Masters of the Universe (2026) is the big budget Hollywood adaptation of the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe franchise that was popularized in the 1980s from toys, comics, and a famously-memetic animated series. While it was revered by fans in its heyday, the relevance of the franchise has dwindled over the years. This can be seen through the troubled production history this film had, only coming out just now despite being greenlit over 15 years ago. Although those who grew up with the original source material came out to support it, the rest of the public wasn’t so kind, as the film closed out its opening weekend only making $60 million at the box office against a budget of up to $200 million. Despite this, we shall determine whether it deserves its status as a box office flop, or if it actually has “the power” to be something greater.
The film’s story centers around Prince Adam/He-Man (Nicholas Galitzine) on a journey of self-discovery to save his home planet, Eternia, from the villainous warlock Skeletor (Jared Leto). Galitzine is a great choice for Prince Adam, as he is equally endearing and clueless in a way that makes him relatable for the audience. Leto surprises in a genuinely great performance as Skeletor, hamming it up as the cartoonishly evil character he is meant to be. While the script is quite cheesy and over-the-top in nature, the cast does a great job embracing it and bringing an enthusiasm and sincerity to their performances that make it work and shows that the film never takes itself too seriously. It also goes without saying that the original score composed by Daniel Pemberton knocks it out of the park and adds an exhilarating energy to every scene. The VFX are also well-done and give the film a vibrant color palette that is a joy to view.
Despite this, the film is far from perfect. At times, the dialogue can be a bit too modern and self-referential, being all too similar to the infamous “Marvel dialogue” that was popular a decade ago but has become tiring to modern audiences. This results in a few too many groan-worthy quips and jokes that break the dramatic tension at points. The film is also about a half hour too long, with a much too slow first act that could easily have been tightened up with a stronger rewrite.
At its core, the film tries to offer a message to young men about the importance of embracing a positive sense of masculinity that is based on being heroic and caring for others. In a media landscape where this type of message could easily be mishandled by either side of the political aisle, it was able to be effective and meaningful in its handling of the subject matter. Unfortunately, many of the young men who would be apt to hear this message will never get the chance to, as the film has failed to appeal to a demographic that isn’t the men in their forties who grew up with the source material. However, the film is still a blast for anyone who is willing to accept the inherent silliness of the premise and it is deserving of more attention than it has gotten.
