#REVIEW: “MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE”

Review by Nicholas Porteous for Mr. Will Wong

On the mythical planet of Eternia, Adam–a young prince–struggles to become a warrior just as his kingdom is crushed by Skeletor (Jared Leto)–an angry guy with a skull for a face. Teleported to Earth–his magical sword lost–Adam grows into a huge man (Nicholas Galitzine) and tries to make it in corporate America before he’s summoned back to undo the cackling skeleton man. The premise sounds pretty stupid (and it is!) but Masters of the Universe–an ’80s property designed from the ground up as a series of cool toys–is surprisingly aware of its unbridled foolishness. The massive marketing push for this movie is keeping something big under wraps: just underneath its swashbuckling, preposterous, medieval space opera shell–Masters of the Universe is a Comedy. In fact, it’s one of the best comedies of 2026.

The tonal whiplash between the war for Eternia and the corporate grind in the U.S. is played like a delightful CollegeHumour sketch about a lost ’80s action hero. As though Buddy the Elf has merged with Conan the Barbarian. Of course, no one believes Adam is the secret heir to a magical kingdom–as he tells everyone, at any opportunity–but he’s so nice, harmless and handsome that they’re all willing to look the other way. When the story shifts back to his homeland, armed with corporate conflict resolution-speak, an awkward crush on his old sparring partner Teela (Camila Mendes), and a set of glowing abs that demand their own POV shot, Adam (or He-Man) remains that wonderfully goofy fish-out-of-water. In either world the big lug can never quite find his footing. It’s endearing until the final frame.

But He-Man’s goofiness is a faint whisper next to the funniest cinematic villain since Weapons’ Aunt Gladys–SKELETOR. I’d never guess this pile of bones is Jared Leto, doing his best work in ages. He’s so fantastically fiendish, and so bereft of ANY motivation beyond pure power-mongering, he puts off even his closest allies. Speaking of: Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn. I kid you not: Evil. Lyn. She’s the perfect encapsulation of that invisible line where Masters loses the grip on its own comedy. Brie’s totally committed, but completely out-of-place. More a victim of miscasting than anything else, I would say I was laughing with her about half the time, but I thoroughly enjoyed her baffling presence the whole time. Idris Elba as Man-At-Arms also deserves a shoutout for bringing heart and hilarity to a guy who can’t even remember the word “feelings”, let alone discuss them.

Masters deserves points for interrogating the idea of raw masculinity at its core–to the extent that any cheesy Summer action tentpole movie would. He-Man’s true power is his sensitive soul, and he uses his abs and mighty sword only as a last resort. I appreciated this relatively nuanced approach–particularly considering Masters has such a clear narrative mandate to simply punch and kick its way to its inevitable conclusion.

It’s unfortunate Masters is much longer than it has any right to be. At 142 minutes, it’s undeniably bloated. That Saturday morning cartoon vibe SCREAMS 90 minutes, and I know a significantly sword-slashed cut of the film could blow audiences away. As it stands I was never bored, but I did feel that unnecessary bloat, especially in the back half. But aside from this glaring structural misstep, Masters understands the assignment. It’s a gargantuan adventure tale that fully embraces its camp silliness. And it threads that impossible needle–it’s dumb, but it never thinks you’re dumb for watching it. By the power of Grayskull, see it! You have the power!!

Amazon MGM Studios Canada release MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE June 5, 2026.