The good news: with a reported budget somewhere between $170 million and $200 million, this is almost certainly the most assured flop of the year — and Mattel's Barbi-boosted plan to turn every toy in the closet into a cinematic universe will likely get a long timeout.
The other good news? For fans, Masters of the Universe is much better than it has any right to be.
Decades after the cartoon and toys ruled playgrounds, and nearly 40 years after the infamous Dolph Lundgren movie, returning to Castle Grayskull feels like a strange idea. I saw this in a preview setting, with half the room full of critics and half full of rabid fans. Both were pleasantly surprised by the film, having previously seen only the trailer, which did not reveal its silly love for the 80s, vibrant colors, a Queen nod to its stylistic cousin, Flash Gordon, and some comic bits that land.
The smartest decision is making Prince Adam an ordinary guy stuck in a dead-end desk job on Earth before he's pulled back to Eternia. Had the movie started with a blonde dude named He-Man (Nicholas Galitzine) wandering a fantasy kingdom in a loincloth, it would have been a much harder sell.
The film understands the movie's balancing act between sincere fan service and a knowing wink at how ridiculous all of this is. The production design is gloriously colorful, the action has got the power, and there are plenty of jokes about names like Fisto and Mekaneck that somehow feel affectionate rather than mocking. My favorite scene comes when Adam reveals he originally named many of the heroes as a kid, drawing them from memory. It's a clever way to honor the toys while absolutely poking fun at them.
Jared Leto spends much of the film unrecognizable behind Skeletor's face, while Idris Elba brings more gravitas to Man-At-Arms than the material probably deserves. I don't see franchise potential here, and I certainly wouldn't hold my breath for a He-Man and She-Ra sequel. But as a standalone summer movie, it's surprisingly watchable.
In a nutshell: Delightfully silly. Completely unnecessary. Made for the fans.If you're coming in with no connection to these characters, there's not enough here to win you over.
Where to see it: In theaters starting June 5, 2026.
Would it be better with Olivia Colman? Absolutely. She would've been delightful as Roboto. Kristen Wiig does just fine, but still.
The Ten Buck Review: Not worth Ten Bucks for most. If you have a soft spot for these toys, this delivers more fun than expected.
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