Table of Contents
Travis Knight’s Master of the Universe delivers funny, sincere adventure
ANOTHER live-action reboot of an 1980s toy franchise could have easily felt tired, but director Travis Knight turns Masters of the Universe into a bright, funny and surprisingly sincere sword-and-sorcery adventure. The film understands how absurd its world is without treating it like a joke.
There are talking animals, magical swords, warriors with names such as Ram-Man and Fisto, and a skull-faced villain called Skeletor. Instead of overexplaining everything, the movie simply accepts its fantasy logic and moves forward.
Heroic and hopeful
The story follows Prince Adam (Nicholas Galitzine), who returns to Eternia after years on Earth and is forced to embrace his destiny as He-Man to save his home from Skeletor (Jared Leto). It is a familiar chosen-one story, but the film gives it enough humour, colour and energy to feel alive.
Its tone feels close to Superman (2025) in the way it leans into hope and heroism. The film is sincere without being embarrassed by itself, which is increasingly rare in modern blockbusters.
It also deals with toxic masculinity in a way that is not too heavy-handed. The message is simple: Violence should be a last resort and true strength comes from compassion. For a movie built around muscles, swords and fantasy battles, that message gives it a solid emotional centre.
Perfectly cast He-Man
Galitzine looks almost absurdly perfect as He-Man. He has the hair, build and heroic screen presence. He looks like a Greek statue carved out of marble, which is amusing given his Greek heritage on his mother’s side.
As Adam, Galitzine plays him as timid, awkward and unsure of himself. As He-Man, he becomes confident, powerful and commanding. The contrast works, even if the movie’s attempt to make Adam seem small before he gets the sword is a little funny, since Galitzine clearly already looks like he hits the gym.
A slightly skinny Steve Rogers-style visual effect may have sold that transformation better, but it is not a major issue. Galitzine commits fully to the role and deserves credit for getting properly bulked up for it.
Skeletor steals scenes
It is hard to admit, but Leto is surprisingly good as Skeletor.
His performance is campy, cruel and knowingly ridiculous. He does not try to make Skeletor tragic or misunderstood. He is evil because he enjoys being evil, and that simplicity feels refreshing.
Leto’s deeper voice moves away from the classic nasally version, but he keeps the character’s theatrical spirit intact. There is also a strange suggestive edge to some of his remarks about Adam and the Sword of Power, though the film mostly treats it as part of Skeletor’s campy humour.
Hollywood’s continued investment in Leto remains baffling. After Morbius (2022), Tron: Ares (2025) and his widely criticised Joker, he continues to receive major studio roles.
Strangely, his performance as Skeletor is also the kind of performance that would have made his Joker far more interesting. Campy, funny and cruel suits Leto much better than the edgelord gangster approach he took in the failed DC Extended Universe.
Eternia comes alive
The world-building recalls Thor: Ragnarok (2017) in a good way. Eternia is colourful, strange and full of characters who look as though action figures have come to life.
Camila Mendes is strong as Teela, while Idris Elba gives Duncan a decent arc from proud guardian to broken drunk before slowly finding his way back. His tech suit also carries a slight reminder of his Bloodsport armour in The Suicide Squad (2021).
Alison Brie is clearly having fun as Evil-Lyn, playing the villainess with pure camp energy. The supporting warriors could have used more screen time, but their designs are excellent. Ram-Man, Fisto, Mekaneck and the others look tactile and memorable.
The film also finds a smart way to explain their silly names. Adam named them when he was 10. That one detail neatly explains everything from Fisto to He-Man himself.
Soundtrack with muscle
The soundtrack is where the movie really stands out.
The Cure’s Boys Don’t Cry captures Adam’s miserable life on Earth, while Queen’s Princes of the Universe arrives at the perfect heroic moment. It almost feels as though the song was written for this exact scene.
The use of 4 Non Blondes’ What’s Up? is also a funny callback to He-Man’s internet afterlife, especially the early YouTube video edit that turned the song into a meme for a new generation.
Daniel Pemberton, working with Queen guitarist Brian May, gives the film a huge and memorable sound. The Eternia theme has real force every time it plays, reworking the spirit of the original 1980s theme into something cinematic and powerful.
Nostalgia problem
For all its strengths, Masters of the Universe still has one major issue. He-Man does not have much relevance among younger audiences. For many people, the franchise is either a childhood memory, a YouTube meme or something they know through parody.
That makes its box office struggles disappointing but not surprising, especially despite the heavy marketing, toy reproductions and drone light shows, including one in Malaysia. The campaign tried to make Masters of the Universe feel like an event, but He-Man simply does not have much pull with younger viewers.
It also fits Knight’s career in a funny way. He has a talent for making polished, sincere and entertaining films that do not always become box office giants, from Bumblebee (2018) to Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) and The Boxtrolls (2014). Masters of the Universe sits comfortably beside them: Well-made, heartfelt and probably too niche for its own good.
Knight’s background in animation also clearly enhances the film, especially in the sharp impact lines, Adam’s magical girl-style transformation, kinetic action and eye-catching editing.
There is also the amusing detail that Knight is the son of Nike co-founder Phil Knight, which makes Skeletor wearing Nike tech at the gym even funnier. Profit may not be the most urgent part of Knight’s creative journey, but he keeps making films that deserve more attention than they get.
The film proves He-Man can still work, but it also shows that 1980s nostalgia alone is no longer enough.
Verdict
Masters of the Universe is not perfect. The humour is occasionally overdone, some side characters need more room and the film cannot fully escape the limits of reboot culture.
Even so, it is energetic, funny and full of heart. It has strong action, a great lead performance, a scene-stealing villain and an excellent soundtrack.
For a franchise many had written off as outdated, Masters of the Universe still has the power.
READ MORE:
The Sheep Detectives review: Truly wooly whodunit
Project Hail Mary review: Pure cosmic fun with Ryan Gosling
The Mandalorian and Grogu review: This is not the way
