutes
Directed by: Travis Knight
Starring: Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Alison Brie, James Purefoy, Morena Baccarin, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Kristen Wiig, Jared Leto, Idris Elba

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Together

Posted on May 21, 2026 by Dr. Tennyson

Vampire Owl: We, the vampires have been together for an eternity.

Vampire Bat: I am sure that there is more about togetherness in this movie.

Vampire Owl: So, you think that there is not enough of the same among us.

Vampire Bat: Togetherness is not something that can be evaluated.

Vampire Owl: At least the movie is on Amazon Prime Video to be evaluated.

Vampire Bat: I wonder about the kind of supernatural present in that movie.

Vampire Owl: Should I consult the parapsychologist Dr. Frankenstein on the matter?

Vampire Bat: When did Mr. Frankenstein graduate in psychology?

Vampire Owl: He has so many graduations that we will never know all of them.

Vampire Bat: This Frank needs to be reported to Uncle Dracula for his fake degrees.

[Gets a podi masala dosa and three cups of Kodaikanal tea].

What is the movie about? :: A man has been searching for a missing couple with his two dogs. But after the unsuccessful search, he finds the dogs fused together as one. A few days later, Tim Brassington (Dave Franco) and Millie Wilson (Alison Brie), a couple going through an emotional path, and at the same time, latter finds a job of teaching elementary school English. Tim has been trying to make his mark as a musician, but has not been himself since the memories of his dead parents have been haunting him. Millie proposes to Tim at a going away party held by their friends but, he shows some hesitation which makes them further ponder over their relationship. As Millie meets her new co-worker Jamie McCabe (Damon Herriman), he tells them about the interesting walking trails near their home that goes deep into the woods and remains a beautiful view. While hiking through such path, they fall into an underground cave and decide to camp inside for the night due to the rain getting heavier. Tim drinks from a pool of water but Millie does not.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: As they wake up on the next morning, Tim and Millie find their legs stuck with each other with some material which looks like glue, but they are able to separate them without much difficulty, and feels that it was some random sticky thing of fungal nature. Tim feels like he is physically and brutally drawn towards Millie, which leads to complicated situations which makes them feel that this is a psychological problem. The doctor that Tim sees also dismisses the incidents as panic attacks and asks him to use some muscle relaxant pills, and reminds him that the place has its charm, but also dangers, as a local couple had also gone missing. Tim looks at the news and also at the social media pages of the couple, and finds out that these particular couple had also visited the same cave, identified by some of the marked bells outside and some signs on walls of the cave. Jamie arrives at their place and welcomes them to the neighborhood, and they have a dinner together.

And what more can happen as the couple seems to be confused in between? :: The couple recounts their experience at the cave, which Jamie explains was a hippie-type church which had some activities which were considered strange for the commonly accepted churches. He adds on that people who got better options moved away to cities with their families, the church was abandoned, and became part of the cave system, as time passed. He adds that this is not a terrifying Satan worshipping cult of anything, and no followers of the same remains there. Even though Millie drops Tim off at the train station for his journey to the city for a musical programme, he experiences another episode of being attracted to her and immediately goes to Millie’s school, much to her surprise, as he gets on to her. This time, she is also attracted to him, but she denies the same, but it the strange attraction would come to her at night too, and the mystery deepens. Can they get out of this as they seem to be getting attached to each other, and this seems to be a problem to which there is no solution?

The defence of Together :: The romantic drama mixed with disturbing body horror is something unusual, and thus provides a fresh feeling that will keep the audience interested. It is nice to see that this becomes a metaphor for interdependent relationships and also signifies the need for togetherness in a relationship rather than keeping on separating each other – as it says in the Holy Bible: “A man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.” – Genesis 2:24. This seems to be a strange coming together of the same, as at least the same thought process should guide a relationship, as the fusion of ideology will guide them better; something which could often include religious ideology. In this case, everything is shown with that body horror that stays effective, and the fear factor is surely active, and it includes being scared of losing identity. Alison Brie with Dave Franco of Now You See Me and Nerve do manage to bring some real chemistry, as they are also real-life couple, despite the former at times looking much older. Their moments together are very good with a certain amount of love which feels apart, but so much longing to be together, like the body horror itself calls for. Disturbing transformations and dark humour remain effective too.

