Masters Of The Universe - Spoiler Filled Review

 

When I first saw the trailer for Masters Of The Universe, I thought it looked great, but yet part of me was worried. I was seeing Prince Adam trapped on Earth, and I couldn't help but feel like that's what Mattel had done with the previous 1987 iteration, and a major aspect in why the original failed.

Granted, as a kid, I enjoyed the movie, and as such, it's stayed with me as a grown up. However, this aspect still left my brain asking, "What are you guys doing?" Was MGM seriously going to try and pad the budget with, yet another film based mainly on Earth, with just a tease of Eternia? I really hoped that wasn't going to be the case.

Well, I'm glad to say that looks can be deceiving, and what we instead got what a pretty solid He-Man film which handles the lore and characters, for the most part, rather well. With it comes action, a touch of humor, and subtle nods to the source material, even those which are clearly making fun of itself.

Upon its release fans seemingly became divided. While some enjoyed the film immensely, praising it for nailing everything they wanted in a He-Man movie, others stated it was filled with agendas. Regardless of where your opinion lied, the ultimate ending was a film that flopped at the box office.

So, was Masters Of The Universe going to be something I enjoyed? Or would I be right among the fans with hurt feelings of another attempt from Hollywood to ruin my childhood?

Last chance to bow out before the spoilers come. 

I had no intensions of seeing Masters Of The Universe in theaters. With my ears already constantly ringing, there was no way I was going to subject them to the punishment that they endured during Michael. Instead, I waited patiently for Amazon to announce pre-orders were available for various formats. Fortunately though, I wouldn't end up having to wait for the physical version to release, as on July 22, 2026, they would drop it on their streaming service, free to Amazon Prime members.

The film starts off with the classic MGM logo, but in the palce of the lion is Cringer, roaring at the screen. This is followed by a narration by Prince Adam, talking about his childhood on Eternia, and as we zoom in on the planet from space, we're greeted by the young man being told by his mother, Queen Marlena (Charlotte Riley) to get to his training lesson with Man-At Arms. It's here that we also get introduced to Cringer as a kitten (voiced by Fletcher Glenn). Obviously, he's created with CGI, and sadly, he also doesn't get a lot of screen time.

I couldn't help but notice how similar Artie Wilkinson-Hunt, who plays young Adam, and Nicholas Galitzine, who plays Adam / He-Man look. Casting director Denise Chamian really nailed this one, and in general, I have to give him a lot of praise for his overall selections for the various roles played in the film.

As Adam arrives at training, we find that he's not getting any form of special treatment for his status in the kingdom. Instead, there are quite a few young boys and girl who are being schooled by the king's military leader, among them a young Teela (Eire Farrell) who is seemingly the only friend of the prince.

This is where we also get our first touch of how much the film writers dug into the history of Masters Of The Universe. Among the trainees is a young Dian (Delilah O'Riordan), who enjoys physically pushing Adam out of her way. Dian was a character created for the 80's newspaper strip, never appearing in the original animated series, nor having a toy in the vintage line.

Queen Marlena (Charlotte Riley)

Unfortunately, it's these same writers who would also deliver a script that wasn't consistent in the way characters act. For example, Man-At Arms, AKA Duncan, played by Idris Elba, starts off the film dropping swear words left and right while training the youngsters. This shows a very battle-hardened man who takes his job very seriously. However, later in the film he's playing more so a comedic role, even making immature jokes. I blame this aspect on the multiple hands that the script kept going through for revisions. In total, there were four writers, from Aaron and Adam Nee who provided the initial draft, Chris Butler who wrote the final draft, and David Callaham who contributed to the overall development. That's too many people trying to make one story.

Man-At-Arms, AKA Duncan (Idris Elba)

It's during this training session that we're also introduced to King Randor (James Purefoy). He witnesses his son goofing off while sparring with Teela, and tosses the boy a sword, challenging him to face him. Adam is easily bested by his father, but Duncan urges him to his feet, informing him that when his father turns around that he needs to see him standing like a man. Unfortunately, the king disappears around the corner, not once looking back.

