Masters of the Universe (2026)

"Face me like a man!"

"A, I don't have a face, and B, I don't want to!"

The city of Eternia houses the Castle Grayskull and the most powerful weapon in the universe, the Sword of Power.  Castle Grayskull and the sword are protected by the Sorceress (Baccarin).  The Kingdom is ruled by King Randor (Purefoy), who forces his young son Adam (Artie Wilkinson-Hunt) to learn combat under the direction of Duncan (Elba) the Man-At-Arms, but Adam does not take it seriously.  One day Eternia is attacked by Skeletor (Leto) and his army, intent on taking the sword.  The Sorceress sends Adam and the Sword of Power to Earth, to protect them.  She tells Adam to keep the sword close, so he can come home again, but he loses it immediately.

Fifteen years later, Adam (Galitzine) is trying to find the sword, while navigating adulthood - job, roommate, dating, etc.  He finally finds and steals the sword, and is promptly arrested.  He is rescued by his childhood friend Teela (Mendes), but Skeletor's goons are close behind.  When they return to Eternia, Adam is shocked by the destruction.  The surviving members of the Royal Guard are in hiding, waiting for the opportunity to take back their kingdom.  They are not impressed with Adam, even though they recognize the Sword of Power.  When their camp is attacked by Trap Jaw (Wilson), Adam calls on the power of the Grayskull and transforms into a warrior who is able to defeat Trap Jaw.  Can Adam, his new powers, and friends take Eternia back from Skeletor?

Based on the Mattel Masters of the Universe franchise.  Mattel created a line of He-Man toys in 1982, along with a comic series.  Then they created an animated TV series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (1983-1985) and She-Ra: Princess of Power (1985-1987).  There have been 7 total He-Man or She-Ra animated TV shows.  This is the second live-action He-Man film, following 1987's Masters of the Universe.  

The Good:

The story embraces the nostalgia of existing fans - keeping the same overall story and characters, while also making it accessible to a new audience.  They keep the outlandish names of some of the characters (Ram-Man, Trap Jaw, Mekaneck, etc), while providing a reason for the names. 

Idris Elba is great as Duncan, he looks natural during the fight scenes and sells anything he does or says.  He also gets to grow and change during the film.  Alison Brie seems to be having a blast as Evil-Lyn.

The action works, with each character getting a chance to shine.  The music also works with the vibe the filmmakers are trying to achieve with this film.  They embrace the absurdity, while occasionally pointing that out, and it works.

The Bad:

Jared Leto as Skeletor... there are moments where it works, but if nothing else, his evil laugh is not iconic.  I know he had big shoes to fill: Alan Oppenheimer, Mark Hamill, and William Shatner have all voiced the character, but the unhinged laugh is part of the character and Leto just doesn't have it.

They embrace low-brow humor and subtle (and occasionally not so subtle) sex jokes.

Other Comments:

-Includes a brief cameo by Dolph Lundgren, who played He-Man in the 1987 Masters of the Universe film.

-There are 3 post-credit scenes.  The second one teases a potential sequel about Adam's sister Adora / She-Ra.

-The film doesn't take itself too seriously - it is fun (if a smidge too long) and mindless.

Maters of the Universe (2026) 140 minutes

Rating: PG-13 for sequences of violence/action, some suggestive material, and language

Director: Travis Knight

Starring: Nicholas Galitzine as Adam Glenn / He-Man

Camila Mendes as Teela

Idris Elba as Duncan / Man-At-Arms

Jared Leto as Skeletor

Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn

James Purefoy as King Randor

Charlotte Riley as Queen Marlena

Morena Baccarin as the Sorceress

Kristen Wiig as Roboto

CJóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson as Fisto

Jon Xue Zhang as Ram-Man

Sam C. Wilson as Trap Jaw

Sasheer Zamata as Suzie

Christian Vunipola as Hussein

Christiaan Bettridge as Dian

James Wilkinson as Mekaneck