REVIEW: Masters of the Universe (2026)
Hello and Welcome to the All ‘80s Movies Reviews. Movie reviews where we discuss sequels and reboots generated from one of the freshest decades for movies… the 1980’s.
QUOTE: “By the Power of Grayskull! I have the power!”
That’s right readers, I am discussing with spoilers aplenty the sword and sorcery movie ‘Masters of the Universe’ based on the ‘80s Mattel toy line. It was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Mattel Studios and Escape Artists and distributed by Amazon MGM Studios. The movie stars Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Idris Elba and Jared Leto. This movie was directed by Travis Knight (Bumblebee). It is rated PG-13 with a running time of 2 hour and 20 minutes.
“What’s on the box?”
So, what is this movie about? If you grew up in the 1980’s and had went to your local video store to rent this movie, you would probably find this description on the back of the VHS box.
In MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE, Director Travis Knight brings the legendary franchise back to the big screen in this epic live-action adventure. After being separated for 15 years, the Sword of Power leads Prince Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) back to Eternia where he discovers his home shattered under the fiendish rule of Skeletor (Jared Leto). To save his family and his world, Adam must join forces with his closest allies, Teela (Camila Mendes) and Duncan/Man-At-Arms (Idris Elba), and embrace his true destiny as He-Man — the most powerful man in the universe.
Initial Thoughts:
For years, I'd been waiting for Hollywood to finally bring us back to Eternia. When the ‘Masters of the Universe’ movie was announced, I couldn't wait to see what they would do with it. Then the first trailer dropped and instead of getting me excited, it left me worried. The heavy CGI was the first red flag, but what really concerned me was seeing that the story was heading back to Earth. That was one of my biggest complaints about the 1987 movie, and I couldn't believe they were making the same mistake again.
My biggest issue is that a movie called ‘Masters of the Universe’ doesn't give us nearly enough He-Man. The film runs for more than two hours, yet He-Man is only on screen for about 20 minutes. That's a tough pill to swallow when he's supposed to be the hero we're here to see.
The movie also misses the mark with Prince Adam played by Nicholas Galitzine. Instead of portraying him as a young prince carrying the weight of a great destiny, he's played more like an awkward, insecure kid who constantly stumbles through every situation. Because of that, when he finally becomes He-Man, (almost an hour into the movie) the moment doesn't have the emotional payoff it should. It feels less like a triumphant transformation and more like the story finally catching up to where it should have been all along.
The first twenty minutes follow a young Prince Adam trying to earn his father's approval before Skeletor's attack forces him to flee to Earth. And once again, that's where the movie loses me. I have waited decades to see Eternia brought to life, yet the story spends time away from it. Instead of exploring the rich mythology, incredible locations, and unique characters that make Masters of the Universe so beloved, the movie settles for another Earth-based detour.
To make matters worse, when the movie introduces its supporting characters, very few of them receive enough development to leave much of an impression. Rather than spending that time building up He-Man or exploring Eternia, the film spreads its attention too thin, making it difficult to become invested in anyone.
‘Masters of the Universe’ feels like a fantasy blockbuster wearing a He-Man costume instead of a movie that truly understands what made it so popular back in the ‘80s. There are flashes of what could have been, but they never come together into the epic return to Eternia that would excite a new and existing audience.
Favorite Scenes or Moments:
-Duncan/ Man-at-Arms played by Idris Elba kicks some ass in the opening sequence when he is tasked to defend the royal family.
- I did enjoy Skeletor in the movie. In fact, I wouldn’t have even guessed it was Jared Leto doing the voice. Skeletor feel like a genuine threat whenever he’s on screen. Did I miss the yellow skull look and the classic voice from the cartoon? Sure. But as a screen adaptation, this version of Skeletor worked for me.
- I did enjoy some of the callbacks to the cartoon and the 1987 ‘Masters of the Universe’ movie. You’ve probably heard about most of them by now, but I won’t spoil anything here, just make sure you stick around through the credits.
Swiss Cheese & Complaint Department:
-- Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn just didn’t quite land for me. I was excited when I heard she was cast, but the portrayal never really clicked in terms of presence or menace. She comes off a bit too tongue-in-cheek and too subservient to Skeletor than the character needed to be.
-The movie seemed embarrassed by some of the classic characters. Names like Ram Man and Fisto, which fans have known for decades, are treated like punchlines instead of being taken seriously.
