Masters of the Universe has the Power in Delivering a Fun Experience

Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios

It’s been nearly 40 years since the 1987 Masters of the Universe movie and 44 years since Mattel created Masters of the Universe. Various shows based on Masters of the Universe have also been released through the years. Now in 2026, a new live-action Masters of the Universe movie is out, directed by Travis Knight and starring Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Jared Leto, Idris Elba, and Alison Brie. When Skeletor takes over Eternia, Adam is sent away with the Sword of Power to keep it safe. Fifteen years later, he finds the sword and reunites with his friend Teela to return to Eternia and defeat Skeletor. Travis Knight is known for directing Kubo and the Two Strings and Bumblebee, the latter being praised as one of the better live-action Transformers movies. Can he make a good Masters of the Universe movie?

It’s safe to say Masters of the Universe (2026) is a good live-action adaptation that is fun and will satisfy fans. Is it perfect and groundbreaking? No, but it doesn’t need to. It’s a strength for Masters of the Universe (2026) to embrace corny, ridiculous, colorful fun. After all, it’s a science fiction, action, and swords-and-sorcery movie based on toys from Mattel. Some people who aren’t familiar with Masters of the Universe might claim it’s copying Marvel movies like Guardians of the Galaxy and Thor: Ragnarok, since they share a similar tone. In reality, Masters of the Universe has always been this way in past cartoon shows, going back to the 1980s cartoon. It shows Travis Knight has a good understanding of this universe.

The cast overall works for Masters of the Universe (2026). The standouts are Jared Leto as Skeletor and Idris Elba as Duncan/Man-at-Arms. Leto as Skeletor is the most accurate performance of the entire movie, showing how ruthless he can be while pulling corny yet hilarious jokes. Camila Mendes as Teela also does well being the voice of reason of the group and bringing Adam back into Eternia. At first, I wasn’t sold on Nicholas Galitzine as Adam/He-Man. He came across as too naive and dumb at first. During the course of the movie, he gets better and shows that he was the right guy for the role. He shows the compassion and humanity of Adam, delivering strong messages of trying to talk things through before resorting to action.

The costumes, make-up, and character designs look great, with Skeletor’s being the best. Eternia looks great from Castle Grayskull to Snake Mountain. The attention to detail to get the locations right shows how dedicated Travis Knight is to making this world look great. The action is fun and will entertain audiences. Some sequences will be ridiculous, but in a good way that will put a smile on the audiences’ faces. Masters of the Universe (2026) isn’t without flaws, though. It takes a while to get back to Eternia, and the scenes showing Adam’s life on Earth slow this movie down a lot. They aren’t entertaining nor are they that interesting. The movie also did not have to be 2 hours and 13 minutes long. If they shaved off a good chunk of the Adam on Earth stuff, it may not feel as long. There are also a few characters that felt like they could have gotten more time to shine, like Cringer/Battle Cat. The comedy works, but dramatic/emotional moments will be hit or miss.

Overall, Masters of the Universe (2026) is a fun movie that is mostly faithful to the source material. The cast perform their roles well. Eternia and the costumes are spot on. The corny tone works, and I’m glad it’s embraced. Despite being longer than it needs to be, the movie ends on a good note with a fun and satisfying third act. My final grade for Masters of the Universe (2026) is a B. If you like the Masters of the Universe series, grew up on the cartoons, or fun action movies to watch with your family, I recommend this movie. What are your thoughts on Masters of the Universe (2026)? Let us know in the comments below.