Masters of the Universe (2026)

This adaptation of the beloved 80s animated series is far more knowing and fun than I think anyone was expecting.  By embracing the ridiculousness of the concept, the film manages to be laugh-out-loud funny from beginning to end, but never at the expense of the story or the characters.  The filmmakers’ love for the childhood sense of joy that the original animation brought is palpable, and the end result is a family-friendly, action-packed adventure that expertly balances its humour, emotion and excitement.

Premise:  Following a coup on his home planet of Eternia by the evil Skeletor (Jared Leto), young Prince Adam is forced to flee to his mother’s homeworld, Earth.  After he becomes separated from the magical Sword of Power – his only means of returning to Eternia – Adam spends the next 15 years searching for it.  When the grown up Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) finds a lead to his missing sword, he soon finds himself drawn into an adventure that he is not prepared for.

Review:

The above summary barely does justice to the set up for this film – but the fact that the film’s extended opening sequence effortlessly establishes not only the relevant plot threads, but also several key character arcs and the tongue-in-cheek tone of the humour, is a sign of just how expertly director Travis Knight has adapted this material.  Just as he did with his first live-action film (2019’s excellent Bumblebee, arguably the best of the live-action Transformers films), in Masters of the Universe Travis Knight has taken a beloved 80s pop-culture phenomenon and turned it into a film that is probably better than anyone was expecting.

Films based on toys and games have a very patchy track record – for every masterpiece like Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves (my Film of the Year for 2023) there’s a disappointment like Battleship, and for every Barbie that does something unexpected with its source material, there’s a The Super Mario Bros. Movie which does little more than simply tick off all of the videogame elements that make an appearance.  Masters of the Universe falls somewhere between Barbie and Dungeons & Dragons on this spectrum: it certainly has some real points to make about what real masculinity looks like, and the power of empathy and compassion, but it’s not quite as focused on its subtext as Barbie was.  At the same time, it takes a similar approach to its source material that Dungeons & Dragons did – it doesn’t take itself too seriously and it revels in the inherent ridiculousness of what’s onscreen, while still giving the plot and the characters the respect they deserve, and without ever straying into spoof or parody territory.

“…lovingly embraces the craziness of the source material…”

Whereas the 1987 movie adaptation of Masters of the Universe starring Dolph Lundgren played the story completely “straight”, this 2026 movie adaptation fully embraces the over-the-top nature of the 80s animated series and toy range.  Masters of the Universe has always been a mash-up of sword-and-sorcery tropes like muscular barbarians, ancient castles and magical swords, with sci-fi elements like laser guns, spaceships and battle robots – and this 2026 version never shies away from this craziness.  Not only does it include all the outlandish elements from the 80s animation – from talking tigers to iconic evil henchman like Beast Man and Trap Jaw – but it also finds fun ways to explain some of its more ludicrous elements, such as revealing that the names like “Ram Man” and “Fisto” were nothing more than nicknames given to the heroic warriors by a child.

Tonally, as well as lovingly embracing the craziness of the source material in a similar way to the excellent Dungeons & Dragons movie, it’s clear to see Travis Knight’s love for the classic 1980 cult sci-fi Flash Gordon shining through – Masters of the Universe even includes a classic Queen song in its soundtrack, and incorporates a brand new guitar solo from Queen guitarist Brian May into Daniel Pemberton’s fun score.  The 80s/Queen links keep on coming with a fun joke about Highlander too.

“…the standout performance was Jared Leto as Skeletor…”

Although the cast is universally great, for me the standout performance was Jared Leto as Skeletor – which was not something I was expecting to say before I watched this film.  I would have presumed there would be pressure – from the studio, the filmmakers or from Jared Leto himself – to play Skeletor as a “serious” villain, making him a Darth-Vadar-type antagonist.  Instead, Jared Leto and Travis Knight have faithfully captured the neediness, insecurity and theatrical campness of Alan Oppenheimer’s iconic vocal performance that defined Skeletor in the original animated series as much as his cruelty and short-temperedness ever did.  Hearing Jared Leto reproduce Skeletor’s over-the-top maniacal laugh or call He-Man a “muscle-bound oaf” was a real joy to behold, and made Skeletor a far more memorable (and fun) villain.

The main heroic trio also do a fantastic job of balancing the humour with the sense of adventure.  Until now, I really only knew Nicholas Galitzine for his comedic performances (he was hilarious in Bottoms), but here he also brings earnestness and sincerity to his performance as Adam, as well as delivering in the action sequences.  He’s paired for much of the film with Camila Mendes (who I thought was excellent in the underrated Do Revenge) as Teela, Adam’s childhood friend who’s now a leader in the resistance against Skeletor.  Both these rising stars really deserve to break into the big leagues based on these performances.  Rounding out the trio is the always enjoyable Idris Elba as Duncan, Teela’s adoptive father and the royal Man-At-Arms.  Idris Elba appears to be having a lot of fun in this role – like the film, he’s not taking himself too seriously, but he’s also bringing the emotion and character depth to balance the knowing humour.

“…there’s a real message at its heart too about what real masculinity looks like…”

Although Alison Brie arguably doesn’t get a huge amount to do as Evil-Lyn, Skeletor’s right-hand woman, she makes the most of every moment she is on onscreen, with each eye-roll and feigned laugh speaking volumes about what she really thinks of Skeletor.  Rounding out the main cast are James Purefoy and Charlotte Riley as King Randor and Queen Marlena, Adam’s parents, with fan-favourite Morena Baccarin appearing as the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull, and comedy legend Kristen Wiig voicing a sarcastic cleaning robot.

It would be easy to dismiss this film sight-unseen as being a simplistic action flick based on a range of simplistic action figures – but that really isn’t the case.  I’ve seen this film with Gen X audience members who loved the nostalgia of seeing their childhood memories up on the big screen – but I’ve also see it with younger audience members who’d never seen any of these characters before – and everyone loved this film.  It’s also got some real depth to it – don’t get me wrong, the emphasis is on the knowing humour and the action/adventure elements, but there is a real message at its heart too about what real masculinity looks like (as opposed to toxic, performative or insecure/overcompensating masculinity), as well as what true strength is.  What many forget about the 80s animated series (and why the 1987 movie adaptation completely missed the point of the character) is that the show was always as much about He-Man’s empathy and compassion as it was about his physical strength.

“…lifts your spirits & puts a smile on your face…”

Offering laughs, heart and action – not to mention one of the funniest big screen villains since Dr. Evil – Masters of the Universe is the kind of film to lift your spirits and have you walking out of the cinema with a spring in your step and a smile on your face … and in these trying times, what more can you ask from a movie?

Also, make sure you stay until the end for three post credit scenes – two of which are purely comical, but the middle one definitely indicates where Travis Knight would like to go next if a sequel is greenlit…