Film Review – Masters of the Universe

June 9th, 2026 | POSTED BY Allen Almachar

Even as a kid, I always thought He-Man and Masters of the Universe was a little hokey. A dude with a funny haircut wearing loincloth battling a villain with a skull for a head was never as cool as say, G.I. Joes, Transformers or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I’ve seen the 1980s cartoon show plenty of times, and the Dolph Lundgren-starring film had its own cheesy charm to it. But the property never hit my nostalgic nerve the way it has for so many of my fellow millennials. It settled in my periphery rather than as a foundational piece of pop culture. Although I will say that I was excited finding a He-Man action figure in my stocking one Christmas morning – thanks for that, Santa.

As is the case with just about any well-known IP, what is old is new again, and thus we have the latest iteration of Masters of the Universe (2026). Surprisingly, this version translates a lot of the same spirit that made these worlds and characters so memorable for fans. It strikes a good balance between silly and sincere – between not taking itself too seriously and establishing legitimate stakes. Admittedly, I was not too keen on it early on, but the film eventually won me over with its humor, special effects, and earnest attitude. Everyone seems to be having a good time. This belongs in the same category as the first Aquaman (2018) and much of the Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) trilogy. It’s weird and goofy and ridiculous, but it is aware of all this and owns up to it with full conviction.

Directed by Travis Knight (screenplay by Chris Butler, Aaron Nee and Dave Callahan), the narrative is a mish mash of contradictory elements. The main thrust of the story takes place on the fantastical planet of Eternia. Here, characters live in castles, wield swords, and cast magical spells, yet they also fly in high tech spaceships, fire laser blasters, and wear battle armor taken straight out of a 1950s sci-fi movie. In other words, none of this makes sense. Eternia is the home planet of Adam/He-Man (Nicholas Galitzine), who escaped to Earth as a child after the invasion of the dastardly Skeletor (Jared Leto). Fifteen years later and the grown Adam has reclaimed the mighty Sword of Power and has returned to Eternia to take down Skeletor, reunite with his family and friends, and bring peace back to the planet. You know, the usual fantasy/adventure stuff.

The writing/direction makes an egregious error right away by spending way too much time on the prologue. Too much effort is put into setting up Adam’s background, his childhood friendship with Teela (Camila Mendes) and her father Duncan (Idris Elba), Adam’s connections with his own father, King Randor (James Purefoy) and mother, Queen Marlena (Charlotte Riley), the introduction of the good Sorceress (Morena Baccarin) and bad sorceress Evil-Lyn (Alison Brie), establishing the Sword of Power and Castle Grayskull, and the eventual conquest of Skeletor and Adam’s exile. By the time we see Adam living a humdrum life working a dead end job on Earth, nearly a third of the movie has passed! The never-ending prologue bloats the entire production, pushing the run time to an astronomical two and a half hours! The narrative covers way too much ground in the first act. By the time the fun actually started, I very nearly checked out.

To the film’s credit, when it finally settles in, it is consistently entertaining. It moves with energy and pace, the cinematography is bright and colorful, and the mix between CGI and practical effects is well managed. From the large-scale battles and chase scenes to the moment when Adam transforms into He-Man by saying the quote, “By the power of Grayskull, I have the power!” the production embraces the ridiculousness as a badge of honor. The most impressive example of the special effects is that of Skeletor himself, as the computer imagery and Leto’s performance creates an expressive character, even if we don’t see the actor’s actual face. The action choreography incorporates hand-to-hand combat with uncut camera movement, swinging left and right watching He-Man and his friends smash and clobber adversaries into smithereens. During highpoint moments, the visuals suddenly switch into slow motion, capturing images like the splash page of a comic book. 

The cast inhabit their respective parts as well as we could expect given how outlandish the material is. There is a Flash Gordon (1980) approach to the performances, where everyone appears to be on the same page on what tone to aim for. Nicholas Galitzine plays Adam/He-Man as a goodhearted, well-meaning doofus. Because of the tragedy of his past, Adam’s growth and maturity have stunted. We see this in the way he refers to people with simple nicknames like Fisto (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson), Ram Man (Jon Xue Zhang), or Trap Jaw (Sam C. Wilson). But when it’s time to get down to business, Galitzine steps into the hero role with classic bravado. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Jared Leto and Alison Brie have an absolute ball playing Skeletor and Evil-Lyn. It’s said that playing villains is more fun than playing heroes, and Leto and Brie are a perfect example of this. They cackle and ham it up, gesturing like cartoon characters on overdrive. Amongst the entire cast, Leto and Brie understood the assignment and went for it with no hesitation. The more we see of them, the more fun things get.

I was caught off guard with how much I liked this version of Masters of the Universe. No, it is not perfect – it runs way too long and borrows a lot of elements of other action/fantasy/comedy blockbusters. But it’s not bad for what it has to offer. It has engaging set pieces, actors that are willing to go as eccentric as the story calls for, and an overall vibe that not only celebrates the past but makes its own unique mark. The film gets better as it gets weirder. Fans of this franchise will likely get their money’s worth, and non-fans might be pleasantly surprised should they give it a chance. 

Aaron Nee, Alison Brie, Aquaman, Camila Mendes, Charlotte Riley, Chris Butler, Dave Callahan, Dolph Lundgren, Featured, Flash Gordon, Guardians of the Galaxy, Idris Elba, James Purefoy, Jared Leto, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Jon Xue Zhang, Masters of the Universe, Morena Baccarin, Nicholas Galitzine, Sam C. Wilson, Travis Knight