Movie Review: ‘Masters of the Universe’ (2026)

Opening in theaters on June 5th is ‘Masters of the Universe’, which is the second live-action film based on Mattel’s popular toy line and was directed by Travis Knight (‘Bumblebee’).The new film stars Nicholas Galitzine (‘The Sheep Detectives’) as Prince Adam / He-Man, Camila Mendes (‘Palm Springs’) as Teela, Idris Elba (‘Pacific Rim’) as Man-At-Arms, Morena Baccarin (‘Deadpool’) as the Sorceress, Alison Brie (‘Together’) as Evil-Lyn, Jared Leto (‘Morbius’) as Skeletor, and Kristen Wiig (‘Wonder Woman 1984’) as the voice of Roboto.

​Opening in theaters on June 5th is ‘Masters of the Universe’, which is the second live-action film based on Mattel’s popular toy line and was directed by Travis Knight (‘Bumblebee’).The new film stars Nicholas Galitzine (‘The Sheep Detectives’) as Prince Adam / He-Man, Camila Mendes (‘Palm Springs’) as Teela, Idris Elba (‘Pacific Rim’) as Man-At-Arms, Morena Baccarin (‘Deadpool’) as the Sorceress, Alison Brie (‘Together’) as Evil-Lyn, Jared Leto (‘Morbius’) as Skeletor, and Kristen Wiig (‘Wonder Woman 1984’) as the voice of Roboto.   

Opening in theaters on June 5th is ‘Masters of the Universe’, which is the second live-action film based on Mattel’s popular toy line and was directed by Travis Knight (‘Bumblebee’).

The new film stars Nicholas Galitzine (‘The Sheep Detectives’) as Prince Adam / He-Man, Camila Mendes (‘Palm Springs’) as Teela, Idris Elba (‘Pacific Rim’) as Man-At-Arms, Morena Baccarin (‘Deadpool’) as the Sorceress, Alison Brie (‘Together’) as Evil-Lyn, Jared Leto (‘Morbius’) as Skeletor, and Kristen Wiig (‘Wonder Woman 1984’) as the voice of Roboto.

Related Article: 6 Things We Learned At The ‘Master of the Universe’ Press Conference

Initial Thoughts

As someone who grew up on Mattel’s Masters of the Universe line of toys, I have been waiting for a good big budget version of the film for decades. In fact, my first action figure was He-Man, which is why I was so disappointed with director Travis Knight’s ‘Masters of the Universe’, which adapted the silly childlike tone of the 80’s cartoon, rather than maturing the tone for a modern audience. I was expecting ‘The Dark Knight’ and I got ‘Batman & Robin’ instead!

The first attempt to bring these characters to the big screen was in 1987 with the Dolph Lundgren led film of the same name, which was a box office disaster because of its low budget, but at least that movie took its tone seriously, unlike the 2026 version. Clearly made for children who are being introduced to He-Man for the first time and ignoring longtime fans seeking a more mature version of the source material, ‘Masters of the Universe’ is a big budget mess with a convoluted plot that fails to create anything truly enjoyable for either audience.

Story and Direction

The film begins by introducing us to Eternia, a distant planet where magic exists. We soon meet an immature young boy named Adam (Artie Wilkinson-Hunt), who is the prince of Eternia. His father, King Randor (James Purefoy), is very tough on him and forces him to participate in combat training with Man-At-Arms (Idris Elba) and his daughter Teela (Camilia Mendes).

However, Adam does not take the training seriously and Eternia is soon attacked by Skeletor (Jared Leto), Evil-Lyn (Alison Brie), Trap Jaw (Sam C. Wilson) and their vast army, as Skeletor seeks the Sword of Power, which is guarded in Castle Grayskull by the Sorceress (Morena Baccarin). After Skeletor destroys the kingdom and kidnaps the King and Queen, the Sorceress sends young Adam and the sword across the universe to Earth, where he will be safe and can return to Eternia at any time with the help of the sword.

Except, Adam loses the sword immediately and is forced to grow up on Earth while searching for it. Flashforward fifteen years, and Adam (now Nicholas Galitzine) is a lonely office worker desperately trying to find his sword so he can return to his true home. When Trap Jaw arrives on Earth, he leads Adam to the sword and he is soon reunited with Teela, who takes him back to Eternia, which is no longer the home Adam remembers.

Skeletor has taken over Eternia and is still looking for the sword so he can have ultimate power. Adam soon learns from the Sorceress that the sword can unlock a great power within him, and after saying the phrase, “By the power of Grayskull … I have the Power,” Adam transforms into the hero He-Man. Now, reunited with Teela, Man-At-Arms, and other heroes like Fisto (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson), Ram-Man (Jon Xue Zhang), and Roboto (voiced by Kristen Wiig), Adam must use his newfound power to defeat Skeletor and his forces and restore peace to Eternia.