The claws of flaw :: The movie remains repetitive in parts, and there seems to be moments when nothing much past. There is also a little too much useless time spent in pondering over the past of the main male character when it could have easily gone on with just a small mention of the same, thus making the length of the movie exact as intended. The narrative just goes on the usual path with the couple story while moving towards the fresh twists. The mixture of romance and body horror does not always work the best, and signs can be seen here – some people can even find part of this to be gross, thus justifying its rating in India. Some cringe moments are also present and dialogues get a little too weak at times. The emotional connection could have been also more, as the romantic background is already set. There is also the need for a lot more explanations with this one, as the weird mode keeps on being active. We can see the chance for some people clearly missing out on the idea.

How it finishes :: If you are looking for experimental horror with focus on the body-based terror, this might be the movie for you, as performances and hidden ideas and messages also seem to come in here and there, despite there is nothing too grand about it with moments where the movie just seems like a usual random journey that stays repetitive. Even if togetherness story is your key, this will be your relationship-focused tale with a dark twist, as the darkness would take the whole world to something beyond comprehension. But you are not to look for fast-paced and plot-drive works with this one. But seeing the fusion of the couple, you might not stop feeling that there is the need for togetherness coming from religious scriptures fulfilled right here, whether some subterranean or alien entity is involved in the process. After all, we know that there shall always be too many things that we do not understand, and can stay on the mysterious side; and so we go through this movie, and enjoy the same in moments, with one final shot of togetherness with innovation. Still, the body horror of The Substance remains one of its kind.

Release date: 30th July 2025
Running time: 102 minutes
Directed by: Michael Shanks
Starring: Dave Franco, Alison Brie, Mia Morrissey, Karl Richmond, Damon Herriman, Jack Kenny, Francesca Waters, Sarah Lang, Aljin Abella, Rob Brown, Charlie Lees, M J Dorning, Ellora Iris, Melanie Beddie, Rom Considine, Nancy Finn, Flynn Wandin, Mark Robinsom, Michael Shanks. Sunny S Walia

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Lego Movie

Posted on February 12, 2014 by Dr. Tennyson

The Lego animation :: We all know Lego bricks, don’t we? Those interlocking plastic brick-like things were part of our childhood, and most of us did build a lot of things with them – one of our first teachers of creativity and imagination. Even as they came in many colours, the one I remember the most is blue, and I wonder how that comes to mind often; may be I broke most of the pieces of other colour, who knows? I had them strong until Hasbro came into my life with G.I. Joe. Storm Shadow, Snake Eyes and Daestro took over at that time. But where did my Lego go? I have to admit that I no longer knew anything about it, and I guess it passed on to my younger cousin brothers and sisters, and I had completely forgotten about the same until I came across the trailer of this movie; yes the Lego people were back, stronger than ever, and they had Batman and Wonder Woman for support. The toys had win hearts, and this was the time of the movies – lets see how they fare.

What is it about? :: Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman) is a wizard and one of the master-builders of the Lego universe, but he fails to stop Lord Business (Will Ferrell) from taking over a superweapon Kragle. He still tells the villain about the prophecy about a special person who will stop his villainy. Years later, an ordinary construction worker Emmet (Chris Pratt) accidently finds “Piece of Resistance” which can stop Lord Business. As Bad Cop (Liam Neeson) captures him, he is rescued by Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks) who takes him to another world where Vitruvius lives. As the wizard tries to make him imagine and create something like a master-builder, they find out that his creativity is zero, and he needs an instruction manual to create anything. The other master-builders, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Dumbledore, Shakespeare, Gandalf, Dracula, Green Lantern, Pirate Metal Beard and rest of the team are very much unimpressed by him as he makes a hopeless speech and shows his lack of creativity. But as time is less, they have to work together to find a way to stop the Lord before using the weapon. Can they do it?

