Okay, I’ve seen Masters of the Universe (MotU). Here are my initial thoughts not just as a fan of speculative fiction but as a big fan of He-Man since I was six years old. I’ll do my best to keep the spoilers light!
Quick summary: Very enjoyable film, perfect for watching in theaters. I do recommend it. It’s full of laughs and excitement. A man roughly my age sitting next to me didn’t crack a smile the whole time, though. He made it weird. Made is so my laughing was a little awkward. Still, this film is a net positive, no question. There are a few disappointing elements, to be sure; things that make the movie less than ideal.
Below are some of the good and bad. First the big stuff, then the characters.
The Big Stuff
Earth: Like many old-school He-Man fans, I was wary of Earth being part of the plot again. It was a trope that cropped up in too many 80s fantasy films, the 1987 MotU included. Now, having a connection to Earth is no problem in itself. It’s where Adam’s mom, Queen Marlena, came from (canonically), but in the Filmation cartoon, the stories never go. Well, okay, The He-Man & She-Ra: A Christmas Special also goes to Earth. Christmas specials are always a thing apart. Right, Star Wars?
In this film, the Earth segment doesn’t feel like a budget-based cutting of corners. It seems to be a vital part of the plot, and I think it worked better than expected. More important, we got tons of Eternia time. They didn’t cheap out.
Character Names: I approve of the way they used Adam’s time on Earth as a way of explaining some of the goofier character names (Fisto, Ram Man, Mekaneck, etc.). Mild spoiler, then: Early in the film 10-year-old Adam is sent to Earth to keep him and the Sword of Power safe. Stranded there, and not knowing the real names of all the people of his father’s court (except for Duncan and Teela), he came up with his own names and any drawings. I think this was a clever approach, but I also think they ran with it a little too long.
Uncertain Audience: Like Amazon’s The Rings of Power TV series—which I’ve had a few opinions about—this movie struggles with its identity (if less so than Rings). It doesn’t seem to grasp who its audience is meant to be. Like Rings, it’s trying to have it both ways and you can feel it. Masters of the Universe is, of course, in part catering to the adults who were kids during the brief but intense He-Man craze of the 1980s. Adults like me. But for lots of reason, it couldn’t only target middle-aged kids who used to swing sticks around on 80s playgrounds, and I think this is why it’s reportedly struggling at the box office. Kids today aren’t into He-Man. Is Skeletor even a household name anymore? I’m not even sure. They’re more of a meme phenomenon now. Which is another thing: This film roped in the memes a little too hard. One nod or two would have sufficed. This film was a little bit too self-aware.
So the film’s tone is uncertain. On the surface it’s very family friendly, and Adam/He-Man himself is the noble heroic character he always was. They got that right. Kids can look up to him. He doesn’t want to use violence if he doesn’t have to. They even used Adam’s time on Earth to explain his preference for talking over fighting. But they threw in too many adult innuendos and curse words to maintain that vibe. They didn’t pull it off well like some Pixar films do, where the humor is perfect for kids but also lands on another level for adults in the room, to keeps them interested without being inappropriate about it. In one moment, Masters of the Universe is even-keeled and wholesome, and in the next, Teela is shouting “Shit!” when things go badly. Nothing was egregious, though.
The Action: Just right. Some over-the-top battles, but it should be. Nothing crazier than I expected. In the original Filmation cartoon, can fall hard without breaking bones and He-Man could throw bad guys inside their vehicles all the way back to Snake Mountain. There were a few moments where the special effects dipped in believability for a few seconds, or the background didn’t quite mesh with the foreground, but all in all, pretty great.
World-Building: The world-building in this movie is very thin. Having said that, it might not be the worst call to keep it so. I’m a lore guy, so of course I want all the history and chronology of a good fantasy setting almost better than the story at hand. But the “canon” of Masters of the Universe is all over the place, and always has been. The origin of He-Man himself, the purpose of the Sword of Power, the role of the Sorceress, the location and mysteries of Castle Grayskull, the origin of Skeletor . . . all those things and more are different every time the story is revisited.
- The original comics and toys.
- The Filmation cartoons, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and She-Ra: Princess of Power (1983–1987).
- The New Adventures of He-Man (1990–1991), which I was never interested myself.
- The 2002–2004 cartoon reboot by Mike Young. Which was pretty good but boy did they change up the story.
- The Kevin Smith Revelations cartoon, the She-Ra and the Princesses of Power cartoon, and that especially weird 3D-animated 2021 one. None of these appealed to me because they tried to subvert or reinvent the lore altogether, even if the animation and artistry of the Smith one looked good.
