Masters of the Universe Gives He-Man a Worthy Return

Masters of the Universe

★ ★ ★ ½

Masters of the Universe is a surprisingly entertaining film despite—and sometimes because of—the fact that it’s dumb and goofy. The film has some making up to do after 1987’s abysmal cinematic attempt to resurrect the franchise, which starred Dolph Lundgren as He-Man.

Here, Prince Adam becomes He-Man, and both are played by Nicholas Galitzine, who seems to understand the assignment: make a film that honors the mid-1980s cartoon series while being astutely aware of its own absurdity. The film plays to its own goofiness so well that, by the end, it becomes its own thing entirely.

And, yeah, it really works.

Nicholas Galitzine as Adam AKA He-Man
© 2026 Amazon MGM Studios

Adam is the prince of Eternia, a realm full of magic, sorcerers, kings and queens and a sword that turns an ordinary man into a hulking muscular hero. It also has a creepy dude named Skeletor (Jared Leto), whose sole purpose is to rule over Eternia with an iron fist. His minions often fail him and his own sorceress, Evil-Lyn (Alison Brie), doesn’t seem to agree with his leadership skills.

When Adam is just a boy, Skeletor takes over Eternia, poised to enslave its populace. The Sorceress (Morena Baccarin) helps to protect the kingdom and advises King Randor (James Purefoy) and Queen Marlena (Charlotte Riley). With Eternia on the brink of collapse, The Sorceress sends Adam to Earth with the sword. She instructs him to keep the sword with him at all times and to remember the command that enchants it.

Jared Leto as Skeletor
© 2026 Amazon MGM Studios

As Adam travels to Earth through the portal, he loses the sword, lands on Earth and we next see him as a grown man in his early 20s, working in human resources in an office building. He’s obsessed with finding the sword, so much that it threatens his employment. When he eventually finds it, he forgets the words and fails to enchant it. Somehow, the sword activates as a beacon, sending his childhood friend and Eternian warrior, Teela (Camila Mendes), to find him.

Camila Mendes as Teela and Nicholas Galitzine as Adam AKA He-Man
© 2026 Amazon MGM Studios

Teela brings Adam back to Eternia where he must discover who he truly is to become the hero he’s destined to be.

The humor and style are a bit reminiscent of the Deadpool franchise, without the excessive profanity and gory violence. Both Masters of the Universe and Deadpool rarely take themselves too seriously and seem to find a storytelling groove in the absurdity of their stories. Both work very well for completely different reasons.

While Masters of the Universe doesn’t take itself too seriously, there’s still a surprising amount of depth to the characters. Teela’s father, Duncan, aka Man-at-Arms (Idris Elba), has no purpose since Eternia fell. He once trained the realm’s greatest warriors. Now he drinks from a flask attached to his metal armored suit. Even with that, the film doesn’t linger on the weight of Duncan’s pain. He learns, grows and overcomes—like Adam, trying to become the hero he needs to be and the father Teela needs him to be.

Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn
© 2026 Amazon MGM Studios

The film doesn’t handle the material flawlessly, and a few scenes may cause you to groan a bit as you roll your eyes. It leans into its own goofiness a bit too far in parts, but to the film’s credit, it quickly bounces back and finds its path again.

All of this leads to an epic conclusion with an engaging and satisfying final battle sequence that manages to build tension while keeping things fun. For me, it was a near-perfect ending, even though it’s obvious the studio is gunning for a sequel.

Idris Elba as Duncan AKA Man-at-Arms
© 2026 Amazon MGM Studios

Masters of the Universe is a nice surprise, a welcome trip back to Eternia with a well-thought-out story and characters that spring to life. It’s engaging, enchanting, funny and full of great sci-fi action. When I walked out of the theater, I had to check my phone to make sure I hadn’t been transported back to the ’80s. I suppose the iPhone in my hand should have been my first clue.