Masters Of The Universe (2026)
SHOULD I SEE IT?
YES
Nicholas Galitzine brings charm and charisma to his role as Prince Adam/He-Man.
Better than this has any right to be. An impressive score, sound design, visual effects, and a scene-stealing Jared Leto might just win you over.
Imagine this movie not made by Travis Knight. He is a really talented director and storyteller who saves this through his skill and craftsmanship.
NO
But, let’s be honest: this has no business being 140 minutes.
A shaky, cliche-laden beginning, could make this groan-inducing for some folks. Eventually, the goofiness won me over, but not every joke lands effectively.
Feels like a mixtape of a bunch of films we have seen already - including the most obvious of comparisons, Guardians of the Galaxy.
OUR REVIEW
While not every joke lands and the self-aware spirit of the film can feel a little on-the-nose, I have to say I kind of admire how messy Masters of the Universe turns out to be. It’s clumsy, empty-headed, and far too long, but also keenly aware of the tricky needle it is trying to thread: tap into nostalgia, create characters that younger audiences will embrace, and lay the groundwork for a potential new movie franchise.
In that sense, having Nicholas Galitzine star as Adam, the aw-shucks, accidental savior of all mankind is a smart move. His flowing blonde locks, shredded physique, and boundless charisma give us a heroic fighter that seems able to pull off an action sequence, and a well-executed joke or pun, with excellent timing all around.
On the other hand, Galitzine isn’t really a box office draw yet, and Masters of the Universe is not exactly the IP millions were clamoring to have come back. The 1980s cartoon that introduced characters like He-Man, She-Ra, Orko, Ram-Man, Fisto, Goat Man, and Scare Glow was always a little kitschy, a little cheesy, and more than a little ridiculous.
Nonetheless, the Mattel toy line was a big success in the early 1980s, the series not so much, though it did run for around 130 episodes or so in the mid-1980s. The 1987 live-action film, starring Dolph Lundgren, was a flop.
Reboots and restarts have popped up from time to time, but in a world of superhero movies, the adventures of He-Man, or Prince Adam, have stayed silent for a very long time.
This approach benefits greatly from director Travis Knight (Kubo and the Two Strings, Bumblebee). His background in stop-motion animation and comic book-style action allows him to embrace the comedic potential and entertainment value of Masters of the Universe, while sliding in more than a handful of nods and winks to the source material.
All in all, the contradictions somehow survive. You can tell me no one wants this movie, and yet, the people I saw it with, in an obnoxious Regal ScreenX presentation, laughed out loud and had a good time. You can tell me Jared Leto is a terrible choice for Skeletor, and yet he becomes, or at least his voice becomes, the best thing in the movie. Kristin Wiig voices Roboto. Alison Brie portrays Evil-Lyn, a sorceress. Camila Mendes is great as Teela, a childhood friend of Prince Adam, while Idris Elba provides a steady presence as Duncan, King Randor’s right-hand man, Teela’s father and a mentor to Adam.
Randor is Adam’s father, played here by James Purefoy, and the film finds his kingdom of Eternos under siege by an army led by the evil Skeletor. Adam, just a boy in these opening scenes, witnesses his parents captured, Duncan injured, and he soon escapes to Earth in a portal opened up by Teela’s mother, known as “The Sorceress,” and portrayed by Morena Baccarin.
As an adult, Adam works in HR at a nameless company, for an anxious, twitchy boss (Sasheer Zamata), has a roommate obsessed with rom-coms, and is secretly trying to find the “Sword of Power” that he lost in his intergalactic travels 15 years before.
For anyone who has seen a fantasy film like Masters of the Universe, we can all figure out that there really isn’t a movie unless he finds the Sword. We don’t even make this movie if Adam doesn’t attempt to right the wrongs we saw in the opening scenes. And, so, of course he is returning to Eternos to vanquish evil and save his people.
Knight plays into those expectations, directing a screenplay he co-wrote with Aaron and Adam Nee (The Lost City) and David Callaham (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse). Just when the film appears ready to settle into a more traditional fantasy adventure, Knight flips the tone again and leans into comedy. As a result, the more Leto settles into his role, the more loose and freewheeling he becomes. Galitzine can show off his comedic timing, and there is enough action and energy thrown at this, that Daniel Pemberton’s score, aided by Queen guitarist Brian May’s “power guitar,” can do the appropriate heavy lifting in key scenes and moments.
Look, I didn’t think this was a good idea. It’s shaky at the beginning and leans into silliness at moments when you wish it would commit more to the overall story it is trying to tell. Also, it has no business being 2 hours and 20 minutes long. And yes, this movie probably doesn’t exist if Guardians of the Galaxy wasn’t a thing. And yes, this feels like other movies you have already seen.
And yet, this thing has charm. It keeps you entertained and eventually wins you over with Galitzine’s charisma, jokes that improve as the movie goes on, Idris Elba’s steady hand, and some genuinely impressive visual effects and sound design.
By the time the end-credit teases arrive, I found myself unexpectedly interested in where this franchise might go next. Believe me, I am as surprised as you are.
CAST & CREW
Starring: Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Idris Elba, Jared Leto, Alison Brie, James Purefoy, Charlotte Riley, Morena Baccarin, Kristin Wiig, Tom Wilton, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Sasheer Zamata, Christian Vunipola, Sam C. Wilson, Jon Xue Zhang, James Wilkinson, Artie Wilkinson-Hunt
Director; Travis Knight
Screenplay by: Travis Knight, Aaron Nee, Adam Nee, Dave Callaham
Story by: Aaron Nee, Adam Nee, Alex Litvak, Michael Finch
Based on characters created for “Masters of the Universe” by Mattel, Inc.
Release Date: June 5, 2026
Amazon MGM Studios