The original toys came with “mini-comics” and a whole bunch of other tape/record read-along books did the heavy-lifting for the lore of Eternia and its heroes and villains, but they didn’t always agree. The first He-Man was closer to Conan, there was no Prince Adam, and the Sword of Power was split into two (one He-Man had, the other Skeletor had), and so on. Even when Adam came along, the comics played fast and loose with the origins and nature of Eternia and Grayskull. Don’t get me wrong: they were cool. Looking back, I see those earlier stories now much as I see The Book of Lost Tales (volumes 1 and 2) of Tolkien’s legendarium. They were so much more mythical, and more sword and sorcery, than the Masters of the Universe series later became. The characters spoke in a higher mode, too.
Check out these panels from the comic The Magic Stealer! which was the mini-comic that came with the He-Man, Skeletor, and Mekanek toys:
Procrustus! He was clearly borrowed from Greek mythology (where he’s a rogue smith and a son of Poseidon).
So my point is, no matter what, the lore is already all over the place, the work of many different writers passing through revolving doors of ownership of the IP. Meanwhile, the Filmation cartoon had its own take on the lore and it rarely matched the books and mini-comics.
But having said that, here are a few specific nitpicks with 2026’s version:
- Castle Grayskull looked cool (if maybe a bit too much like the toy), but it’s waaaay too small. But also, it’s situated right there in the city of Eternos across a bridge from the royal palace itself. It really loses something in some accessible a place. In the old comics and cartoon (which didn’t always agree with each other, no), Grayskull was always far away. It was more mysterious in its remoteness. And the fact that Adam couldn’t get to Grayskull quickly was very often a plot point (and later necessitated the Talon Fight and Point Dread). This drastic shift was obvious for easier plot reasons.
- Who the heck Skeletor was to the people of Eternia was unclear throughout. When he first attacks, was that the first time? Has there been a back and forth? Are their defensive preparations (like the training young Adam is pulled into) based around threats from Skeletor? Or does Eternos have other enemies? Was this the first time encountering this particular “demon”? What’s the history? Ultimately, it doesn’t matter. The guy with a skull for a face is the clear villain. The movie goes out of its way, perhaps too much, to point out that he’s just a bad guy through and through, period. (Granted, I don’t want a complex origin story from Skeletor; I don’t want any version where he’s just misunderstood.) So, we didn’t get any background on this version of Skeletor; no hint of an origin story at all. I’d say no, a full explanation isn’t strictly necessarily, but I think you could accomplish with one or two extra lines of dialogue here and there to provide some context for the newbies.
- The relationship and distance between Eternia and Earth was also entirely unclear. No discussion at all. Was it easy for the Sorceress to send Adam and the Sword of Power there? Could she have done that that anytime? Ships like Teela’s seem to have no trouble going to Earth and back. Could they have done this anytime? For that matter, could the beleaguered people of Eternia not just fly to another planet to escape Skeletor? We have no idea what the technology is.
Eternia: What little we see of the landscapes of Eternia itself looked amazing. Really gorgeous. I dig it. The colorful forests, especially. Lovely. I’d have liked to have seen a bit more, of course. But truly, the Filmation cartoon really set the bar high for the exoticness of Eternia:
The Plot: Not particularly compelling or original, but it contained some elements that are. Adam being forcibly exiled for his own safety to Earth was a twist that worked for me. As a storytelling advice, it allows the viewer to be (re)introduced to Adam when he returns to Eternia. If they didn’t do this, they’d have to come up with another way to introduce the world to us since Adam wouldn’t need to be. In the original Filmation cartoon, there was no episode that gave the full backstory; all you needed to know was in the intro.
I am Adam, Prince of Eternia and defender of the secrets of Castle Grayskull. This is Cringer, my fearless friend. Fabulous secret powers were revealed to me the day I held aloft my magic sword and said, “By the power of Grayskull! I have the power!”
Only three others share this secret: our friends the Sorceress, Man-At-Arms, and Orko. Together we defend Castle Grayskull from the evil forces of Skeletor.
That’s it. Any bits of background lore came in dribs and drabs, episode by episode. For example, “Teela’s Quest” (episode 6) gave us her backstory, told us how Man-at-Arms came to be her adopted father, and explained her link with the Sorceress. But a movie like this has to pretend a newcomer has seen nothing else, so we’ve got to see how Adam and the Sword of Power come together, and so on.