King Randor (James Purefoy)

Adam is joined by Teela on a landing, which overlooks Castle Grayskull. As they talk, they see the Sorceress (Morena Baccarin) standing in one of the eye socket windows. Her face turns grim as Skeletor's forces soar past the castle in their Fright Fighters and Rotons, blasting the castle with lasers.

Sorceress (Morena Baccarin)

It's here that we get to see the main villains that will appear throughout the film. These included Goat Man (played by strongman Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson and voiced by Kellen Goff), Tri-Klops (Kojo Attah), Spikor (James Apps), and Karg (played by stuntman Hung Dante Dong and voiced by Ben Pronksy). All of these characters look amazing, and immediately suck you into the world of Eternia.

Tri-Klops (Kojo Attah)

Spikor (James Apps)

Goat Man (Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson and Kellen Goff)

During this battle, we also get our first visual introduction to Fisto (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson), Ram-Man (Jon Xue Zhang), and Mekaneck (James Wilkinson). Though we'll later learn that these aren't actually their real names.

Ram-Man (Jon Xue Zhang)

Mekaneck (James Wilkinson)

Fisto (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson)

It's a relatively short fight, but one which serves the purposes of moving the story along. As Skeletor's forces get the upper hand, Adam is led away to Castle Grayskull by his parents, Teela, and Man-At Arms. This is where we get a really cool scene with Man-At-Arms facing off against Trapjaw (Sam C. Wilson), and losing. This is also an aspect that will shape Duncan's future in the story. Visually, Trapjaw was by far my favorite character, and I really enjoyed seeing him utilize his various arms during the fight to get the upper hand. I think this may have been my favorite part of the movie.

Trapjaw (Sam C. Wilson)

The battle separates Man-At-Arms and Teela from the king, queen, and Adam, and the three are eventually surrounded by Skeltor's Skel-Knights, led by Karg, Tri-Klops and Karg. King Randor ushers his wife and Adam along as he takes up arms to buy them time. He's quickly defeated, and this is where we now see Skeletor (Jared Leto) himself, followed closely by Evil-Lyn (Alison Brie).

Evil-Lyn (Alison Brie)

Skeletor (Jared Leto)

Leto is very clearly having fun with the role, playing it over the top, as Skeletor often was in the original animated series. However, I would be lying if I said his portrayal worked for me. I personally didn't like the voice he chose for the role. He played the villain almost like British royalty, accent and all. It just didn't fit, and as a result, he's my least favorite aspect of the film. I did, however, appreciate that the writers embraced his desire to laugh randomly and uncontrollably. The uncomfortable moment between him and his "men" after a stint of his laughter was quite funny, as was Evil-Lyn's response that they would note it for the future.

Upon their arrival at Grayskull, Adam is told to take the sword and enter a portal to Earth which the Sorceress has created. He's instructed to hang onto it, as it will lead him back to Eternia when it's safe. Naturally, as he rushes through it, he loses his grip on the weapon, and it goes off in another direction, becoming the reason he's stranded on Earth for fifteen years. The original narration from the beginning continues, and we're put in present times where we find Adam is actually regaling this tale to a horrified woman that he's on a date with. She promptly excuses herself, and leaves.

A sad Adam returns to his apartment with his roommate, Hussein (Christian Vunipola), who tells him to stop telling everyone about his past, and search for his missing sword. We get the sense that his friend doesn't necessarily believe the story himself.

There is a fun scene around this point where Adam goes to a gym and asks a fellow member there if he has any advice for a new guy. That person is Dolph Lundgren, and in a torch passing moment, he gives some sage advice before making the classic film hand gesture, and stating, "Good journey."

The next day Adam heads to work, and he's approached by his HR manager, Suzie (Sasheer Zamata) who sees him searching the web for his missing sword and inquiring about it on message boards. After an incredibly cringe scene of her calling him into her office, he gets a text from a stranger stating they've found his sword, and for $300.00 will tell him where it's at. It's a scene played for comedy, but it still made my skin crawl.

