Masters of the Universe (2026)
Directed by: Travis Knight
Premise: Based on the Mattel toy line. Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) flees his home world of Eternia when it is overrun by the forces of evil led by Skeletor (Jared Leto). Years later, Adam returns to claim his birthright and liberate Eternia.
What Works: Masters of the Universe originated as a line of toys that were popular in the 1980s. As was commonplace at that time, a children’s cartoon was created as a vehicle to sell those toys. The 2026 film version of Masters of the Universe pays homage to the origins of this franchise and it feels like a live action version of the cartoon. The visual style is colorful, the tone is corny, and the film has a sense of heroism and adventure. The music best captures that retro style. Daniel Pemberton’s synth-heavy score acknowledges the original cartoon theme by Shuki Levy and Haim Saban and the film’s music also includes Queen guitarist Brian May. It’s a fun score that indicates what this film could have been.
What Doesn’t: Masters of the Universe comes three years after the phenomenal success of Barbie which was also based on a Mattel toy line but used the iconography and history of the dolls to explore gender politics. Although its ideas were muddled, Barbie did have a coherent point of view and its tone, performances, and art direction came together. The success of 2023’s Barbie hangs over 2026’s Masters of the Universe. The He-Man film is torn between being an earnest fantasy adventure and a meta commentary on masculinity. The filmmakers never settle on a tone and the various pieces of Masters of the Universe don’t fit together. The humor is belabored. The self-aware jokes resemble Austin Powers, especially the double entendres, but this is not nearly as funny. The filmmakers are aware of the ridiculousness of the source material but in a way that feels embarrassed. The strained tone is evident in the performances. It isn’t that any of the actors are doing a bad job. But no one behaves as though they are in the same movie. That’s most obvious in Alison Brie’s performance as Evil-Lyn. She is very campy and fun but no one else is on Brie’s level. Masters of the Universe is overlong and the pacing is baggy.It’s saddled with a sluggish opening sequence and the middle of the story drags in places.The filmmakers choose inopportune moments to get sentimental, stopping for He-Man to have a good cry just as the film is getting exciting.
Bottom Line: The real battle for Eternia is not between He-Man and Skeletor. It’s the filmmakers fighting with themselves. Masters of the Universe never settles on being an earnest fantasy adventure or a satire and it fails at both. It’s the kind of movie that splits the difference in an attempt to appeal to everyone but it won’t satisfy anyone.
Episode: #1104 (June 21, 2026)