It’s been a rough go for Masters of the Universe—and one that’s felt a little unfair, especially when comparing critics’ ratings against general audience reviews. The film didn’t perform particularly well in theaters for a multitude of reasons, and it seems that continues to be the case now that it’s found its streaming home. Over on Prime Video, He-Man has been pushed out of the #1 spot on the Top 10 Most Watched list by a movie that literally no one saw coming (seriously, did anyone see this movie coming? Did anyone even know it existed?).
Starring Lana Condor, Kathryn Newton, and Gavin Casalegno, The Devil’s Mouth is one hell of a ride—or so the synopsis would want you to believe. The toothy horror flick scored only a 31% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, and it could barely even manage half that rating with casual viewers, bringing in a dismal 16%. The film centers on five friends as they decide to take one last trip together before real life forces them to grow up. The group signs up for a guided swim through a remote cave system known as The Devil’s Mouth off the coast of Thailand. But once they’re inside, they make the horrifying realization that they aren’t alone; a freak storm the week before brought animals into the cave, and while most of the sea creatures died in the fresh water, that wasn’t the case for everything. And what survived is now hunting them.
And neither critics nor general audiences were vibing on what it was putting out there—especially the way it wasted its two main leads, Lana Condor and Kathryn Newton. Critic John Stark said, “What we’re left with is streaming garbage that happens to feature two rising stars doing their best to save it. Catherine newton and Lana Condor deserve movies worthy of their talent. This isn’t one of them.” And it’s simply a fact that the entire cast, but particularly its two most talented names, were entirely wasted on a thin plot that hinged entirely on cheap thrills and even cheaper CGI terror. While there could have been a unique element to the notion of fresh water sharks terrorizing college kids, even that felt overdone and anemic.
Casual viewers had an even harsher take on the film, tearing it down to the studs and then some. “You wanna see a stupid shark movie, watch Sharknado… At least that one will make you laugh,” said one viewer. Another added, “Frustratingly stupid yapping young kids that scream at each other even in life-threatening moments when stranded in a cave with a hungry shark.” Though, to be fair, that really does sound like something a group of college kids would do. But it really does make Masters of the Universe sound like the better way to kill some time.