Adam follows the lead to his sword, and for lack of a better word, steals it, only to realize after raising it above his head that he doesn't know how to use it to actually get home. He runs off with it, and the next day is awoken by two cops at his door, who arrest him. Enroute to the station, which for some reason they don't have him in cuffs for, a traffic jam causes the cruiser to be stuck in traffic. This turns out to be caused by Beast Man (motion captured from James Unsworth and voiced by Gary Martin).

Beast Man (James Unsworth and Gary Martin)

Our would-be hero stands no chance against the creature but is fortunately saved by Teela (Camila Mendes) who after knocking the beast off the overpass asks Adam why it took him so long to raise the sword, signaling them to his location. She takes him to her ship, and together they return to Eternia.

Teela (Camila Mendes)

The pace of the film really kicks into high gear here, and this is where things start to feel like a new writer took over. The story building all but stops, and the action comes in droves. Teela takes Adam to the resistance army, who are hiding away in the underground caves. Eternos is in ruins, and everything seems helpless. Further, Skeletor's army has tracked Teela's return, and know where she's gone with the prince, or more specifically, the sword.

Prior to them attacking, Adam is brought before Fisto, Ram-Man, Dian, and Mekaneck, and it's here that he calls them by their Mattel names. All of them are taken aback by this, and he explains that these are the names he gave them as a child. Ram-Man rams, Mekaneck has an extending mechanical neck, and Fisto, who is really offended by the description, fists people.

We get introduced to our final character in the film during this scene, Roboto (voiced by Kristen Wiig). The character serves mainly as comedic relief, often resulting from banter between her and Man-At-Arms. Her battle functions have been disabled by a now alcoholic and deflated Duncan, or as she calls him, "Drunken", and she's serving more so as a maid. She joins the fight when Adam promises her that she'll never have to clean again but instead fulfill her role as the battle droid she was designed to be.

Skeletor's forces attack again, and as Teela, Duncan, Roboto, and Adam try to get back to their ship, my favorite, Trapjaw, once again shows up. Though Adam tries to talk it out with him, the mechanical creature isn't interested and easily knocks him around. This is where Adam finally holds aloft his magic sword, and says, "By the power of Grayskull...I have the power!"

Adam / He-Man (Nicholas Galitzine)

Now as He-Man, the fight is more evenly matched, and he's able to defeat not only Trapjaw, by ripping his arm off, but then using his literal hand cannon to defeat the remaining Skel-Knights. While they're able to escape, Skeletor's forces give chase in their flying Rotons. They're ultimately shot out of the sky but do manage to defeat the pursuers.

Rather than stand around and wait, He-Man tells the others he's going to Snake Mountain to take on Skeletor directly. They agree to follow, and upon their arrival, He-Man is taken to Skeletor, and the others led to a prison cell. I'm not sure what the plan was here, but it doesn't seem to make sense. Sounds like something Luke Skywalker came up with. Let's all get captured, then...stuff (anyone catch that reference)?

Skeletor ultimately takes the sword, and Adam is placed in prison as well, and I believe at this point (or possibly shortly thereafter) King Randor is killed off. After giving a speech to all of the prisoners there, which includes Dian, Mekaneck, Fisto, Ram-Man, and a now grown-up Cringer (voiced by Tom Wilton), among others, they use their combined minds and strength to escape. However, by this point, Skeletor and his forces are enroute to Castle Grayskull with the sword.

We're taken into the final battle, and if nothing else, it's visually stunning. Man-At-Arms gets his final showdown with a recovered Trapjaw, and ends up defeating him, and presumably killing him. However, this is not before Roboto is blown to bits, becoming the first (seemingly) heroic casualty. Beyond that though, there's no real fight between specific heroes and villains. Rather, just a sea of Skel-Knights for the named heroes to mow through.

Instead, all of those great villains, Tri-Klops, Karg, and Goat Man are all present in the throne room of Grayskull, and He-Man battles them all at once. We do get a brief fight between Teela and Evil-Lyn, and of course a final battle with He-Man and Skeletor. What we don't get at all is Battle Cat. Though Cringer does have a battle with Beast Man.

