‘Masters of the Universe’ Review: Travis Knight Revives He-Man With Colorful Chaos and Surprising Heart
Modern audiences – especially late millennials and Gen Z – never really got He-Man. Their strongest connection to the character is probably Robot Chicken sketches and the immortal HEYYEYAAEYAAAEYAEYAA meme (which also introduced the generation to What's Up? by 4 Non Blondes. While Hasbro lapped Mattel in Hollywood with endless Transformers and G.I. Joe movies, Masters of the Universe spent what felt like Eternia-ity trapped in development hell, cycling through directors like John Woo, Jeff Wadlow, and McG while names like Kellan Lutz and Noah Centineo circled He-Man before Travis Knight and Nicholas Galitzine finally brought “The Most Powerful Man in the Universe” back to life.
Knight’s live-action update struggles to fully balance its attempt to modernize He-Man for the 2020s while delivering the big-screen spectacle Gen X dads have wanted since the 1987 film burned them. Still, what it lacks in polish, it absolutely makes up for in pure fun and joy. Thank God this is kicking The Mandalorian and Grogu out of IMAX theaters, because this is the real sci-fi epic deserving of its screens. I haven’t had this much fun with an action summer blockbuster since Furiosa, and that’s coming from a they/he who doesn’t give a hoot about He-Man.
Image copyright (©) Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios
MPA Rating: PG-13 (for sequences of strong fantasy action/violence, and some language.)
Runtime: 2 Hours and 0 Minutes
Language: English
Production Companies: Amazon MGM Studios, Mattel Films, Escape Artists
Distributor: Amazon MGM Studios (with Sony Pictures handling international distribution)
Director: Travis Knight
Screenwriters: Chris Butler and Aaron Nee & Adam Nee & Dave Callaham
Cast: Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Jared Leto, Alison Brie, Idris Elba, Morena Baccarin, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, James Purefoy, Charlotte Riley, Sam C. Wilson, Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, Kojo Attah, Sasheer Zamata, Jon Xue Zhang, Featuring Kristen Wiig as the voice of “Roboto”
U.S Release Date: June 5, 2026
As a 10-year-old, young Adam (Artie Wilkinson-Hunt) witnesses the fall of his kingdom at the hands of Skeletor (Jared Leto) and Evil-Lyn (Alison Brie). He's then transported to Earth with the Sword of Power to protect it, but loses it upon crash landing.
Fifteen years later, Adam (Galitzine) struggles to find his place in the world. Eternia is constantly on his brain and in his heart. Everyone around him – blind dates, his roommate (Christian Vunipola), his boss (Sasheer Zamata) at the HR firm where he works – thinks he's a little insane. That is, until he finds his long-lost sword in a hilarious turn of events. He's soon discovered by his childhood friend, warrior Teela (Camila Mendes), who transports him back home to Eternia. What was once a glorious realm has devolved into a dumpy, Burton-via-Wonderland-looking cesspool thanks to Skeletor's tyrannical rule. The skull-faced lord remains quenched for unlimited power.
Adam must join forces with his former trainer-turned-drunk, Teela's dad, Duncan/Man-At-Arms (a charming Idris Elba), Roboto (Kristen Wiig), and other Heroic Warriors to find his family, restore Eternia to its former glory, and discover what it truly means to be the most powerful man in the universe.
MotU is a Saturday morning cartoon on a blockbuster scale.
Nicholas Galitzine stars as 'Adam' in MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE.
This marks Travis Knight’s second time playing with ‘80s toys for Hollywood, following his Iron Giant reskin, Bumblebee. Similar to Bumblebee, it's like watching the most imaginative kid in their class playing with their beloved He-Man toys. His sleeve-worn fanboy love and his animation skillset combine to create everything that contemporary blockbusters sorely lack. For starters, friggin’ color.
The visuals pop with a Flash Gordon‑inspired color palette, and not the muted MCU norm prevalent across all action blockbusters today. MotU's striking visuals are perfectly balanced for both fans and newcomers, allowing them to witness the vibrant life of Eternia; others will experience the enchantment of a fantasy realm with actual color. Eternia looks like concept art brought to life, and even Skeletor's dystopia has colorful interiors. Once Adam leaps into action, Knight's Laika‑ness comes out too; most of the set pieces have a thrilling, imaginative, yet cartoonish flair. Hell, this is Knight making a Saturday morning cartoon (I should've brought cereal to my press screening), which is why it may be the most fun you'll have watching an action blockbuster this summer – or perhaps all year.
