For decades, Hollywood kept circling back to the idea of bringing He-Man back to the big screen. Scripts came and went, studios changed hands, and fans were left wondering whether Eternia would ever get another live-action shot after the infamous 1987 adaptation became more of a cult curiosity than a beloved classic. Now, nearly four decades later, Masters of the Universe finally arrives with a bigger budget, a stronger cast, and far more ambition. The problem is that ambition alone doesn’t always make a great movie.
Director Travis Knight, whose previous work includes the surprisingly charming Bumblebee and the acclaimed animated film Kubo and the Two Strings, clearly wants this revival to appeal to both longtime fans and newcomers. For a while, it actually does. The opening portions have enough humor and self-awareness to make the material feel approachable, even for viewers who have never touched a He-Man toy or watched the original cartoon.
What follows, though, is a film that spends so much time trying to justify its own existence that it forgets to become consistently exciting.
Nicholas Galitzine Gives the Film Its Best Moments
The biggest reason Masters of the Universe remains watchable is Nicholas Galitzine. The actor has quietly built a reputation for bringing charm to characters that could easily become one-dimensional, and that skill proves useful here. His version of Prince Adam isn’t presented as an unstoppable fantasy hero from the beginning. Instead, he’s a somewhat lost man who has spent years stranded on Earth, holding onto a story nobody around him fully believes.
That fish-out-of-water angle gives the movie some of its strongest material. Adam works a regular office job, struggles to fit into everyday life, and constantly sounds like someone explaining a bizarre dream whenever he talks about Eternia. Galitzine handles those moments with an easy sense of humor that keeps the character likable even when the script starts wandering.
The film is noticeably lighter and more entertaining whenever it focuses on Adam trying to navigate normal life. Once he fully transforms into the legendary warrior everyone came to see, some of that personality gets buried beneath endless spectacle. That’s unfortunate because the human side of the character is far more interesting than the superhero version.
Eternia Looks Bigger, But the Story Feels Smaller
The production team deserves credit for making Eternia feel visually distinct. The sets embrace the toy-inspired roots of the franchise without becoming outright parody. There’s a colorful artificiality to the world that actually works, reminding viewers that Masters of the Universe was always a strange blend of fantasy, science fiction, and action figures brought to life.
Daniel Pemberton’s score also helps sell the scale. The music leans heavily into heroic fantasy themes while occasionally echoing the over-the-top spirit of the franchise’s 1980s origins. At times, the soundtrack generates more excitement than the action itself.
Unfortunately, the screenplay struggles to find a stable identity. Multiple writers contributed to the project, and that unevenness becomes obvious as the runtime stretches past two hours. One scene wants to poke fun at He-Man’s famously ridiculous mythology, while the next demands that audiences take the fate of Eternia completely seriously.
The constant back-and-forth creates a strange viewing experience. The movie seems embarrassed by parts of its own source material while simultaneously asking viewers to become emotionally invested in it. That balancing act rarely works.
Jared Leto’s Skeletor Brings Some Life to the Chaos
Among the supporting cast, Jared Leto’s Skeletor ends up being one of the more memorable elements. Fully enhanced through digital effects and loaded with theatrical villain energy, this version of Skeletor often feels like he’s wandered in from a completely different movie. Oddly enough, that’s part of the fun.
Whenever Skeletor appears, the film gains a bit of personality. The character delivers lines with a level of camp and dramatic flair that the rest of the movie sometimes lacks. He’s ridiculous, occasionally amusing, and at least leaves an impression.
The rest of the cast does solid work with what they’re given. Camila Mendes steps into the role of Teela, while Idris Elba brings authority to Duncan. Morena Baccarin and James Purefoy also contribute to the film’s fantasy mythology. Yet many of these characters feel underdeveloped because the movie spends so much time moving from one battle sequence to another.
One noticeable absence is She-Ra. Fans hoping for a significant appearance may walk away disappointed. The film clearly saves certain story elements for potential sequels, though whether audiences will be eager for another chapter remains uncertain.
When the Action Takes Over, the Momentum Slows Down
The strangest issue with Masters of the Universe is that it becomes less engaging once it fully embraces being a fantasy blockbuster. The first hour contains character moments, comedy, and world-building that keep things moving. Later, the film settles into a repetitive rhythm of large-scale fights that begin to blur together.
At 141 minutes, the movie asks for a serious time investment. There are enough entertaining moments scattered throughout to prevent it from becoming a complete slog, but the pacing often feels stretched. Several action scenes seem designed to impress through scale rather than creativity, and the excitement gradually fades because of it.
That said, this new adaptation is still a major improvement over the franchise’s previous live-action attempt. The cast is stronger, the production values are considerably higher, and the filmmakers at least understand why people once loved these characters. The issue isn’t lack of effort. It’s that the film never fully figures out what it wants to be.
In the end, Masters of the Universe feels like a movie caught between nostalgia and reinvention. It wants to honor the past, laugh at the past, modernize the past, and profit from the past all at the same time. Sometimes those competing goals create entertaining moments. More often, they leave the film feeling oversized and oddly uncertain.
Fans of He-Man will probably find enough references and mythology to enjoy the trip back to Eternia. Newcomers, however, may wonder why this franchise once held such a powerful place in pop culture. Nicholas Galitzine does everything he can to make the journey worthwhile, but even he can’t fully rescue a film that keeps fighting with its own identity.
