Masters of the Universe (2026) is directed by Travis Knight and features a script by Chris Butler, Aaron Nee, Adam Nee, Dave Callaham, Alex Litvak, and Michael Finch (Oofda; this many writers frightens me). It stars Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Jared Leto, Idris Elba, Alison Brie, Johannes Haukur Johannesson, Jon Xue Zhang, Sam C. Wilson, Charlotte Riley, James Purefoy, Morena Baccarin, Kristen Wiig, Christiaan Bettridge, Artie Wilkinson-Hunt, Eire Farrell, James Wilkinson, Kojo Attah, Hung Dante Dong, James Apps, and Dolph Lundgren. 

The film is based on the multimedia franchise that originated in the 1980s with a line of popular action figures from Mattel, eventually spawning a comic and subsequent cartoon. The story follows Adam of Eternia (Galitzine), a young prince who’s teleported to Earth after his father’s throne is usurped by the evil tyrant Skeletor (Leto). On the journey there, Adam loses his magical sword, which strips him of the ability to return home. 15 years after being forced to grow up in a world where no one believes him, Adam finally finds his lost sword and returns home. In over his head, Adam teams up with his childhood friend, Teela (Mendes), and the kingdom’s former man-at-arms, Duncan (Elba), to defeat Skeletor and reclaim his rightful throne. Along the way, Adam is forced to learn that true strength isn’t just about big muscles and macho one-liners.  

In his first true lead performance, Nicholas Galitzine proves himself to be a charismatic, likable lead. He’s well-cast as the He-Man fans remember, but also sells the character’s sensitive pushover side he adopts while living in our reality. This intentional deconstruction of such an overtly manly character could easily be interpreted as another case of a studio being scared to paint masculinity in a positive light. Some modern films struggle to distinguish between toxic and healthy masculinity, so, to be safe, they default to painting the entire umbrella of manly behavior in a negative light. Thankfully, this film doesn’t attempt to strip away He-Man’s masculinity as it may initially seem; it’s using it as a means to explore what makes him such a man beyond his physical strength. Don’t worry; he’s still able to smash things and beat people up, but that’s not what sets him apart. As he learns what makes him special, so does the viewer. In other words, the script initially strips away his masculinity so that he can find it again throughout his journey, which allows him to convincingly earn his almost comically boastful title.

Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a particularly deep exploration of masculinity, but it feels just right in the context of such a goofy, unserious franchise. Modern social politics all but demand a character named He-Man be placed under a lens, but taking him too seriously would imply the character wasn’t created to be a bit tongue-in-cheek even in the early 80s. They just kind of have fun with these concerns, milk them for some decent humor, and keep the IP true to what it’s always been. 

Staying true to the franchise’s colorful, silly sensibilities, the experience adopts a quippy tone reminiscent of Marvel. On one hand, this is obviously a bit stale; on the other, I can’t imagine an accurate adaptation that isn’t self-aware and silly. I think casual audiences will no doubt eat this up, especially kids. For the most part, the humor is hit-or-miss, but never horrible. That said, I think there’s definitely a dose of subtle crude humor that sets it apart and should be a faithful nod to the people who grew up with the cartoon and the previous film adaptation starring Dolph Lundgren. 

Speaking of Dolph, he has a really fun cameo that’s completely ruined at the last second. Right before the scene cuts after Dolph’s fun little advice monologue, Adam gives the camera a small, knowing grin that’s completely out of character. It implies we didn’t already get the reference and somehow also thinks that if we didn’t, this will tip us off to what’s going on. This insults those of us who understand it and remains meaningless to those who don’t, which is a strange choice. They broke the first rule of reviving a franchise IP: Never alienate your existing fans in order to entice new ones. This is just a small problem in the grand scheme of things, however. Most of the characters who matter are well portrayed, such as Idris Elba’s Duncan, but especially Jared Leto as Skeletor. 

I don’t think Leto specifically adds much to the character, but the script plays into the blatantly humorous aspects of his personality without completely stripping him of some necessary menace. It seems as if the Knight is more than happy to embrace the character’s healthy presence within 21st-century internet meme culture, despite the IP being mostly dormant during that time. I love when adaptations of less serious IP like this embrace the meta history of their cultural impact and fold it into the in-universe canon. 

The visuals are definitely a mixed bag. They’re colorful and zany, true to the cartoon and toys, but require a heavy dose of CGI, which ranges from impressive to laughably bad. Whenever the film chooses to prioritize practical effects with some of the costumes, the visuals are a total home run. Unfortunately, they don’t utilize this route nearly enough. 

Overall, this is a fun, unserious, mostly faithful adaptation of Masters of the Universe that unfortunately feels a bit too reminiscent of a typical studio blockbuster. I definitely prefer it to most of the lesser Marvel installments, but I’ll also admit it’s all a tad stale. If you like the IP and know what to expect, you’ll probably have a good time, but won’t be blown away. If they do end up making some kind of sequel after its failure at the box office, I’ll be there, but I’m going to go around campaigning for it. B-