Masters of the Universe (2026) Review

“That is the crescendo!”

https://youtu.be/X21JsHLHnY8?is=75mJNPBjjQacWTQt

THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

Everytime Hollywood wants to bring back something popular of the 1980s, it can be hit or miss because you can tell when some things are forcing relevance. When it came to Mattel going for another live action adaptation to the iconic cartoon, Masters of the Universe, I was skeptical because every cartoon since has been consistent to the point to where I felt it be unnecessary if followed through. Remembering how their last attempt went in 1987 hasn’t aged well, it wouldn’t hurt trying and luckily, it turned out better.


PLOT


The 2026 adaptation begins in the land of Eternia. Prince Adam of the capital city Eternos, son of King Randor & Queen Marlena (James Purefoy & Charlotte Riley) who raise him to be the next ruler from evil forces outside their home Castle Grayskull. He struggles to train with Duncan the Man At Arms, but he doesn’t get a chance to improve due to being attacked by said forces led by the warlock Skeletor and his right hand sorceress Evil-Lyn. Castle Grayskull’s Sorceress sends Adam into a portal to his mother’s homeworld of Earth, but loses the Sword of Power he was entrusted to. 15 years would go by and a now adult Adam would make ends meet as a Human Resources employee. Since he never stopped looking for the sword, he eventually gets tipped of its location being at a comic book store. He gets arrested for theft, but him retrieving the sword summons a distress call to Eternia. Skeletor sends Lieutenant Beast Man (Gary Martin/James Unsworth) after it, but Adam is saved by Duncan’s daughter Teela. They return home together where the people of Eternos hide in their ruins. The people don’t believe Teela when she says she brought back the Prince and they become quickly disrespected by him when he shares nicknames he gave them in his childhood: Dian, Fisto, Ram-Man and Mekaneck (Christiaan Bettridge, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Jon Xue Zhang & James Wilkinson). As a result of the latter, they send him in a cell alongside a reprogrammed combat bot Roboto and a now drunk Duncan who suffers from depression not being able to beat Skeletor’s mercenary Trap Jaw (Sam C Wilson). When the warlock arrives to attack again, Adam summons the power of Grayskull as he wields the sword, adopting his superpowered warrior persona ‘He-Man’. This helps him beat Trap Jaw before he & Teela flee with Duncan & Roboto. Once Skeletor captures everyone else and finds out what happened, he lures him back via broadcasting a magical projection in the sky to tell him his parents are still alive, demanding the sword as ransom. So the protagonists go to the warlock’s lair in Snake Mountain and Adam does defeat Skeletor’s guards with ease, but his father Randor dies as the conflict led to a cave in he fatally succumbs to. Out of guilt, Adam surrenders and shares a cell with all his loved ones, including Marlena and his green tiger companion Cringer. When Skeletor realizes he can’t summon the sword’s power, he commands Evil-Lyn to commit a ritual at Castle Grayskull to get what he wants. Adam convinces his comrades to break out together to stop Skeletor. Roboto would be severely damaged, but Duncan gets the chance to redeem himself by slaying Trap Jaw. As Adam rides Cringer to the castle, the Tiger takes on Beast Man while the Prince faces Skeletor and Teela would face Evil-Lyn. The warlock would pull off destroying the sword with Havoc Staff, to stab Adam and telepathically torment him with his memories of Earth. Thankfully, the Sorceress would free him as she explains he is true harborer of the power of Grayskull and not the sword. This gives the protagonist the chance to use his inner power to reforge the sword and become He-Man again to defeat Skeletor by reflecting the staff’s power onto him which disintegrates him. Evil-Lyn would flee rather than surrender as a result of this defeat. Six months after an epic victory, Marlena would reclaim rule over Eternos, Roboto would be refurbished and Adam’s earth roommate Hussein would get to visit Eternos after previously  doubting the planet’s existence. As Adam continues defending Eternos alongside Cringer the Battle Cat, Duncan assures the Queen he will reunite with his long lost twin sister Adora/She-Ra (Lauren Saliu) who is stuck in planet Etheria. The film ends in a post credit scene with Evil Lyn retrieving the skull of Skeletor.