Where do I begin? The movie starts off fine introducing us to young Adam and Eternia, but the silliness of the tone is evident even from the beginning and just gets worse once Adam arrives on Earth. This happens at about the 30-minute mark, and we spend at least a half hour on Earth looking for the sword, which becomes tedious. All the Earth scenes are played for laughs including an interaction between Adam and his boss, played by Sasheer Zamata, as well as the search for the sword, that ends up being in a local comic bookstore.

There is also a sad interaction in a gym between Adam and a mysterious man played by original He-Man actor Dolph Lundgren, which is again played for laughs and attempts to even break the fourth wall. While I’m glad that Lundgren was included in the new film, this is a great example of the movie’s overall silly tone, which was more concerned with laughs and winking to the audience than telling a real story. In fact, the Earth sequences make no sense to me, and I would have preferred that the whole story just take place on Eternia.

With all the Easter Eggs and background characters that director Travis Knight crammed into the film, it’s obvious that he has a real affection for this world and these characters, but I still question the corny tone that Knight presents. Knight used practical over visual effects when possible, and that is a great choice, but the result is still a film where the costumes feel like actors in cosplay and the practical effects don’t seem as realistic as they were designed to be.

It’s also worth mentioning that Knight seems to have a strange obsession with ‘Highlander’, as the film contains several visual references and even an actual name check. In fact, Knight even uses a Queen song in the film, just like ‘Highlander’ did. I’m not sure of the connection here or why it was referenced so many times, but they are currently making a reboot of ‘Highlander’, so if that’s the movie Knight wanted to make, he should have just done that rather than adapting the iconic Mattel toy line.

Written by a long list of screenwriters that includes Aaron and Adam Nee (‘The Lost City’), the dialogue is childish, and the characters are not fleshed out at all. That, along with the needless journey to Earth in the second act, leaves the movie feeling like an over bloated mess.

Cast and Performances

Except for his physicality, Nicholas Galitzine is completely miscast as Adam / He-Man. His Adam is too goofy to be taken seriously and there is no emotional payoff for his transition to He-Man. While I’m willing to give the actor the benefit of the doubt that he was just following directions and the screenplay, his character comes off as childish brat and gives the audience no reason to root for him to defeat Skeletor, other than the fact that he is the hero.

Idris Elba is one of the best actors working today, but even he looked bored in scenes as Man-At-Arms. The actor does have some solid action sequences, but otherwise Elba’s talents go to waste. Actress Camila Mendes gives a strong performance as Teela that could have worked in a different version of this movie, but here she is over shadowed by the size and spectacle of the script.

Morena Baccarin is also solid as the Sorceress but has very little to do and I wish the script would have taken advantage of her strong performance. While I thought the film leaned to heavy on comedy, Kristen Wiig’s voice performance as Roboto does work and plays funny in several moments.

However, it’s the villains that give the best performances in the movie. Alison Brie is clearly having fun playing Evil-Lyn and completely understands what movie she is in. Brie plays the role with humor and over-the-top villainy. Sam C. Wilson also works well as the cyborg Trap Jaw and has some of the film’s best action sequences fighting Man-At-Arms.

But the most enjoyable performance in the film comes from Oscar-winning actor Jared Leto, who’s own face in never shown. Leto’s over-the-top style of performing works well with the strange and childish tone of the film. Again, Leto knows exactly what movie he is in and gives a strange but entertaining performance as the iconic villain.

Final Thoughts

In the end, as much as I wanted to enjoy it, ‘Masters of the Universe’ just didn’t work for me on any level and I’m not sure who it was made for. Copying the tone of the cartoon, it seems geared for young children, but I fear they will be lost in the mythology even if the humor hits them the right way. And older fans that grew up on the property looking for a “real movie”, will be turned off by the childish tone and lack of any character development.

‘Masters of the Universe’ receives a score of 45 out of 100.

What is the plot of ‘Masters of the Universe’?

After being separated for 15 years, the Sword of Power leads Prince Adam Glenn (Nicholas Galitzine) back to Eternia where he discovers his home has been destroyed and is now under the rule of powerful warlord and sorcerer, Skeletor (Jared Leto). To reclaim his family legacy and save the world, Adam must join forces with his closest allies, Teela (Camila Mendes) and Man-At-Arms (Idris Elba), and embrace who he is truly meant to be He-Man, the most powerful man in the universe.

Who is in the cast of ‘Masters of the Universe’?

Nicholas Galitzine as Adam Glenn / He-ManArtie Wilkinson-Hunt as young AdamCamila Mendes as TeelaEire Farrell as young TeelaJared Leto as SkeletorAlison Brie as Evil-LynJames Purefoy as King RandorCharlotte Riley as Queen Marlena GlennMorena Baccarin as the SorceressIdris Elba as Duncan / Man-At-ArmsJóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson as Malcolm / FistoKristen Wiig as the voice of RobotoSasheer Zamata as SuzieGary Martin as the voice of Beast ManChristian Vunipola as HusseinJames Wilkinson as MekaneckHafþór Júlíus Björnsson as Goat ManKojo Attah as Tri-KlopsJon Xue Zhang as Ram-ManSam C. Wilson as Kronis / Trap JawHung Dante Dong as KargJames Apps as Spikor

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