Masters of the Universe Review: Galitzine Shines in a Reboot Torn Between Camp and Mythology

There is a fine line when it comes to films like Masters of the Universe, one that pays homage to the source material while adapting this type of story to modern sensibilities, with blockbuster-scale, character-driven storytelling and the visual effects today’s audiences expect. Of course, the task becomes more difficult when the source material was a line of Mattel action figures that inspired a television cartoon, a film, and even a run of comic books published by DC Comics.

So, with Masters of the Universe, the film can fall into one of three categories of toy-adapted movies. It can embrace CGI spectacle like Transformers, take an award-winning creative swing like Barbie, or lean into its cartoonish roots like the largely misfired G.I. Joe franchise. The new version of He-Man falls somewhere in the latter category, featuring cringe-inducing dialogue, comic one-liners that fall flat, and action-comedy filmmaking that is difficult to take seriously. The problem is that there is an audience that desperately wants the filmmakers to make the characters more than just punchlines.

The story follows Prince Adam Glenn (The Sheep Detective’s Nicholas Galitzine), who fled his home of Eternia for protection and was raised on Earth. After being tossed through a portal along with the Sword of Power, he escaped but lost the powerful weapon in the process. It takes some time, but Adam finally locates it, which leads him back home. However, when he returns, he finds that Eternia has been beaten down and practically destroyed.

What is Masters of the Universe about?

All of this is the result of the dictatorship of a man who enjoys delivering manic laughter, campy one-liners, and over-the-top insults. Yet, as much as he enjoys those things, he also rules with an iron fist. That would be Keldor, aka Skeletor (Academy Award winner Jared Leto), a powerful sorcerer and warlord who will stop at nothing to keep Adam from reclaiming his rightful place on the throne of Eternia. To do that, Adam must reclaim his family legacy.

That was left behind by his parents, King Randor (James Purefoy) and Queen Marlena (Charlotte Riley). Helping Adam is Teela (Riverdale’s Camila Mendes), Adam’s childhood friend, now all grown up, strong, and, of course, strikingly beautiful. Teela is the adoptive daughter of Duncan, aka Man-At-Arms (Thor’s Idris Elba), who was Adam’s father’s former general and trusted confidant. They have both been living under the thumb of Skeletor’s oppression and acts of subjugation.

Masters of the Universe is from Travis Knight, his third feature film behind the camera and his first since 2018’s Bumblebee. The reason the film is all over the map in terms of themes and tone is that Knight is working from a script by Chris Butler (Missing Link), David Callaham (Zombieland: Double Tap), and Aaron and Adam Nee (The Lost City), which went through multiple rewrites. In contrast, the film languished in production purgatory for more than a decade.

Masters of the Universe Review

You can describe this reboot of the franchise as indulgent. In many ways, the movie doesn’t take itself too seriously, with Nicholas Galitzine showing a real knack for physical comedy and deadpan delivery. The closest comparison would be how Chris Hemsworth was used in the first Thor film: charming, genuinely funny, and overflowing with charisma. Galitzine doesn’t play Adam as arrogant; instead, there is a sweetness and naivety to the character that proves endearing.

That part of the film works, carrying audiences through an overextended and ultimately unwelcome finish. While you can admire the writers for not boxing themselves in, the comedy is inconsistent, at times veering into sitcom territory that feels jarring and off-putting, cheapening the material and giving the film an amateurish quality. Leto plays the villain with cartoonish gusto, but the experience feels like two different movies that fail to mesh in the third-act finale.

Which is essentially what makes Masters of the Universe such a head-scratching experience. On the one hand, the filmmakers and studio want to honor the source material by delivering plenty of fan service for the core audience. On the other hand, they often fail to treat the intellectual property with the seriousness and sincerity that MCU, DC Comics, and other comic book and fantasy franchises bring to their own world-building.

Is Masters of the Universe worth watching?

Then there is the issue of the punchlines, jokes, and cringe-worthy dialogue, which make the script feel like the cinematic equivalent of a kitchen-sink approach, throwing everything at the audience in the hope that something sticks. Elba revels in the role, while Mendez does what she can with a character this thin. One would hope for more verve and friction between the two, given the frustration her character is supposed to feel toward Adam for not being the savior they believed he would become.

In the end, Masters of the Universe is more entertaining and competent than you might expect going in. Galitzine holds his own, growing into an action star before our eyes while showcasing a surprising talent for comic relief. This feels like a film trying to find its footing, as the creative team has little in the way of modern cinematic precedent to draw from for this IP. While I would not recommend the movie to casual audiences, longtime fans will likely find plenty to enjoy.

More importantly, the film is good enough to warrant a sequel, one that could learn from and correct this chapter’s more obvious mistakes to embrace a broader audience.

You can watch Masters of the Universe exclusively in theaters starting June 5th!

Masters of the Universe Review: Galitzine Shines in a Reboot Torn Between Camp and Mythology