- Dian ends up having the best fight scene in the movie. You’d expect that kind of standout action moment to go to Teela who most fans would know from the cartoon. Why did the movie sideline one of its key warriors in favor of a supporting character from the newspaper strip?
“Hey, it’s that actor!” Here we spotlight a character actor you have seen in many other films, an actor making their big screen debut or an actor that makes an uncredited cameo.
Actress Charlotte Riley who plays Queen Marlena is an English actress born in 1981 in County Durham, England. Before screen work, she studied at Durham University and trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, also earning early attention as a playwright after winning the Sunday Times Playwriting Award for Shaking Cecilia.
On screen, she broke out with roles in ‘Easy Virtue’ (2008), where she played Sarah Hurst, and as Catherine Earnshaw in ITV’s adaptation of ‘Wuthering Heights’ (2009), opposite Tom Hardy. From there, her career moved between film, television, and stage work, including ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ (2014) alongside Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt, and ‘London Has Fallen,’ (2016) where she played an MI6 agent.
Outside of acting, Riley is married to actor Tom Hardy, and the two share a family together after meeting on the set of ‘Wuthering Heights.’
Facts and Trivia:
- Jared Leto is known for his extreme commitment to roles, and his take on Skeletor reportedly leaned heavily into that reputation. One of the more unusual choices attributed to his performance was delivering lines in a way that minimized lip movement, which reportedly made his dialogue harder for other actors to immediately understand and added a layer of unpredictability to the on-set interactions.
He also reportedly performed much of the role with heavy facial makeup and fake blood instead of a full skull mask during filming, allowing the visual effects team to later build on his expressions in post-production. Even with the character’s final look being heavily CG-enhanced, the intention was to keep a strong, physical sense of menace during production so the cast had something tangible and intense to react to.
- On Earth, Adam goes by the surname Glenn. In ‘He-Man and the Masters of the Universe’ (1983), it establishes that his mother, Marlena Glenn, was an astronaut from Earth who ended up on Eternia and eventually became its queen. In the scene where the Queen speaks to a young Adam in her chambers, you can even spot her space helmet sitting on a shelf in the background.
- This film is dedicated to the memory of toy designer Roger Sweet (1935-2026), the original designer of Masters of the Universe.
Reviews:
Rotten Tomatoes currently gives it a Tomatometer score of 67% with a Popcornmeter Score of 86%. Its IMDB Rating currently stands at 6.9.
Additional Thoughts and Questions:
-If Adam was on Earth for 15 years, who raised him during this time? If his goal was to get back to Eternia, wouldn’t he be doing everything in his power to prepare for that return? Learning fighting techniques, self-defense, etc.
-Speaking of Beast Man, how did Beast Man get to Earth? And similarly, how did he get back to Eternia? Once Adam and Teela leave in their ship, he looks completely stranded on Earth with no clear way to contact or return to Eternia yet he returns.
Rating:
On a scale of one to five Swords of Power, what do I give ‘Masters of the Universe?’
2 Swords of Power
In the end, ‘Masters of the Universe’ just didn’t deliver on what I was looking for in He-Man. Instead of feeling like a bold return to Eternia, it spends too much time with backstory and a return to Earth. It leans heavily on CGI spectacle without the heart or presence of its title character. He-Man himself is surprisingly sidelined, and when he does appear, the film never quite captures the larger-than-life heroism that made the franchise fun. Add in underdeveloped supporting characters and the portrayal of Adam, the result is a disappointing reboot that misses the power and spirit of the source material.
I think that about wraps it up for this review. Thank you so much for reading. We have yet to cover 1987’s ‘Masters of the Universe’ on our podcast, but hopefully we’ll get to it soon. Please take the time to follow our podcast on your preferred streaming platform, give us a review, and rate us.
Have an excellent rest of your day!
CAST:
Nicholas Galitzine as Adam Glenn / He-Man
Camila Mendes as Teela
Idris Elba as Duncan / Man-At-Arms
Jared Leto as Skeletor
Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn
James Purefoy as King Randor
Charlotte Riley as Queen Marlena
Morena Baccarin as the Sorceress
Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson as Fisto
Jon Xue Zhang as Ram-Man
Sam C. Wilson as Trap Jaw
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