Film Review: ‘Masters Of The Universe’ Is Silly And Radical

Welcome to the table,

 

For someone who grew up with He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, there is a bit of worry when one sees that particular childhood property getting a new adaptation. There are flashes of memory from being a little kid; sometimes they are more clear than others, but when the flickers of yesteryear come into focus about Eternia, it’s always a warm memory. This, of course, is going to color my opinions of the newest Masters of the Universe film starring Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Alison Brie, Idris Elba, and a slew of other talented players — as will my love sword & sorcery and He-Man for as long as I can remember.

All that disclosed, let’s get into it the new MOTU.

 

 

My first words after the credits — and a collection of scenes that provided a healthy dose of fanservice and teasers for more things to come — was that this movie was, and I mean this as a complement of the highest caliber, “both the dumbest, and most radical thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”

The hero of Masters of the Universe is He-Man, a musclebound himbo who lives in a royal castle in the capital city, of a planet at the heart of the universe. He’s the royal heir set to lead what amounts to the “beating heart” of known reality in a world full of monsters, dragons, demons, and other assorted humanoid and non-humanoid intelligences. The landscape is a place where sorcery and science overlap in ways that make everything fantastical and colorful and, frankly, more fun than they have any right to be.

 

 

The original cartoon and action figures presented this hero in a way that is easy for small children to digest: the character — a man with furry short pants and a harness over his bulging chest sporting a haircut resembling something between a pageboy bowlcut and the hair of a woman in a 1970s beer ad– was powerful, but also kind of simple. He was voiced by actor John Lee Erwin, who sounded more like a public service announcement than someone delivering dialogue. Everything had the air of a radio broadcast with moving pictures and bright colors. It helped to set the tone of what would be emulated-but-never-replicated in comics, cartoons, and even a 1987 live-action film also titled Masters of the Universe.

Coming into the 2026 film, my expectation that someone would be able to reach that original cartoon’s level of boombasity and nostalgic status were low. It’s not an insult by any stretch, but there is a certain level of characterization I was sure was going to be impossible to achieve. So it brings me joy to tell you that what I witnessed in that film was some kind of magic. Galitzine is more than the dual persona of Prince Adam and He-Man that I remember from my Technicolor youth. In this performance, he has been able to channel all those iconic moments from the daily cartoon, but he also elevates the character in a way that does not pivot into something one would expect with a “big strong man” in modern media.

 

 

As Price Adam, Galitzine managed to capture the gawky, unsure nature of someone who is unsure about themself, but knows what they are supposed to be. He is never unkind or cruel — a trait that so often comes with characters destined for greatness or deferred from their life path. Adam has an earnestness which grounds him in an effortless and considerate way. The character would hold the door for you not because it was expected or beat into him, but because thinking of others is second nature. This performance is deepened by the lack of big performative proclamations and pauses in dialog, as if he is waiting for someone to applaud or a joke to land. There is something very charming and gentile about it all. It rings true, making the eventual moment he raises his magic sword and gains The Power as the super-strong and magically-combat-ready He-Man (which happens early that you might expect) even better.

And as the Most Powerful Man in the Universe, Galitzine is kind and more confident. He leans into his magically infused body’s newfound powers and feels like a kid playing with action figures on the bedroom floor, but somehow from the inside. He-Man in this film is what I want all muscle-bound himbos to be … kind.

I will continue to focus on this point, but there is a gentleness that feels easy in this incarnation of the character. Too often, we see these big, strong brusers get angry, wrathful, harsh, or unkind. This incarnation of He-Man is none of those things. He has emotions, he has troubles, but he does not deal with them in an unhealthy way. It’s wonderful and makes the whole thing feel strangely healing.

It’s hard not to draw the parallel to Barbie, another Mattel property turned cinematic gold. I have seen them both, and while they do not share the exact narrative mechanisms to straddle worlds, they do leave you — or at least left me — with a very real feeling of self-empowerment and childhood healing laced with heavy doses of nostalgia and charm.