THOUGHTS

I was so nervous going into this one because I just wanted it to be done right. Thankfully, it was able to be in the balance of knowing what it is and then some. Director Travis Knight understands 80s nostalgia because he’s a guy that lived it and knows what people want from it. Needless to say, he’s able to match it and blend that atmosphere into the 21st century so well. In said period, you know this blockbuster is gonna need impressive visual effects as passionate as the costume designs. So it puts me in awe in how every bit of Eternia is stunning through Fabian Wagner’s cinematography. Cringer is just as big as I’d imagine and shoutout to Tom Wilton appropriately portraying him through his voice not as scared as he usually would be, but more grounded to take the fight head on when given the opportunity. I just wish the Tiger had more screentime because he looked so cool in his Battle Cat armor. I also thought Roboto looked cool and Kristen Wiig gave a good performance in her own right by portraying her as she’s got her own cleverness to fit in with heroes of Eternia. With the addition of Paul Rubell’s editing, each fight and chase keeps me on the edge of my seat. Once you hear Daniel Pemberton’s score, you know you’re in a damn good time. I even dig how this movie embraces the absurdity that made the movie special like giving us the Easter egg of ‘What’s Going On’ from the infamous meme play during the Beast Man chase and having the protagonists share a laugh like the cartoons did every other episode; All of it was just poignant for me. Apart from that, I think the reason is so likable to get through because if you weren’t paying attention to what the magician Orko (Christopher Ragland) said at the end of it, true strength is more about restraint & empathy rather than physical dominance. If you can remember that, then you’re stronger than you think. This is explored perfectly between the rivalry of Skeletor & He-Man. Through an excellent motion capture performance, Jared Leto goes all in portraying the skull faced warlock as maniacal as we remember this villain, easily topping what Frank Langella got to pull off in ‘87. This is a guy who knows he’s bad and relishes off of it straight up. And with Alison Brie being right behind him in terms of calculating as Evil Lyn, you would believe him to be unstoppable until all that dominance blew up in his face. She stayed by his side to the point of wanting to resurrect him because she’s got the ambition to share whatever power they can collect. Needless to say, the setback came from an one who deserved the power more. Breakout Nicholas Galitzine was a great choice as Adam because even though he grew up gentle through young Artie Wilkinson-Hunt, he did prove the gift of empathy. He deserved the power of Grayskull that he had in him all along because all he does want to be where he belongs. He’s able to gain wisdom from his time on Earth and that becomes his true advantage to get things back in order. I mean the best example of wisdom came from when he met the original lead Dolph Lundgren at the gym as the ‘Macho Man’ who gave his own advice of inner strength. Morena Baccarin was also a fine choice as the Sorceress because she’s stern enough to tell Adam the truth without overbearing him compared to his father. When he shouts “I Have the Power”, I felt the same chills when I was a kid and I believed I had it too. If he never tried believing in myself half as much as his peers did, it’s hard to know how far Eternia would be without him. Should he ever reunite with his sister, it’ll be a dope reunion. Speaking of which, it does warm me there are others that trusted he could defy the odds. Camila Mendes was great as Teela because she’s got the ideal hyper-independence you expect from a warrior and is tougher than meets the eye since she sure can brush off a fall pretty fast. As much as it sucks for the guy not getting the girl, I respect her hitting the friendzone on him because even if she can see he’s handsome, she’s never felt attracted of him the way he did for her in yearning fashion. The tension is there, but they both know that’s not important to pursue and I respect that. Idris Elba was also awesome as her father Duncan because even when feeling guilty of losing one fight for the first time that reminds him he’s not invincible, that doesn’t mean he’s not a great warrior. Not only did he find resilience down the line, but he also remained a grounded mentor for Adam and his daughter when it mattered most. As long as he’s around, the Prince will always know how to be consistent as he used to be. If Skeletor keeps coming back with or without the help of Evil-Lyn, Eternia will be ready going forward. This movie was a blast, but even fun stuff like this has questionable moments upon rewatching. For instance, it’s a bad move on Randor to use actual sword to practice dueling with Adam when he was a kid. He may have held back, but that was just too risky because his son still could’ve given him a lethal strike on accident. Trap Jaw also should’ve turned his arm from blade to blaster much faster rather than bother dueling with Duncan in the first place. The same can be said when he later tries taking the sword from Adam. And I’ll tell you what’s weirder than Sorceress asking Adam to get the sword for her when she can get it herself, it’s Skeletor keeping everyone alive when he doesn’t need to. On top of that, it’s on him to check the remains of Eternos before Adam returned. He doesn’t know when Adam would return, so at the very least kill half of Eternos to prove your point. I don’t even see the point of why doesn’t Marlena go with her son to Earth. She comes from earth as confirmed in the cartoons, so she could’ve helped him adapt compared to when he was on his own. And what are the odds of the sword being in the area the whole time without any indication if it ever went out of state as Adam grew up. Hell, Adam shouldn’t even be surprised Beast Man was after him because of the sword. If he never forgot his purpose, there is no reason to question it like he got amnesia. I don’t even think it made sense for him to say Duncan berated him when that was actually his dad. Duncan may have berated other students, but he definitely didn’t berate the prince in the opening. And if Ram Man didn’t really trust Adam, he should’ve taken the sword for himself. He actually has the power to have high leaps, so that’s a big advantage at that point. Lastly, what tripped me out more was that Adam doesn’t even ask of She-Ra. That’s his twin. How does he not think about her when separated? That’s a crazy thing to realize just for us the audience to be surprised of her potential sequel appearance should there be one. Ignore these things however, then you can say 2026’s Masters of the Universe delivers in being the fantasy epic it was always meant to be. If you’re still a fan of what Mattel got to bring to the table, see this now.