Entertainment
40+ Years Later, He-Man Officially Beats Star Wars With New Movie Release
Masters of the Universe, Travis Knight‘s big-screen reboot of the classic action figure and cartoon franchise, hits theaters this week. Reactions after the film’s red-carpet premiere last month were as glowing as Scare Glow, but now the movie’s review embargo has dropped. Will the film soar like Zoar, or are critics warming up their Bashasauruses?
So far, so good. The movie has come in with a 77% Fresh rating from critics; that outpaces the first blockbuster of the summer, The Mandalorian and Grogu, which came in at 62%; the two franchises have long been intertwined, as Mattel introduced the Masters of the Universe toyline to soothe the loss of declining the Star Wars license in the 1970s, letting rival Kenner snap it up and make a fortune. More recently, Masters of the Universe has poached IMAX screenings from the latest Star Wars film.
According to critics, the film is a feast for the senses, with some standout performances (especially Nicholas Galitzine‘s He-Man and, surprisingly, Jared Leto‘s over-the-top rendition of Skeletor) and a refreshing sense of humor; however, some critics are finding the movie’s runtime a little onerous. Collider’s Victoria Luxford gave it a solid 7/10, and likened it to Marvel’s popular Thor franchise, mixing over-the-top cartoon-inspired action with solid humor and grounded performances. She also found the movie has a surprising amount of heart, as exemplified by Galitzine:
Making a muscle-bound prince with the power of a god the underdog is no mean feat, but the Red, White and Royal Blue star offers enough to make you cheer for his success. While he would have been out of place in the era of dark superhero films, he fits well alongside more emotionally in-tune saviors like James Gunn’s Superman.
ScreenRant’s Molly Freeman did find the film a little derivative, even if she was buoyed by its “hopecore” spirit:
There are a great number of tropes familiar to the genre, like Mendes’ Teela being a more competent warrior than Adam but remaining his sidekick, as well as elements that make Masters of the Universe feel similar to Lord of the Rings or Star Wars. But the movie is entertaining enough, and leans into its unique world/character design enough, that this recycling can be mostly forgiven.
Polygon’s Jake Kleinman was over the moon about the film, deeming it “nearly perfect“: much as Collider’s own Maggie Lovitt did when she visited the film’s set, he praises Knight’s vibrant color palette and tangible special effects.
The entire experience feels like traveling inside the over-stimulated brain of a 12-year-old boy who just spent four hours watching toy commercials and eating sugary cereal. In other words: it rules.
Masters of the Universe will debut in theaters on June 5.
What Is ‘Masters of the Universe’ About?
Galitzine stars as Adam Glenn, a desk jockey with a fondness for pink button-downs and high fantasy. We can’t explain his sartorial choices, but his dreams of swords and sorcery come from his childhood on the techno-magical world of Eternia. The young Adam was exiled to Earth by his parents, King Randor (James Purefoy) and Queen Marlena (Charlotte Riley), to save him from the sinister sorcery of Skeletor (Leto). Before long, he’s swept back to Eternia by his childhood friend, Teela (Camila Mendes), and must rally a rebellion of the world’s remaining heroes, including Teela’s weapons-master father, Man-At-Arms (Idris Elba) to reclaim the planet. However, to match Skeletor in combat, Adam will have to claim his birthright and call upon the power of Castle Grayskull to become the all-powerful He-Man.
Even with some critics not entirely sold on the film, Masters of the Universe has outpaced its predecessor, 1987’s Masters of the Universe, which starred Dolph Lundgren and Frank Langella as He-Man and Skeletor, respectively. While later reviewers have come to appreciate that film’s blend of sincerity and camp, it holds a 21% Rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes; its underwhelming reviews and box office performance largely served as the death knell for the franchise at the time.
Masters of the Universe premieres in theaters on June 5. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
- Release Date
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June 5, 2026
- Director
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Travis Knight
- Writers
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Chris Butler
- Producers
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Jason Blumenthal, Robbie Brenner, Steve Tisch, Todd Black
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