Ill-conceived nonsense. Masters & Realms is a “comedy” web series about a group of vigilantes who team up with their former nemesis to protect the multi-realm. In theory, it isn’t a bad idea. In practice, it might be the worst thing ever to be put on YouTube.
Amateurish in the extreme. Masters & Realms consists of nothing more than tight shots of interchangeable masked characters and a skull-headed robot, who do nothing but chat against various backdrops, punctuated only by an ad for a band which seems to write 80’s montage music. The six, 6-12 minute shorts fail to either be entertaining on their own or make me want to buy their album.
“…a group of vigilantes who team up with their former nemesis to protect the multi-realm.”
But, if you want to watch a web series with only men … in … masks … delivering … their … lines … like … this … for … six … to … twelve … minutes … at … a … time … then … go … a … head. It almost seems like Masters & Realms has a time requirement they are trying to meet, and instead of writing more story they just thought, hey let’s slow down all the dialogue to a mind-destroying crawl. I swear to the nonexistent god of all that watching this should be listed alongside waterboarding in the legal definition of torture.
Masters & Realms seems to operate on “music video logic.” There is a quest, there is a bad guy, there is a goal, but none of it is explained. They all just merely exist. The team travels through realms, but it’s never explained how. There is a mysterious masked figure in the radio realm who gives cryptic messages about how their old nemesis is going to betray them, but no explanation as to how he knows this. There is no exposition or explanation for anything in this story. Things just…are.
Now I did say the show was a comedy web series, but I’ll be honest, I’m just guessing. For all, I know the nonsensical blather could be a serious abstract drama. But the way the characters interact reminds me more of the horror of being forced to watch a first-year comedy improv class.
“…nothing more than tight shots of interchangeable masked characters…”
The creator of Masters & Realms, AP Stevens, has various videos on his YouTube page and is keen to explain to you his process and show you how to make web content. In fairness to what he has created, he never promised to show you how to make good content. Just content. He is also keen to explain how all of his various projects fit into a shared universe. A cursory glance over his other material shows that it is as good as Masters & Realms. Which is to say not good at all.
Masters & Realms is a perfect example of the phrase “Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should.”
"…"There is a quest, there is a bad guy, there is a goal...""
