Masters of the Universe - Review

Not to brag or anything, but I wasn’t around for the 80s. So I had to do my catching up on the bizarre shows and comics from the era through their ability to stand the test of time. Masters of the Universe is one that has certainly stood that test of time, with names like He-Man, Skeletor and She-Ra, or memes from the original cartoon. I was unfortunately too busy catching up on Power Rangers and Thunderbirds to know just what I was missing.

Masters of the Universe (2026) is a wonderful introduction to the franchise, pulling me so deeply into the aesthetic, sounds and oiled up biceps of the world. I was excited to see this film, but expected something a little juvenile from it after seeing some of the story trailers. I am happy to report, it is indeed juvenile and also quite funny, very cool and the music feels like it's going to loosen a tooth.

We start our story with a voiceover from Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) / He-Man giving us an introduction to Eternia, the story of the Power Sword and his place in that world. We watch through some young Adam scenes before Skeletor’s arrival and subsequent destruction of Eternia, where Adam is sent to live on Earth and return with the sword when it’s safe. However, he gets a little separated from the sword in his travels through a bright wormhole and lands in a lake, while the sword continues on, lost forever?

From there, we jump to present day, where Adam works a job he hates, dates a bunch of people who don’t get him and is on an endless search for his precious sword. His world is once again changed when a text comes through with the confirmation that someone has found the sword. He runs out to grab it, starting his journey back home to Eternia and to take revenge on Skeletor.

This film is big. It is bright and loud and fast. It also has a runtime of nearly 2 and a half hours. Shockingly, I didn’t feel it go by much. I think like many origin stories, you do feel the build up a little bit where every character needs an introduction and a memorable moment to bring you back for their return at the conclusion of the film. For me, that is pretty forgivable in a film that is doing so much.

My only real problem that I have with the film is the humour, which works in a lot of cases, but is not as strong as it could have been. Skeletor is ridiculous, in the way I know he was in the original cartoon. This I have no problem with, but I think the film gets a little caught up in how cool something could be instead of giving that little bit of self aware levity that they certainly are aware of in parts. It reminds me a little of the latest Dungeons and Dragons film, which I think worked stupidly well in the humour aspect, and maybe lacked slightly in the scale it could have. If these films merged, it would be perfect. Just a note for next time?

The performances in this film are all pretty great across the board, with Galitzine standing out for his heart and comedic timing, which we knew about from his career best showing in Bottoms. Jared Leto also surprisingly is a highlight in this one. I have not been his biggest fan recently, but his portrayal of Skeletor is like a drunk Tim Curry with the confidence of me at age fourteen (not a lot).

The rest of the cast work really well to pad out the cast, with Idris Elba and Camilla Mendez having a great connection as father and daughter duo. The supporting cast don’t have a lot to do in the film but provide nice fight scenes and the occasional one liner that made me chuckle.

The fight scenes in Masters of the Universe are dynamic. I feel like that’s the best word to use here, they use every element of the environment they're set in, have views from all angels, with slowmo, closeup, speed ramps and a sound mix that makes every punch feel like a grenade exploding. I also thought they approached each fight sequence in different ways, with more hand to hand combat being filmed tighter, more gritty, while the larger scale fights had much more going on, raising the stakes and the (lame word upcoming) coolness…

These fight scenes could not have worked as well without the incredible Fabian Wagner as the cinematographer. He’s worked on Game of Thrones and also shot Justice League which is perfect combination for the fantasy work and the big, bold superhero scale that this film needed.

Something I think most people will know of Masters of the Universe is the iconic theme song, which is implemented so well in this film. Beyond just the theme, the score in general was just perfection to me. Daniel Pemberton has been one of my favourite composers since his work on Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. He also brought me to tears throughout Project Hail Mary earlier this year with his score. All that to say, you’re in safe hands here. The score rips through the speakers in the moments it needs to just elevating the visuals to another planet, then backs off and lulls when it should. Brian May from Queen also provides much of the guitar solos for the score which for nothing else, is just pretty cool.

I will be diving head first into the Master of the Universe lore to find out what easter eggs I missed in my first viewing, when I will be going back to watch it on a huge screen with big speakers and a big bucket of popcorn. Masters of the Universe is a fun time, that doesn’t take itself seriously, and while I think it could have pushed it even more in that direction, it also maintains a strong dramatic presence. Go see it, I want to see them make more of these fun stories and use some of Amazon’s money to do good in the world.