But here’s another thing. In nearly every past iteration of MotU, Skeletor’s primary objective is just to get inside Castle Grayskull to discover its secrets (in hopes that he can become the supreme ruler of the universe). In this movie, he seems to think nothing of Grayskull. He just wants the Sword of Power, and it turns out going to Grayskull to get the Sword to “work” for him was just a thing he had to do. The Castle itself seemed to harbor no special power of its own. I think Grayskull should have been utilized better. It’s one of the coolest castles in all fiction!
Sets and Costumes: Some of the sets were fantastic. Some looked like super high-quality Broadway theater sets. Like, they looked good, but not quite real. Not painted plywood and fiberboard, not like old Star Trek sets or anything. But still not entirely believable. While most of the characters’ gear and armor looked real (no doubt the foley artists are a big part of that believability), a few of the costumes—especially at the post-climax end—looked like costumes. Like the best polyester Spirit Halloween costumes money can buy. Look great, but not authentic.
The Climax: It’s not too spoilery to say that He-Man triumphs in this movie, because this is a Masters of the Universe story. The particulars of the finale are a bit weak, I have to say, and the means of Skeletor’s defeat feels . . . off the mark. In nearly every iteration of MotU, Skeletor ultimately turns tail and runs. This is not a villain who fights to the last. Never was. He either retreats under his own power, teleports out, flies away, or is somehow flung off screen. For all his bluster, when the tide turns, Skeletor wants to save his own skin and bones. This doesn’t mean he can’t be a menace, but I would have thought this particular proclivity would have been observed in some fashion as an homage to the character.
The End: The wrap-up scene was good fun. I liked the laughing bit, in observance of many of the Filmation episode endings, but they were weird about it, too. Like, once this movie gets tongue-in-cheek, it holds a few beats too long almost every time. Still, fun, fun.
The Credits Scene(s): Yup, good stuff.
Characters
Adam: Nicholas Galitzine was well chosen. The character of Adam / He-Man is easy enough to animate and voice, but hard to get right for any live production. He shouldn’t be too skinny, nor should he be Schwarzenegger bulky (in my opinion). But it’s not just about his look. He-Man is a genuine good guy, and we need to feel it. Like when people get Clark Kent and Superman right. He’s moral to the core, and the actor’s got to pull that off. Galitzine did a good job. There were a few moments where the drama seemed a little off, or excessive, but I blame the director for that. I’ll just add, the kid playing young Adam was perfect.
Skeletor: This portrayal hammed it up just right. I do appreciate the classic Alan Oppenheimer nasally Skeletor voice as much as the next fan, but I think it was the right call not to try to imitate that. I think Jared Leto was fine in this, even if I could barely tell that was his voice. I have no strong opinions about Leto as an actor, nor do I care to look into his alleged off-putting behavior as a celebrity. I really like his band, 30 Seconds to Mars, though. So, whatever. They pulled off a villain who is power-hungry yet petty . . . like most real-world villains. I can think of some.
The look of Skeletor was pretty cool. Loved the Havock Staff! I’m glad he was at least still generally disappointed with all his henchmen. That’s on brand.
Teela: Camila Mendes embodied Teela well, for sure, but only for this modern take on the character. There’s very little of original Teela here beyond the basics, and nothing that connects her to the Sorceress. In this film, she’s believable for what she is, though, and makes a good complement and foil to Adam. I did like that they leaned into her relationship with her dad, though. That was a nice touch we don’t get too much.
Just an aside: Looking back, I’m quite glad the character of Teela was there from the start in the 80s. Having a prominent female character that was primarily aimed at boys was a good idea. She was the captain of the guard at the palace of Eternia and brave to a fault. Even in the cartoon, she was constantly on Adam’s case for being lazy, and was always upstaging him athletically. She had discipline; she was her father’s (adopted) daughter. She only played second fiddle on athletics when Adam became He-Man. Having her there and being so pivotal to the story was always a good call. And for the record, while most people assume she’s also a love interest . . . I say: barely. Once on a while, the comics and the Filmation TV show would add a line of dialogue to suggest attraction between Teela and He-Man (not Adam), and that’s about it. Some light flirtation, nothing more. It worked. Let fans imagine, or not.
Man-at-Arms: Yup, I liked Duncan! He didn’t seem quite like the same inventor-at-arms from the original series, but he sure was a warrior. I enjoyed this take. Idras Elba could easily have turned down such a role, but he embraced it. (He didn’t pull a Jeremy Irons in the old Dungeons & Dragons movie, i.e. a big-name actor phoning it in and clearly despising the role.) Nah, Duncan was super fun. A bit more of a verbal longshoreman than I would have liked, but here we are.
