Masters of the Universe

I don’t think there are many franchises that can instantly transport you back to being a kid quite like He-Man. For me, it wasn’t just the cartoon. It was the toys. Castle Grayskull sitting on the bedroom floor. Cringer. Skeletor. He-Man. Hours spent making up battles that probably made absolutely no sense at the time, but somehow felt like the biggest stories in the world. So when this movie was announced, there was always going to be a little bit of excitement, and a little bit of nervousness too. Because if you’re anything like me, the first live action Masters of the Universe film is probably something you’d rather forget. No offence to Dolph Lundgren, because I actually enjoy him as an action star, but that 1987 movie never really captured what made the cartoons and toys so special. So this felt like another chance, another opportunity to finally bring Eternia to life the way so many of us imagined it growing up.

There were a couple of things that had me optimistic before I even walked into the cinema. The first was Travis Knight. I still think Bumblebee is one of the strongest live action Transformers films because underneath all the robots and explosions, it remembered that audiences actually need characters to care about. It wasn’t just visual spectacle. It had heart. So seeing Travis Knight attached to Masters of the Universe immediately gave me confidence that this wouldn’t just become another CGI overload. The second reason was the trailers. They looked ambitious, the costumes looked faithful, the world looked enormous, and perhaps most importantly, it actually looked like Eternia.

Having said that, there was one thing that puzzled me long before release: the marketing. I genuinely don’t understand why this film wasn’t promoted harder. Yes, people around my age who grew up with He-Man were always going to be interested, but this felt like the perfect opportunity to introduce an entirely new generation to this universe. Instead, the movie almost arrived quietly. There wasn’t the huge marketing push I expected, and Jared Leto barely seemed involved in promoting the film despite playing one of the most iconic villains in animation history. I honestly wonder whether that lack of promotion hurt the box office more than the quality of the film itself, because after watching it, I don’t think the movie was the problem.

Welcome Back to Eternia

One thing I absolutely loved before the story had even started was the opening MGM logo. Instead of Leo the Lion, MGM replaced their famous mascot with Cringer, and what makes that even better is that it actually came from a fan suggestion. That’s such a lovely little detail. Within seconds it tells you these filmmakers weren’t just making another fantasy blockbuster. They understood what this franchise means to generations of fans, and it immediately put a smile on my face.

Then the film opens, and honestly, it completely surprised me. One of my biggest fears was that we’d spend most of the movie on Earth before finally getting to Eternia during the last act. Instead, Travis Knight throws us straight into Eternia almost immediately, and I was so glad he did. Because this version of Eternia is absolutely gorgeous: floating islands, massive castles, flying ships, volcanoes, ancient temples, all rendered in these beautiful colour palettes full of rich golds, deep blues and vibrant greens. It’s exactly the sort of fantasy world I wanted to see. Even Castle Grayskull itself looks incredible. Now, I will admit, it isn’t quite the bright green Castle Grayskull I remember sitting on my bedroom floor all those years ago. This version is much more grounded, much more weathered, almost carved from ancient stone. But honestly, it works. It feels like a real place rather than just a giant toy brought to life.

What also impressed me was how much confidence the movie had in introducing its mythology. Within the opening minutes we’re learning about Eternia: the Sword of Power, Castle Grayskull, the history of this world, Prince Adam and the royal family, and the enormous responsibility resting on his shoulders. It never feels rushed, and it actually trusts the audience to settle into this universe. Which made me wonder even more why the marketing never introduced younger audiences to any of this beforehand, because the movie itself does a really nice job of just saying, here’s this world, come and explore it.

Speaking of Prince Adam, I actually liked the decision to spend time with him as a child. His relationship with his father immediately tells us a lot about the pressures he’s carrying. The King expects greatness, strength, leadership, with very little warmth. Instead, that real father figure comes from Duncan, played by Idris Elba, who does exactly what you’d expect. He brings instant gravitas, feels dependable and protective, and is someone Adam naturally looks up to. It’s one of those performances that quietly anchors the entire first act.

Then there’s Cringer. I have to admit, seeing Cringer talking so early completely caught me off guard. He’s still young, still trying to live up to the legacy of those who came before him, and it’s actually quite an emotional little introduction. Although, and this is a small criticism, I never quite connected with his CGI. Which is strange, because almost every other visual effect in this movie looks fantastic. For some reason Cringer always looked just a little too fluorescent, a little too artificial compared with everything else happening on screen. It’s a tiny criticism in the grand scheme of things, but it did stand out.

Another thing that kept grabbing my attention was the soundtrack. You can tell the composers understand exactly what fans wanted. There are subtle little callbacks to the classic cartoon throughout, nothing overly heavy handed, just enough familiar musical cues to remind you where all of this began. I found myself smiling more than once simply because of something I heard rather than something I saw. That’s always a good sign.

One thing I wasn’t expecting was just how many familiar faces from the toy line start appearing during those opening scenes. Without giving too much away, if you grew up with Masters of the Universe figures, you’re going to spend a lot of the first act pointing at the screen thinking, oh wow, I remember that one. The production team have clearly done their homework, and that attention to detail carries throughout the film. One of my favourite Easter eggs actually comes later in the movie with a brilliant reference to Torak. Now, if that name doesn’t mean anything to you, it’s a wonderful deep cut into Masters of the Universe history. Before He-Man ever existed, artist Mark Taylor created a barbarian hero called Torak back in 1979, and when Mattel moved away from producing toys connected to Conan the Barbarian because of the film’s R rating, that early Torak concept eventually evolved into He-Man himself. So seeing the filmmakers acknowledge that history isn’t just a fun Easter egg. It’s a genuine love letter to the origins of the franchise, and I absolutely loved seeing it included.

