Masters of the Universe (dir. Travis Knight)
Certificate: 12A
Running Time: 141 mins
UK Distributor: Sony Pictures
UK Release Date: 3 June 2026
WHO’S IN MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE?
Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Jared Leto, Idris Elba, Alison Brie, Morena Baccarin, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, James Purefoy, Charlotte Riley, Kristen Wiig, Sasheer Zamata, James Wilkinson, Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, Kojo Attah, Jon Xue Zhang, Sam C. Wilson, Christian Vunipola, Artie Wilkinson-Hunt, Eire Farrell
WHO’S BEHIND THE CAMERA?
Travis Knight (director), Chris Butler, Dave Callaham, Aaron Nee and Adam Nee (writers), Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Robbie Brenner, DeVon Franklin and Steve Tisch (producers), Daniel Pemberton (composer), Fabian Wagner (cinematographer), Paul Rubell (editor)
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
Adam (Galitzine), the exiled Prince of Eternia, returns to reclaim his kingdom…
WHAT ARE MY THOUGHTS ON MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE?
There’s not a single child from the 80s who didn’t grow up with He-Man and the Masters of the Universe to some capacity. Whether it was the Mattel action figures or the hugely popular animated series, or even the 1987 live-action movie with Dolph Lundgren in the lead role, the inhabitants of the mystical world of Eternia and their wacky, often nonsensical adventures have been seared into the brains of anyone who grew up in that decade.
Clearly, Travis Knight was one of those people. You’d imagine from the way he directs Masters of the Universe with such gleeful passion that the son of Nike co-founder Phil Knight, not to mention the current President and CEO of acclaimed animation studio Laika (and director of the company’s Kubo and the Two Strings and the upcoming Wildwood), was one of the franchise’s biggest fans as a kid. And in many ways still is, for in addition to his film being a hugely enjoyable blockbuster that wears its inherent silliness like a badge of honour, Masters of the Universe feels very much like it was made with great love and care by the very people who grew up on the very source material that inspired it.
Knight’s film, from a script credited to fellow Laika veteran Chris Butler, Aaron and Adam Nee (who were originally set to direct when the project was briefly picked up by Netflix) and Expendables co-writer Dave Callaham, opens on the planet of Eternia, an environment fairly mixed with medieval imagery and sci-fi weaponry, where young Prince Adam (Artie Wilkinson-Hunt) lives in peace under the protection of Castle Grayskull. However, after his home is attacked by the evil Skeletor (Jared Leto) and his various minions, from the sorceress Evil-Lynn (Alison Brie) to fierce cyborg Trap Jaw (Sam C. Wilson), Adam is transported to Earth with the mythical Sword of Power for his own safety, only to immediately be separated from the sword which he spends the next fifteen years searching for.
In that time, Adam (now played by Nicholas Galitzine) has developed into a young man working a dull yet productive job in human resources, but very much keeps his memories of Eternia alive – at the expense of his dating and social life, naturally – as he obsesses over returning home. Sure enough, soon after he finally reunites with the Sword of Power, he is whisked back to the remains of Castle Grayskull where his allies, including former general turned drunkard Duncan aka Man-At-Arms (Idris Elba) and his warrior daughter Teela (Camila Mendes), live under Skeletor’s rule, and with their help Adam finds the power within him to transform into the mighty, muscular hero known to all as He-Man, and take down Skeletor and his army once and for all.
I myself did not grow up with He-Man, since it was just a bit before my time (one of the downsides of being a 90s kid, it seems), but that doesn’t really matter because Masters of the Universe has a tremendous appeal that extends way beyond its devoted fanbase. The film frames itself as a campy and over-the-top 80s-inspired romp in the vein of fantasy/sci-fi cult classics from that era like Flash Gordon and The Beastmaster, where characters will have such a heavy flamboyance to them while still remaining dignified, where the effects, dialogue and overall aesthetic are all knowingly cheesy, like something out of a pulpy comic-book or – more appropriately – a cartoon series, and where the soundtrack leans heavily on awesome rock music (in keeping with that Flash Gordon inspiration, composer Daniel Pemberton has even recruited Sir Brian May himself to provide some killer guitar riffs along the way). It’s extremely easy to get sucked into the chaos as Knight approaches it all with the gleeful energy of a kid playing with their action figures on the school playground, ensuring that there’s a substantial level of dumb fun around every corner of this utterly nonsensical (but lovingly so) world.
Knight and co-writer Butler also bring some of their Laika storytelling skills to a narrative where, despite the constant bombardment of fever-dream imagery and self-aware humour (the latter of which can get a little too carried away at times), you do actually care about these characters and some of their arcs. Galitzine makes for a great He-Man, for not only does he utilise his natural charm and comedic timing in a performance where he is consistently likeable and entertaining, but his rendition incorporates some intriguing themes of masculinity that challenge the kind of muscular iconography that He-Man has been a living symbol of for decades, allowing the character to be redefined while still remaining true to who he is. The same can be said about Skeletor, for beyond the astounding fact that it is actually the most enjoyable that Jared Leto has been in… well, forever, he is very much that iconic villain he’s always been known as, right down to the fact that he can also be quite unexpectedly funny at times, especially as he embraces his identity as a cackling and theatrical baddie.
Both Skeletor and He-Man are a lot of fun opposite one another, especially in that classic good-vs-evil sense where even they know who they are and what they represent, and do not attempt to be anything else that would jeopardise their most recognisable character traits. Again, Knight’s instinct to treat it all like something a child would imagine whilst playing with their action figures – to a point where the various recognisable nicknames in this movie literally come from a child’s memories and drawings – works in the characters’ favour, because in their own way He-Man and Skeletor, along with everyone else in this movie, are so out-there and overtly exaggerated that they come off as almost childlike. They represent the most basic concept of heroes and villains while allowing enough room for imagination to take over and take them in whichever direction feels most right for the person playing with them, kind of like – once again – a kid playing with their toys.
Knight and his fellow filmmakers understand extremely well how a property like Masters of the Universe is designed by nature to be ridiculously silly yet utterly imaginative at the same time, and they capitalise on that playful tone enough to where anyone, whether they’re long-time fans or complete newcomers, can both enter and exit the world of He-Man with the same sensation of youthful joy they might once have had as children. They themselves clearly adore this source material, and it shows in how they bring it all to life with the same amount of passion and enthusiasm as your average die-hard fan, effectively being grown kids who’ve been given the keys to the entire toy store. Luckily, they have enough consciousness to recognise that everyone else needs to be having fun as well, which they achieve with a greatly enjoyable movie that will inspire the imaginations of an all-new generation of Eternia enthusiasts.
SO, TO SUM UP…
Masters of the Universe is an effortlessly enjoyable adaptation of the popular franchise that sees director Travis Knight clearly revelling in playing around with the various characters and worlds he grew up with, leaning into the unavoidably over-the-top silliness of it all with humour, heart, and a hell of a rocking soundtrack. It does, indeed, have the power.
Other recent reviews:
0 Comments