By Gabriel Payne
In 1982, the company Mattel released an action figure toy line titled “Masters of the Universe.” This toy series boasted several characters that seemed to blend the mystical and the mechanical in a way that hadn’t been seen before. The series erupted in popularity, generating comic books, children’s cartoons, animated movies and generating over two billion dollars in merchandise revenue.
This beloved franchise captured the hearts and minds of children all over the world in the 80’s, and now, even though these children have grown into adulthood, the passion remains. On June 5th, 2026, this passion culminated in the second live action theatrical release of the franchise: Travis Knight’s “Masters of the Universe.”
This project introduces and explores the world of Eternia, following the rise of the central hero, He-Man, played by Nicholas Galitzine. He-Man has been banished from his homeworld of Eternia to the planet Earth and must return in order to claim his rightful place on the throne. The villainous Skeletor, played by Jared Leto, seeks to oppose him and will stop at nothing to claim the power that He-Man wields for his own.
From start to finish, this film builds a bold and unique identity. Clearly catering to its original fans, the musical themes, big character moments and intentional set design create a nostalgic pull that fans of the franchise love.
The project is also packed with corny, self aware humor throughout the runtime, again catering to an older humor style. The dialogue, story telling and even physical elements are comedic at the core, to the point where this could accurately be described as an action comedy.
What this project tries to do is appeal to an audience that grew up at the peak of He-Man’s popularity, a time when the world looked a lot different than it does now. In a way, it paints a beautiful picture of that 80’s childhood feeling, one that you cannot truly know unless you’ve experienced it, yet we all get a glimpse of it through media like this.
The bright colors, boldly comedic dialogue and methodical commitment to the source material accomplish this goal almost perfectly. Although falling short of its budget in the box office, the project has received high praise, with many pointing out how well it captures the feel of the original series. Yet the question remains, is it a good film?
In many ways, this film demonstrates why film in the 80’s looks so different from film now. The story telling style, the writing preferences and almost every other element of film look different today, because culture has shifted and the world has changed. What was fun and appealing then might come across as crude and distracting now. The highlights of an 80’s film might be irrelevant in a modern day project.
There are a few elements of the film that demonstrate this difference, but the most glaring example is the use of humor. As previously mentioned, humor is consistently used throughout the entire runtime. Even in the highly emotional or dramatic moments, jokes are haphazardly inserted into the dialogue.
Unfortunately, this leads to some of the film’s most significant moments being undercut and the film overall being held back from being a serious project. When the inclusion of humor becomes a sword rather than a scalpel, the potential overall suffers. With a universe this engaging and a honestly original and captivating story, the door for a smash hit is wide open. Yet the film shoots itself in the foot by not even taking its most significant moments seriously.
The lesson learned here is one that many of the biggest action franchises today are still learning. Movies in the Marvel and Star Wars franchises are plagued by seemingly endless mid-level jokes that take away from the story and take the audience out of the experience of the film. Many directors today would do well to realize this and use comedy as it was meant to be used, as a scalpel and not a sword.
Overall, this project accomplishes what it set out to do, but what it set out to do is not what modern audiences are looking for. Fans of the original series were very pleased, but without the nostalgia factor it unfortunately falls short. A sequel project has been greenlit by the producer, Amazon MGM studios, so only time will tell what direction this franchise will take. I would rate this film a 5/10.
“Masters of the Universe” is currently playing in theatres
Gabriel Payne is a senior Mechanical Engineering major who wishes he had a magic sword that gave him muscles just like He-Man.
Pictures courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios
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