About twenty minutes in, I had this realisation. This wasn’t trying to be a parody, and it wasn’t trying to reinvent everything. It was genuinely trying to celebrate Masters of the Universe. And as someone who grew up surrounded by these characters, that made me very happy.

By the Power of Grayskull

Once the story shifts to Earth, I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed that section of the movie. Again, I’d gone in expecting we’d spend far too long away from Eternia, but Travis Knight keeps things moving. Adam has one goal, find the Sword of Power and get home, and everything else is really just getting in the way of that. There’s some nice fish out of water humour here, and Nicholas Galitzine plays those moments really well. He’s awkward without becoming annoying, and there’s this constant feeling that Adam knows he belongs somewhere else. One minute he’s a prince destined to protect Eternia, the next he’s sitting in a cubicle, paying rent and trying to survive another day at work. That contrast actually became funnier than I expected. Even little visual jokes, like his office nameplate reading “Adam Glenn” with the little “he/him” underneath it, made me laugh. It felt like the filmmakers were having fun without turning the whole movie into a comedy.

There are plenty of little references scattered throughout the Earth section as well. One of my favourites is the cameo from Dolph Lundgren. His first line is simply, “You’re in my spot.” It’s such a simple piece of fan service, but if you know the 1987 film, you’ll appreciate exactly why it’s there. Those are the kinds of callbacks I love. They’re not screaming for your attention, they’re just rewarding fans who have been around long enough to recognise them.

The soundtrack continued to impress me as well. There are little musical nods that kept catching my ear throughout the Earth section: a subtle wink towards Highlander, Queen woven into the mix, and by the end of the movie you’re hearing Brian May over the closing credits before the classic He-Man theme quietly starts working its way back in. Those little audio touches probably won’t mean much to everyone, but if you’re a fan of eighties fantasy films, they’re a lot of fun to pick up.

Performance wise, I thought Nicholas Galitzine did a really solid job. I’ll admit, before the movie I wondered whether he physically looked enough like He-Man. Let’s face it, the toys made him look absolutely enormous, almost impossibly huge. This version is a little more grounded. But once Adam finally raises the sword and delivers that iconic line, “By the Power of Grayskull,” everything suddenly clicks. The transformation works, the armour looks fantastic, the visual effects are impressive, and suddenly you understand why they’ve deliberately kept his physique hidden beneath oversized jumpers and loose clothing for most of the movie. It pays off beautifully. Then there’s Jared Leto. I’ll be honest, if nobody had told me he was playing Skeletor, I don’t think I would have recognised him. Not from the voice, not from the performance, not from the physical appearance. And I actually mean that as a compliment. His Skeletor feels faithful to the cartoons without becoming a caricature. The costume looks fantastic, the glowing red eyes are exactly what I wanted, and the voice has this strange mix of menace and theatricality. Every now and then I was even getting little flashes of Tom Hardy’s Bane from The Dark Knight Rises. Not because they sound identical, just the way he projects certain words through that deep, slightly distorted delivery. It really worked for me. Evil Lyn was another pleasant surprise as well. She and Skeletor bounce off each other really well, and some of their exchanges genuinely made me laugh. A couple of jokes probably land a little awkwardly, and there were definitely moments where I thought younger kids might miss some of the humour entirely. Which actually brings me to the biggest question I kept asking myself throughout the film: who exactly is this movie for?

So Who Is This Movie For?

Because that’s honestly where my biggest criticism comes in. The world building is excellent, Eternia feels alive, the mythology is introduced really well, and the visuals are spectacular. But the characters, there are just so many of them. If you grew up with the toys, you’ll immediately recognise people like Fisto, Ram Man, Teela and so many others. You’ll know exactly who they are, and you’ll probably be grinning every time another familiar face appears. But if you’ve never seen Masters of the Universe before, I think you might struggle. The film introduces so many heroes that some of them end up getting lost in the background. Ironically, it does a brilliant job introducing the world, but it forgets to properly introduce the people living in it, and because of that, some of the emotional moments don’t land quite as strongly as they could have.

It’s interesting because I kept thinking back to Bumblebee while I was watching. That film wasn’t just introducing robots. It was introducing personalities. You understood who everyone was by the end. Here, I found myself wishing Travis Knight had slowed things down just a little. Not because the pacing is bad, but because I genuinely wanted to spend more time getting to know these characters. They’re great designs, wonderfully realised. I just wanted a little more of them.

The action, though, that’s where the movie really shines. The aerial battles reminded me of Star Wars at times. The flying ships look fantastic, the fight choreography is energetic, the production design never stops impressing, and once He-Man fully embraces his powers, there are some genuinely entertaining sequences that absolutely deserve to be seen on the biggest screen possible. And one thing I also appreciated was that the movie never forgot where it came from. Whether it’s the Torak reference, the classic music, the callbacks to the original cartoon, or little moments like the Reservoir Dogs inspired slow motion walk, you can tell this production genuinely respects the franchise. It never feels embarrassed to be Masters of the Universe. And honestly, I think that’s one of its biggest strengths.

So, is Masters of the Universe worth your time? If you grew up with the toys or the cartoons, I think there’s a lot here to enjoy. It respects the source material, delivers some wonderful nostalgia, and the production design is genuinely outstanding. Jared Leto surprised me as Skeletor, Nicholas Galitzine earns the role by the time he fully becomes He-Man, and Travis Knight once again proves he knows how to handle beloved childhood franchises with genuine care. At the same time, I can completely understand why newcomers might feel a little overwhelmed. The movie asks you to care about a lot of characters before you’ve really had the chance to know them, and that’s its biggest weakness.