The defence of The Lego Movie :: This is one of the funniest animated movies of the decade. even as one might wonder if Lego qualifies as animation. Their use of superhero characters is hilarious, and how they managed to bring them into the story is very nice, especially Batman. There is Batman saying “I only work in black. And sometimes, very, very dark gray” and Superman saying “I super hate you” to the Green Lantern. The Wonder Woman is not left behind in fun either, and Metal Beard jumps in like Blackbeard might have did. Uni-Kitty’s attempts to be happy and positive is another thing to watch out for. Even Abraham Lincoln and Michelangelo joins. There are dialogues like “Come with me if you want to not die” parodying The Terminator. I would still prefer Frozen any day, that is for sure. It is nice how a few other worlds are added to the original city of Lord Business, involving Wild West as well as Castles and Dragons settings.

The claws of flaw :: The 3D was totally unnecessary, not only is it ineffective, but it doesn’t suit this kind of toyline animation. It worked well with movies like Frozen and a good number of such titles, but when used with this, it is not effective, in my opinion. There could have also been an even better use of these characters, with our vampire guy and the Shakespeare guy given a better due. I didn’t like the way in which its central theme was exaggerated again and again, even as it was nice in the beginning. This is also too much of a common story, about a normal guy trying to save the world, even as the superheroes fails to do the same – for the same, the movie preaches a lot, and keeps saying that everyone is so special and shouldn’t go according to the rules. Looking at a whole world made of Lego looks fresh in the beginning, but keeps losing its charm. Its connection with the real world is interesting, but is still too weird or rather a little too unnecessary, but that worked, no doubt about it.

How it works :: There might be the usual misconception that a movie which shows so much of a toy-line can’t be that good. Now, that might still be valid even after the success of this movie. A major question might be about what they can come up with such a toyline which is all about construction; what can one bring out of Simcity? But here is the idea that changed that thought. Here is something that rivals the over-hyped animated movies like Brave. The voices are nice, and other than the two main characters, there is some really interesting stuff from Liam Neeson as Bad Cop/Good Cop with that split personality, and Alison Brie as Uni-Kitty. Will Ferrell as Lord Business is another nice villain performance, just like he did with the voice in Megamind. Channing Tatum has a very short time as Superman, but that’s pretty nice too. Morgan Freeman as Vitruvius even comes back as a ghost, and that was a nice surprise. All the voice actors seem to become the character they were embodying.

Soul exploration :: The movie tells that everyone is special and there is the need to nurture the imaginations and show creativity rather than just follow the instructions. It comes up with he idea that almost anyone can make a difference, no matter how much immature or inexperienced that person is. Now, that sounds nice, but when it is completely against that order which works against chaos, there is a little bit loss of trust. It fails to set a limit to that imagination, and it is only in a perfect world under the best circumstances that such things can happen in the right way. Otherwise, instructions can always be helpful, no matter how much they are hated or opposed to prevent people from following them. The movie also doesn’t really come up on top when thinking about being special or adding more imagination, as it could have definitely used more as it neared the end. The end doesn’t justify the nice beginning, as there is the ordinary stuff that fills the finish.

How it finishes :: As we can see from the reviews all around, The Lego Movie finishes strong in the theatre. We should wait very long to meet someone who didn’t like this movie. As an animated movie, it is difficult to find errors from this movie, and almost everyone who have ever played with a Lego toy will like this one a lot, and this one also mostly applies to the rest. From what the year has to offer, this might be the best animated movie of the year. It surely has a colder reception here though, as there are not many screens showing the movie, and the maximum of about three shows or something among so many theatres and multiplexes, with not many viewers either. But it is indeed going on to become a global success, and it can surely stay in the top grossing movies of the year for some time. I can only be glad that this didn’t become one of those movies which didn’t release here, as there are so many movies of other languages which have occupied the screen at this time.

Release date: 7th February 2014
Running time: 100 minutes
Directed by: Phil Lord, Chris Miller
Starring (voice): Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie, Charlie Day, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman