"MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE" REVIEW

Published on 6/15/2026 

Written by: Braylon Mitchell 

Directed by: Travis Knight 

Cast: Nicholas Galitzine, Camilia Mendes, Idris Elba, Jared Leto, Alison Brie, etc. 

Plot: A young man on Earth discovers a fabulous secret legacy as the prince of an alien planet, and must recover a magic sword and return home to protect his kingdom. 

REVIEW 

Like many little boys did, in my childhood I went through a phase of loving anything and everything He-Man/Masters of the Universe related. Still, that minor blip of nostalgia wasn't enough to muster up any personal excitement for this film. Based on the trailers, I didn't think this film looked very good—that's probably not something every critic would jump to say in one of their first sentences, but with this film I plain and simply didn't think it looked like something I'd like. Sometimes going into a film with low expectations can be a blessing in disguise, as once your expectations are at the bottom the only direction left to go is up. Even within the type of narrative we've seen a hundred times before encased in nothing but pure predictability, the familiarity this film offers isn't always a deterrent—in fact, there is fun to be had in turning toward a film where you'll most enjoy it without the use of your brain. This film is at its best when it leans into the lighter side of building a fantasy world/characters that are based off a series of toys—propping up the front of making this world truly feel like it's made up of places and characters that'd populate a child's imaginative play session laying down on their bedroom carpet. Sure, in typical Hollywood fashion the film is encouraged to have a more mature/socially relevant edge to its messaging—in this film's case, it's themes about struggling with the standards of masculinity; which for a film based on a series titled "He-Man" honestly isn't a bad topic to focus on—but for the most part, this film's strengths are when it allows itself to follow certain tropes without self-inserted fault-finding. Much of the first act takes place on Earth where Adam/He-Man doesn't fit in and funny hijinks ensue. Is that fully the fish-out-of-water trope? Yes. Does the film feel the need to be self-aware that it's playing into a trope like so many 2020s blockbusters do? No. This goes for the main antagonist as well, Skeletor: who is surpisngly played very well by Jared Leto, a rare instance where his inclusion in the reboot of franchise/property doesn't result in a stale performance. Several times throughout the film, Skeletor is afforded the chance for an emotional backstory or reasoning to support his evil doings but he simply refuses—I can't remember exactly, but I believe he has a line that's something to the extent of "no, I'm evil". I can't help but praise this film for simply letting its villain be a plain ol' evil bad guy—that sounds stupid writing it out, but within the modern state of blockbusters the art of simple and effective villains is becoming a rarity. Sometimes with a movie villian one dimension is all you need—in fact, that sentiment goes for how I feel about much of this film. Not every film needs to be good, sometimes they just need to be fun. There are certainly better options out there for films to see that are currently playing in theaters (I LOVE that people are finally getting back to the theaters at a regular rate similar to that of before COVID/streaming), but for what it is this is a suitable piece of entertainment. 

THREE BEST ELEMENTS

• Daniel Pemberton's score. This is the third time this year that I've listed a film score composed by Daniel Pemberton as one of the three best elements of a film, his scores for "Project Hail Mary" and "The Drama" being the other films. Daniel Pemberton is on a roll, and there are few composers currently working whose success I'd root for more. His score for this film is kickass. It's a rock 'n' roll, 80s-influenced score that effortlessly gets you hyped with it's epic usage violins, choir vocals, synth, and electric guitar from Queen's lead guitarist Brian May. It's an emotional, epic score. 

• The production design. Some very good, detailed production design of the world of Eternia—makes these locations come to life with strong fantasy grandeur. 

• The makeup/hairstyling. It's mainly on side-characters/background characters, but I noticed a fair share of practical creature prosthetics that looked awesome. 

WORST ELEMENT 

• The story is thoroughly predictable and generic to a fault. 

RATING

6/10

What else can I say execpt that it's fun, buddy!