 

 

Galitzine is not the only standout in this adventure, though. Mendes, as Teela, is another brilliant evolution of the character from the Filmation days. She brings a charm and sureness to the character often missing from female heroes of the ’80s. The confidence balances perfectly against Galitzine, often taking the lead in scenes and making this strange and fantastical world of Eternia feel lived-in and more grounded as she does it. She also carries a really beautiful subplot of responsibility and forgiveness, playing against her father, Man-At-Arms (Elba). I could easily see a Teela-driven film based purely on her performance in this role.

The aforementioned Elba brings a new perspective to Man-At-Arms, serving as a “broken warrior seeking redemption” on screen and creating a version of the character that is multifaceted and emotionally resonant. It feels like a new character wrapped in the clip-on armor and brandishing the iconic mace of old.

 

 

Our heroes in this world play off some iconic villains that, and this stuns me to say it, really work in these roles. I was opposed to Leto in the role, as he seems to bring nothing of value to the characters he plays. This is paired with a cautious arms-length due to worrying rumors that follow him wherever he goes. So what I say next surprises even me: he was somehow amazing as Skeletor. It’s not the voice of Alan Oppenheimer from the original cartoon, not even close. It’s not the scene-chewing grandeur of Frank Langella from the 1987 film, a character who honestly is the beating heart of that film and its most memorable part. This new performance is something else — blue-skinned, skull-headed, and packaged with a Havock Staff — it confounds me, but works so startlingly well that it defies rational thought. There is a humor to it, a cattiness that rivals Real Housewives or some other contrived reality show packed with clipable confessions and exploding moments of main character energy. Somehow, some way, the actor funnels all that is selfish and self-servingly stupid into this fantasy warlord that makes it work proudly well.

 

 

I can’t move forward without calling out Skeletor’s girl Friday, Evil-Lyn (Brie). The actor brings a weird, almost Mad Hatter energy to the role. She serves as the dutiful right hand to the drama-queen with a skull head, but the character also seems more aware than she lets on. Not compassionate, though. Instead, Evil-Lyn is waiting to take the reins of power or, maybe, just really into the sub-space of it all. Either way, it is a delight every time she is on screen. Brie brings a permissive orchestrator vibe to the role, making her the middle management between Skeletor and his minions. They, in turn, look to her for how to best accommodate Skeletor’s whims as he rambles, monologues, shouts, and laughs in the throws of his various machinations.

 

 

This is why this movie works so well for me. It looks amazing, the effects are some of the best I have ever seen, and the color palette and soundtrack flow beautifully together. It all feels like it should have this bombastic plot about light and dark sides or religions involving a magical power that binds all things in the universe … and heavy-handed lessons that can spawn campaigns about saving the environment. This film does not really have that; it has a ton of heart and charm, but it’s really (and fittingly) dumb. Bad Guy wants the magic sword, Good Guys want to stop him from getting it, Bag Guys and God Guys fight. It’s not deeper than that and, yet, it is.

The makers of Masters of the Universe brought this brilliantly chaotic and silly sword & sorcery landscape we imagined on the floors of our youth with a wonderful lived-in fashion. This backdrop still carries the simple Good vs. Bad narrative that has worked for generations in toy boxes and playgrounds across the globe.

The movie is not some thought-provoking testament to stand the test of time. It’s also not cars-that-go-fast-and-somehow-in-space-while-fighting-battleships-and-terrorists. It’s not laser swords and cosmic wizards, and it’s not thrones and shame bells. What Masters of the Universe is, at its core, is a heartfelt, brilliant spectacle that captures the wonder of the ’80s cartoon while allowing its main characters to grow. They live in a way that’s non-problematic and, frankly, affirming to those of us who really wanted to believe that while muscles could let you punch asteroids back into space, it was the kindness and brains behind that brawn really inspiring the desire to do good in the world and leave it a little better than you found it.

Until next time, there were moments that don’t make sense and more Easter eggs than you can catch in a single showing without a pause button, Those aside, this movie was wildly successful in what it set out to do and my hope is that you ignore the clickbait and doom-telling stories of bad box office returns and whatever else you may be seeing out there. Go give it a chance. It’s fun. It’s really, really fun. It’s dumb, stupid, silly, and — at the same time — the most radical thing I have ever seen. It’s everything I want from an ’80s cartoon adaptation and then some, and in this kid’s humble opinion, it’s well worth your time.