Evil-Lyn: I think Alison Brie had the look and a good percentage of the swagger, sass, and indignation that Evil-Lyn should have . . . but not quite enough of it. She, or the director, was not fully committed to the power-hungry, envious, and too-often-sidelined-by-Skeletor character concept that Evil-Lyn always has been. She rolled her eyes at the right moments, yes, and deferred to Skeletor with thinly veiled contempt, but didn’t quite clutch at the independence that she should be craving. In nearly every iteration of the story she rebels from Skeletor at some point. In this movie, she plays second fiddle a little too willingly. The one-sided abusive relationship (yes, Skeletor is a major asshole) was shown, at least.
The Sorceress: So she was my biggest disappointment along the characters. I think they both miswrote and miscast her. I’m sure Morena Baccarin is good in something, but not this. And not in a couple other things I’ve seen. The Sorceress should be enigmatic and mystical; she’s usually at least as powerful as Skeletor within Grayskull, and it’s through her management of the castle’s secrets that Adam gets to be He-Man. This movie just didn’t seem to know what to do with her. This Sorceress showed up a couple of times to move to plot along, but had no real personality of her own. She had slightly more information to convey as Zoar (the bird form) but still, nothing especially original. Baccarin’s Sorceress seemed . . . bored? Distracted? Noncommitted.
King Randor and Queen Marlena: They were all right, but a bit uninspired. Not so much the actors’ acting as the way they were written in the story. They just seemed sidelined and lacking in influence. To be fair, I found Randor to be fairly lackluster even in the Filmation cartoon; Marlena at least had a cool past. Funny enough, I liked the Mike Young 2000 version of these monarchs better! But then, they were wrapped up in that series’ Skeletor-as-Keldor plot, which in itself I wasn’t too keen on.
Fisto / Roboto / Ram Man / Mekanek: No strong opinions here. They looked good, they were fun, and appropriately goofy. I miss old Ram Man’s simpleness. Mekanek looked perfect, but attacking people with his neck seemed strange. In general I think there was a certain misuse of some of the features of the characters in this movie. Mekanek’s whole thing was that he was like a living periscope. He made a good lookout or spy. His toy came with a mace. That’s how he fought. Is it an original new take to have him whipping his neck and head around like a flail in some kind of Devo music video fever dream? I guess, but my take is that the filmakers didn’t think too much about it. Roboto having a female voice was fine (Kristen Wiig, huh), but the new origin story making her more like a glorified Rosie (from the Jetsons) wasn’t half as cool as the original storyline.
Trap Jaw / Spikor / Beast Man: I think Skeletor’s henchman weren’t quite bumbling enough, but they were freaky and fun to watch. I was hoping we’d see Trap Jaw use his “iron jaw” (which was a big feature in his original toy) and bite/break something metal. He did that in the show. But he sure was “evil and armed for combat,” and that worked. Spikor was originally a guy caged in spikey armor; now he’s just a spikey guy. Whatever, he was all right. But I miss his trident-arm! Beast Man? No notes. Would’ve loved to hear him speak more and grumble and whine or even command beasts (which was his whole thing), but still, no missteps here.
Tri-Klops: Tri-Klops looked cool but was under-used. Aside from just having a good zoom-lens eye once, and I guess making him a marksman was all right. But nowhere half as cool as what he could have been. I needed to see some swiveling-eye action, and some swordplay. I felt a bit cheated. He was one of my favorite henchmen! Totally badass in his mini-comic, too.
Cringer / Battle Cat: Adorable. Who doesn’t want a big green-and-orange cat as a friend? Problem is, he’s barely in this, and he’s too important a character to Adam to shunt to the beginning and end. I suspect animating him is especially hard, so maybe it was a budget problem. Also, the voice they gave him wasn’t interesting enough. Just sounded like some kid. I’m not saying you’ve got to bring in another Oppenheimer voice, but at least he made Cringer more of a proper fraidy cat and Battle Cat growly and brave.
MIA: Orko was missed. Zodak was doubly missed! So was Mer-Man and Stratos. There were too many characters to go bringing them all in for a one-shot movie, but I think they could have chosen differently. Fisto was never a major character. Why not leave him out and bring in Stratos or Man-E-Faces instead? Leave out stupid Goat-Man and bring in Clawful!
Final words (beware . . . spoiler alert): Justice for Moss Man.
So yeah, all in all . . .
I would recommend it to anyone who just wants to have fun in the theater. It’s a spectacle.
Foreshadowed and Foresung 