A new live-action “Masters of the Universe” film arrives nearly four decades after the 1987 Cannon Films version helped end the original He-Man craze, but this reboot struggles to justify why it exists now. Directed by Travis Knight, the movie embraces its own awkwardness with jokes, self-aware quips and deliberately fake-looking effects, yet that playful tone only goes so far before the film becomes overlong and uncertain of whether it wants to be a sincere fantasy epic or a parody of one.
The story follows Adam, the prince of Eternia, first as a timid child and later as an adult stranded on Earth, where he works an ordinary office job while trying to recover the Sword of Power and return home. As a child, he is overwhelmed by royal expectations and close to several key figures, including General Duncan and Duncan’s daughter Teela. When the villain Skeletor invades Eternia, Adam is sent to Earth with the sword, but loses it during the escape. Years later, when the weapon is finally found, Teela is sent to bring him back as Eternia faces destruction under Skeletor’s rule.
Much of the film’s early energy comes from the contrast between Adam’s claims of being a cosmic warrior and the mundane reality of his life on Earth. His insistence on his true origins makes him seem delusional to coworkers and awkward in dating situations, while his attempts at diplomacy and de-escalation clash comically with the brute-force culture of Eternia. That fish-out-of-water setup gives the movie some of its best scenes, especially when Adam’s corporate language collides with warriors whose names and behavior are taken straight from toy-box fantasy. But once he fully transforms into He-Man, the humor and momentum begin to fade.
Nicholas Galitzine is singled out as the film’s strongest asset. His performance captures Adam’s mix of confusion, insecurity and accidental bravado, making the character more engaging than the screenplay often does. He plays both the underpowered desk worker and the future warrior with enough comic timing to keep the thin premise afloat. Around him, the cast includes Idris Elba as Duncan, Camila Mendes as Teela, Morena Baccarin as a sorceress and Jared Leto as a digitally created Skeletor with a flamboyant vocal style.
Despite those elements, the film becomes repetitive in its second half, moving through similar battle scenes without much escalation. The villain’s occasional double entendres provide some wit, and the production design offers colorful, plastic-looking fantasy spectacle, but the romantic subplot lacks spark and the larger emotional stakes never fully land. The absence of She-Ra also leaves the story feeling incomplete, especially as the film appears to be setting up a sequel.
In the end, “Masters of the Universe” is a glossy but uneven attempt to revive a long-dormant franchise. It has flashes of humor, visual style and nostalgic charm, but never quite turns those ingredients into something fresh or necessary for a modern audience.
