Masters of the Universe (2026) – Review

Quick thoughts:

• It has the power.
• Director Travis Knight understood the assignment, and you’ll find yourself loving the silliness of the magical world. 
• Excellent casting choices. Jared Leto is a hoot.
• It reminded me of a more earnest version of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023). This is a good thing.
• A certain cameo made me very happy.
• Grade – 6.8 But(t) Worms out of 10.

The best thing about Masters of the Universe (MotU) is it understands that any property featuring characters named He-Man, Skeletor, Evil-Lyn, Man-At-Arms, Sorceress, Ram-Man, and Fisto should lean into silliness. Director Travis Knight (Bumblebee, Kubo and the Two Strings) and his four writers (Adam Lee, Aaron Lee, Chris Butler, David Callaham) have crafted a world filled with sassy robots, muscular thighs, and a cackling villain who loves muscular thighs. Much like the 2023 film Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, MotU leans into silly bits, and was created by people who genuinely love the tale of a muscular man named He-Man (Nicholas Galitzine – who consumed 5,000 calories a day to prepare for the role) battling Skeletor (Jared Leto – very funny), a bad guy with a skeleton face. 

Masters of the Universe focuses on what happens when a pleasant kingdom named Eternia is attacked by an army led by Skeletor, and his second-in-command, Evil Lyn (Alison Brie). After a brief battle that sees King Randor (James Purefoy) defeated, and Queen Marlena Glenn (Charlotte Riley) severely injured, their son Adam (Artie Wilkinson-Hunt), is saved by his mentor Man-At-Arms (Idris Elba – loving life) and Sorceress (Morena Baccarin), who send him to earth with the Sword of Power so Skeletor won’t become more powerful (lots of power talk here). During his journey, he loses the mythical sword and has to find it when he lands in Oklahoma. 

In a show of impressive perseverance, Adam must have figured things out because 15 years later, he is fully integrated into Earth society. I’d love to learn how a kid from another dimension got through the system and became a well-adjusted human with a human resources gig at a bland company. Living in Oklahoma hasn’t been easy for Adam, as he works in a boring human resources job (that he’s good at) and can’t find the Sword of Power. His backstory is impossible to explain, and whenever he tells people about his past, they justifiably think he’s a mildly insane, good-looking dude. His fortunes change when his years of internet sleuthing help him locate the Sword of Power at a local collectibles shop. After a very funny sword heist, Adam is arrested, and on the way to the police station, he’s attacked by a furry creature creatively named Beast Man (voiced by Gary Martin). Before Beast Man can maul Adam, he’s saved by Teela (Camila Medes), who takes him back to Eternia so he can save the world. 

What follows is a traditional hero’s journey in which Adam learns how to wield his power while saving Eternia from an evil maniac. During his journey, there are fist fights, chase scenes, and a wildly entertaining final fight involving a large cat gnawing on the furry head of a furry beast. At 140 minutes, it’s about 20 minutes too long, but since the characters are endearing and Jared Leto is such a delight, the movie gets a pass. It also isn’t as clever as Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves because the humor isn’t as expertly integrated into the proceedings. At points, the film grinds to a halt so a character can say something funny. Most of the jokes land, but they hurt the momentum, which makes the film drag during certain moments.

Between Bottoms, The Idea of You, and Red, White & Royal Blue, Nicholas Galitzine is proving himself to be an actor with range, and he does a fine job carrying the $200-million dollar film on his shoulders. He has wonderful chemistry with Camila Mendes, and the two are a believable pair of likable warriors. The MVP of MotU is Jared Leto, who comes across as simultaneously horrible and hilarious. Much like Frank Langella in the 1987 movie, Leto clearly enjoyed being an evil brat with zero situational awareness.

Final Thoughts – It’s a good time.