Here, a bit of morals come forth too, much like the classic cartoon series. He-Man once again tries to talk it out with Skeletor, but when he's ultimately laughed at by the evil sorcerer, that's when he brings out his strength. However, in doing so, he makes it a point to tell Skeletor that he knows how to use the power, he just chooses to find peaceful conflict resolution first, another nod to the morals and values the cartoon tried to instill. Skeletor is defeated, left with nothing but a skull, and presumably dead. Evil-Lyn escapes into the shadows, and the heroes celebrate their victory.

The ending is a heavy nod to the classic cartoon with the heroes saying something that leaves them all standing around each other laughing. It's so awkward that it's funny, and I get that's totally what the filmmakers were going for. Roboto has also been rebuilt and now features the classic clear chest piece with gears inside. 

Meanwhile, Teela gets to learn from Adam that his nickname for her as a child was Warrior Goddess, and his for himself was He-Man. All of this while the remaining heroes still stand in the background, heard laughing about something.

A call from someone in trouble is brought to their attention, and Adam makes an excuse to leave. Though he thinks his identity a secret, the remaining heroes ask if really doesn't think they know he's He-Man. Duncan tells them to let him have it, and we finally get to see Battle Cat as he's ridden to a cliffside with He-Man atop.

Cringer (Tom Wilton)

Prior to the film wrapping up, we cut to a PSA ending delivered by an until now absent Orko (Christopher Ragland). This is followed by two end credit scenes. The first is an exchange between Queen Marlena and Man-At-Arms, talking about Adam's lost sister, which then cuts to She-Ra (Lauren Saliu) standing before Hordak's tower, saying she's no longer Force Captain Adora. The second is of Evil-Lyn retrieving Skeletor's head, and his laugh as the screen cuts to black.

The most disappointing aspect of it all is that these two end credit scenes build up to a sequel that in all likelihood won't happen. With a budget of one hundred seventy million (prior to marketing and advertising) against a box office of one hundred thirteen million the film is a confirmed flop. So, what went wrong? Why didn't He-Man fans come out in droves to see this film?

Well, long story short, everyone's too old at this point.

The reality is that people going to see this movie are approaching fifty years old. If we have children, at this point they're probably grown up too. As such, we're not going to see this movie with our kids, passing that torch on, and breathing new life into the franchise. Masters Of The Universe is almost two decades too late to capitalize on its opportunity. The whole point of a nostalgic film is to not only fill the seats with the people who grew up with it, but their children to build on the franchise's future. Masters Of The Universe doesn't get this benefit.

Further, I don't know many people my age that have the time or desire to sit in a movie theater at this point. We'd rather watch it in the comfort and safety of our own homes, with our feet up, nobody around us, and the option to pause it, take a bathroom break, get a snack, etc. We're old at this point. We don't like going outside unless we absolutely have to.

To an extent, the trailer also failed this film, wherein it painted, at least for me, an inaccurate picture of what to expect. It didn't look like a film that was going to take place on Eternia, and further, looked like one where the characters weren't going to be wearing their iconic costumes throughout it. The final nail in the coffin for me was that it did actually look like it was going to be agenda driven, and because recent history of films has come off as such, I really had no reason to rush to the theater to see this. Well, not that I could have with my ears in the shape they're in.

Which I suppose is the last and piggyback of timing on the above. Because of "disabilities" that have come with our ages, many of us couldn't physically endure a film in the theaters, even if we wanted to.

Still, watching it at home was enjoyable. It's a good movie. Flawed in some ways, but still enjoyable. The biggest standout for me was the casting, and how spot on everyone looked. Further, everyone seemed to bring their A-game to it, rather than phoning in a performance for a paycheck. Again, I didn't like the voice of Skeletor, but still Leto gave it his all.

I'd love to see a sequel based on what was teased, but sadly, I don't see that happening. Regardless, that won't stop me from adding it to my DVD collection when it comes out. As I noted above, Amazon is actively taking pre-orders, but no formal release date has been announced.

Sadly, as of this writing, the soundtrack also remains unavailable on physical release, though you can "purchase" it digitally on sites such as Amazon and Spotify. I wrote up a Retro Spin on that last month, if you're interested in checking that out.

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