In its endeavor to reestablish Greyskull's relevance, the film features a solid foundation by resembling Barbie (2023) for boys, but with a Thor aesthetic. It's tonally silly and embraces awkward, cringeworthy humor (which often falls flat, but at least it's not quips) and occasionally funny jokes that lean into its goofy nature without calling itself out. It even has the "Wow, you have such a silly name," joke that Marvel loves to do but is framed in a sharp way that explains the names of the series’ characters. All the goofy Warrior names, like "Ram Man" and "Trap Jaw," are an emblem of Adam's childhood memories that he and how he remembers them. I think that fun detail added weight to the character and also honor the series rather than just being a cheap gag. It even gets weird on main with story and action that works well alongside its tone.
Nicholas Galitzine finds the heart beneath the muscles.
(l-r): Dian (Christiaan Bettridge), Ram Man (Jon Xue Zhang), Teela (Camila Mendes), Adam (Nicholas Galitzine), Man at Arms (Idris Elba), Fisto (Johannes Haukur Johannesson) in MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE.
Considering Masters of the Universe is a staple of boy iconography, I appreciate the film’s approach to commentary on masculinity, befitting today’s time, with solid values for today’s youth who would be watching it. The film sees Adam face an identity crisis after a lifelong complicated relationship with his masculinity, all tied to his dad, King Randor (James Purefoy), and Duncan’s impact when he was a kid. Upon returning to Eternia, he tries his damndest to be everything the male figures in his life want him to be, even though one is imprisoned and the other is a drunk. Whreas it’s a very mixed upon execution, Nicholas “graduated from the Channing Tatum school of himbo-ism” emotionally anchors the well-intended themes’ notions. Galitzine delivers an utterly charming Prince Adam performance as he textures the character with whimsy and a wonder in his eyes that adds to the magic and humility, with well-timed physical comedy —His inner Jeff from Bottoms comes out occasionally— adding to the humor.
The script’s intentions are progressive, leading with heart over brawn, but with too many cooks in the writing department (Chris Butler, Aaron Nee, Adam Nee, Dave Callaham), it fails to convey those themes consistently, concentrating more on *ahem* celebrating the entire franchise, making up for lost time in relevance, throwing in the memes on main, and being the Masters of the Universe movie they never got to make. Its script is in desperate need of a punch-up, and another character pass, specifically a Gen-Z voice to authentically illustrate a modern good man who unconsciously thinks with his heart rather than his fists. That and let the women characters have some fun.
Eternia’s heroines are in supporting-character jail while capital-D diva Skeletor steals the show.
Jared Leto stars as 'Skeletor' in MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE.
Listen, I get it. MotU is skewered towards boys, but if you want to act progressive for at times, that also means letting the girlies have as much fun as the boys. For a movie about what makes a good man, it is indeed regressively gender‑imbalanced, leaving its women supporting characters out to dry. It is shocking news that Camila Mendes, who has looked camp in the eye her entire career, and Kristen Wiig, one of the funniest women on the planet, don’t get to play in the goofy sandbox with all the boys. Mendes’ Teela is just a "warrior badass" with little chemistry with Galitzine. Her arc with her dad, Duncan (how do Eternia genes work?), is sweet, yet they go through motions. The film also wastes a good Wiig on her sardonic, completely unfunny Roboto. The only person getting to do anything remotely free-spirited is Sasheer Zamata as his HR job boss. Her and Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn, who has fun but plays second fiddle to Jared Leto's Skeletor, who is *checks notes*the best thing about the movie?!
In such cases of “worst person you know gives a great performance”, Jared Leto, who has been cinematic kryptonite, is unfortunately the film’s best asset. He might have a dark, brooding voice, but this iteration of Skeletor is such a grade-A capital-D DIVA – essentially a ‘90s-era Disney villain. Like a mix of Hades and Scar, Skeletor pulsates with sheer haterade and boundless flamboyance. Leto is (unfortunately) insanely funny every second onscreen. Plus, you’re not seeing his face which is a huge bonus. Hear me out, this is the best performance he’s given since Requiem for a Dream. I’m as shocked as you are.
Final Statement
Masters of the Universe finally delivers the toyetic big-screen adventure Eternia deserves—colorful, weird, heartfelt. It transforms the Saturday morning cartoon into popcorn entertainment, powered by Travis Knight’s imagination, Nicholas Galitzine’s earnest Prince Adam, and Jared Leto’s scene-stealing Skeletor. Yet, its overcrowded script and sidelined heroines keep it from fully reaching the power of Greyskull.
