REVIEW: 'Masters of the Universe' is the ultimate franchise reboot
For children of the 80s, the premise of Masters of the Universe was as fundamental as anything we learned in school, with He-Man and his friends defending Eternia against the evil Skeletor and his minions; good guys win, bad guys lose, rinse, repeat. The formula worked its magic across 130 episodes, raking in billions of dollars’ worth of toy sales for Mattel, the company behind Barbie. A low budget 1987 movie starring Dolph Lundgren (Rocky IV, Universal Soldier) flopped hard, while later animated reboots would—despite mostly decent reviews—likewise fail to restore the franchise’s former glories. Now, after four decades, and with a billion-dollar Barbie movie in the rearview, Mattel has enlisted director Travis Knight (Bumblebee, Kubo and the Two Strings) to re-imagine their sci-fi barbarian for the 21st century.
Nicholas Galitzine (The Sheep Detectives) plays Adam, a young man seeking to restore his birthright as Prince of Eternia, following his world’s capture by the evil Skeletor (Jared Leto, Tron: Ares). Unbeknownst to Skeletor and his minions, Adam is in possession of a powerful secret that will transform him into He-Man, the most powerful man in the universe. Joining Adam in his quest are Teela (Camila Mendes, of TV’s Riverdale) and her father, Duncan (Idris Elba, Avengers Infinity War), along with a motley crew of colorful characters fighting to free Eternia.
Galitzine plays Adam as an overly earnest, big-hearted goof, exchanging awkwardness for muscles once he transforms into He-Man. Given that the original toy line was famously built around making children feel like they had a voice in a world where they often didn’t, the film’s presentation of Adam as someone clinging desperately to his childhood memories is a stroke of brilliance (as well as a shout-out to toy collectors everywhere). Sure, there are probably those who’ll complain about the flippant way a lot of the lore is handled, but seeing as this is a franchise where a half-naked man and his talking cat regularly face off against a skull-headed sorcerer in a world with spaceships and robots, was it ever really meant to be serious?
On that note, the film was a lot funnier than this reviewer expected, littered with MCU-style one-liners and playful jabs at many of the franchise’s hallmarks. While many of these could have gone the way of the early Marvel films’ seeming disdain for their inspirations (the X-Men in black leather come to mind), the punchlines serve the lighthearted tone. Keeping in mind that Masters of the Universe is—first and foremost—a toy line, the jokes help offset some of the film’s more intense sequences, including the multiple, well-executed fight scenes. Galitzine pulls off the action well, and, just as Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman did before him, dispels early online skepticism over his (so-called) lack of bulk by proving that his He-Man is a force to be reckoned with. With all due respect to Lundgren’s earlier effort, let’s just say that we finally have a live-action final battle between He-Man and Skeletor worth cheering for.
The supporting cast holds up their end well, with Elba providing a solid presence as the Eternian Royal Family’s Man-At-Arms; even if his character arc is somewhat predictable, the guy is clearly having a good time as Adam’s de facto mentor. At the same time, Mendes’ portrayal of Teela takes cues from the 2002 and 2021 animated revivals that placed her in more of a leadership role than the classic show ever did. About as far removed from the Veronica Lodge role that made her a star as it’s possible to be, Mendes puts in a performance that could very well lead to more blockbusters in her future.
As for the villains, the question of how notorious character Leto would play Skeletor (short of melting his skin off with sulphuric acid, that is). While the trailers showed that the nefarious miscreant certainly looked the part, Leto proves himself a worthy Skeletor in the film’s opening minutes, complete with an evil laugh, an over-inflated opinion of himself, a penchant for whimsical alliteration, and zero confidence in his henchmen. Let’s face it, his goons have always looked cool, but their batting average ranked somewhere between Imperial Stormtroopers and the (pre-2026) New York Knicks in terms of competence. Indeed, in nearly every iteration, the only dependable one was Evil-Lyn, played here in gloriously off-kilter fashion by Alison Brie (Sleeping with Other People, GLOW) as a long-suffering employee who knows that her boss is an idiot.
As one of those who grew up on the original series, a well-made, full-on Masters of the Universe blockbuster has been a long time coming. Where the 1987 film failed by straying so far from the toys and cartoon as to be unrecognizable, Knight and his collaborators have embraced the things that made the franchise fun—from Skeletor’s mannerisms and signature (bone) throne, to iconic locations, vehicles, and cameos, it’s clear that a ton of love went into this. Indeed, seeing how faithful the film was in most areas, the decision to retcon multiple characters’ names stands out somewhat, but seeing as the scenes they’re in are pretty funny, it’s a minor gripe.
Just as Barbie honored its roots while redefining the character for a new generation, the Masters of the Universe script, by Chris Butler (ParaNorman) goes above and beyond, delving into all the reasons He-Man resonates with fans, while highlighting the hero’s strong moral center in a modern context. While this hero may not go around looking for fights, he’s absolutely a guy you’d want to help end one.
Featuring a fun plot that largely respects its characters, tons of fun moments, actors we can’t wait to see more of in these roles, and a rocking soundtrack (featuring Queen’s Brian May!), Masters of the Universe is the franchise resurrection that fans have been waiting for, and a fantastic introduction to anyone wanting to see just what the heck their titos have been talking about all these years.
Now, can we please have a Thundercats movie?
Watch the trailer for Masters of the Universe below.
