Masters of the Universe Review: A Rollicking '80s-Infused Surprise
It overstays its welcome by a good 20 minutes but no one was more surprised by this than me.
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It's easy to write off director Travis Knight's remake of Masters of the Universe – an adaptation of both the 1983 animated cartoon, He-Man, and the 1987 feature starring Dolph Lundgren – as another attempt to court male Gen Xers who have certainly benefited from the decade's boom in cinema and television. And, in many ways, it is.
This new take is a Masters of the Universe that thrives on being big and, in some parts dumb. If anything, it acknowledges how silly the original 1980s versions were. But wipe away the '80s cheese and its script (credited by Chris Butler, Aaron and Adam Nee, and Dave Callaham) is an incredibly fun and witty send-up of '80s mythos features. Though far from the satirical heights of Barbie, it's one of the more surprisingly entertaining films of the summer.
Adam Glenn (Nicholas Galitzine) has been raised in Oklahoma City for the last fifteen years after fleeing his home planet of Eternia. Adam goes on a quest to find the Sword of Power--which, as Adam says, is exactly what it sounds like--and use it to return to Eternia and save it from the evil Skeletor (Jared Leto).
There's a heavy Superman influence within Masters of the Universe, no doubt one that was present and unavoidable in the 1980s. So strap in for another story about a planet's prodigal son leaving his home as child and coming back as a man to save everyone. Albeit, Eternia pretty much is Earth where everyone wears fancier clothes and speaks with an American accent.
We meet Adam as a small child, one of the smallest in his arms training, hoping to secure the love of his father, King Randor (James Purefoy) who reminds Adam that "the world is no place for the weak." The overarching thread of Masters of the Universe is what defines masculinity, and how Adam initially believes it's brute strength and the ability to fight. Skeletor's arrival sees Adam end up on Earth where he's spent the last fifteen years telling everyone about Eternia – Adam's narration for the film's opening is hilariously told to a first date – and working as an HR rep. Everyone thinks Adam is crazy though, to be fair, his entire bedroom is filled with drawings and his Google searches are exclusively "have you seen this sword," and yet his kindness and empathy is charming.
Galitzine understands the role and gives us an Adam that isn't dumb, just incredibly trusting and desperate for connection. Unlike the cockier Thor, who sees Earth as a comedown, and leading to a fish out of water narrative, Adam seems to have acclimated well to living on Earth, though don't ask any logistical questions. Outside of his roommate, who spends his nights hiding his love for romantic movies, Adam has no one. There's an implication that the movie will be focused on Adam just learning to be okay with who he is, a man who might not be special, but this isn't dwelled on for more than a beat because the audience knows he is.
This movie being over 2 hours is probably the most ridiculous element of Masters of the Universe, especially as the third act devolves into about four separate fight scenes. The quest for the Sword of Power gained about an hour into the movie, as well as Teela's return, and that's it for Earth. What results for the rest of the movie's runtime is Adam returning to Eternia, less the prodigal son and more that guy people vaguely remember.
But what's fascinating, and keeps the viewer engaged, in the script's reliance on emphasizing: "the story is weak." The Sword of Power does what it says. There's no grand, sweeping origin story or reason why Skeletor wants Eternia short of him declaring "I'm the villain." One could argue this is the continued dumbing down of movies but what director Travis Knight and the script seem to do is invert that in a way, reminding audiences "Hey, this movie is nothing more than entertainment." Pure popcorn to enjoy with some friends and move on. It doesn't seek to even be better than the original film or cartoon, just another element of it you might like.
That extends towards who Adam is as a character. The viewer watches Adam try desperately to "be a man," and it's a phrase repeated so often in the movie you'll be fairly sloshed at the theater if you sip every time it's said. And yet, as the Sorceress (Morena Baccarin who deserved better) explains to Adam, having empathy and humanity is powerful. Even once Adam hulks out – the film having so much fun making loincloth jokes at his expense – he never forgets being a genuinely good person.
The movie's candy-coated aesthetic and fantastic '80s soundtrack – with guitars by Brian May – is definitely a vibe, but the movie's extreme queer-coding also ends up elevating the entire feature. It'll be easy to see a certain political group getting big mad at Masters of the Universe. This is mostly seen in Skeletor, an English-accented man-baby whinging about needing the sword for himself with all the force of a baby needing a bottle. (Lots of people in my screening thought he was akin to our President.) Leto is an unfortunate casting in these times but, honestly, most probably won't even know it's him until the credits. He does the same vocal technique he did in 2023's Haunted Mansion, wherein the voice is ADR'ed and altered, he's not really doing much of anything.
The entire ensemble is just well-done, from Alison Brie doing her best Kristen Wiig as Evil-Lyn (Wiig, btw, is also in this as the voice of Roboto) to Idris Elba's determined Duncan. The fight choreography is also fantastic, with the camera actually allowing viewers to see the fantastic powers everyone has, from Ram Man (Jon Xue Zhang) whom, as Adam says, "rams and is a man" to JĂłhannes Haukur JĂłhannesson's scene-stealing Fisto. Mendes is probably the biggest let-down of the movie, though that's nothing on her and more that Teela really doesn't have anything going on. She has Daddy issues with Duncan but for nearly the entire third act she's stuck in color commentary mode.
What you see is exactly what you get from Masters of the Universe: a big, bulky action movie that owes its life to Marvel (particularly Thor: Ragnarok). That being said, its colors, vivacity, humor, and heart makes it better than anticipated. It's weird in some truly unexpected ways, and Nicholas Galitzine is a charmer. Take some friends, or some kids, and just soak up the ambiance.
Grade: C+
Masters of the Universe is in theaters Friday.
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