“When I raise my fist like that, I’m done!” says evil warlock Skeletor (Jared Leto), and his second in command and in-house sorceress, Evil-Lyn (Alison Brie), deadpans, “Noted for the future, my lord”.
Based on Mattel’s eponymous Masters of the Universe franchise, which started with a 5.5-inch action figure toy line in 1982 and blossomed into comics, animation series, feature films, video games and more, Masters of the Universekeeps the playful tone of Filmation’s animated series, He-Man and the Masters(1983 to 1985).
While Skeletor undoubtedly has some of the best lines and insults (“beefcake barbarian”, “muscle-bound milquetoast”), and Jared Leto seems to be having the most fun, the others have their moments too, starting with Prince Adam’s (Nicholas Galitzine) slightly self-aware narration at the beginning of the film.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (English)
Director: Travis Knight
Cast: Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Alison Brie, James Purefoy, Morena Baccarin, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Kristen Wiig, Jared Leto, Idris Elba
Runtime: 140 minutes
Storyline: A young man meets his destiny as the prince of a fabled land, which is under the grip of an evil warlock
When one realises Adam is telling the story of Skeletor taking over his home planet of Eternia, the loss of his parents, King Randor (James Purefoy) and Queen Marlena (Charlotte Riley) and the Sorceress (Morena Baccarin) sending him and the Sword of Power to Earth, to a date who merely asked Adam where he is from, one cannot help but chuckle.
So Adam works in HR but is obsessed with finding the Sword of Power to get home, and when he does find the sword at a comic store (“everyone here looks like they could have the sword,”) portals open and all sorts of wild, weird things happen. Adam gets home to Eternia to face his destiny, defeat the villains, and much else.
A still from ‘Masters of the Universe’
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Amazon MGM Studios
The sci-fi fantasy tone is maintained as director Travis Knight skates easily along the more absurd bits, buttressed by some delightfully thrilling action sequences.
Camila Mendes, Veronica Lodge from Riverdale, makes for a charming action heroine. Idris Elba has a blast as Duncan/Man-At-Arms as he mixes metaphors, talking of crashing the party with an invitation, which Roboto (Kristen Wiig) primly says, is all wrong as you do not crash a party you have an invitation for.
The other Heroic Warriors do their slightly self-aware hero-stuff, including Fisto (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson), Ram-Man (Jon Xue Zhang), Mekaneck (James Wilkinson) and Moss Man (Stephen Adentan), whose demise at Skeletor’s hands prompts the purple, ripped villain to cackle, “I made mulch.” The wicked side has Trap Jaw (Sam C. Wilson) and Tri-Klops (Kojo Attah), Karg (Hung Dante Dong), and Spikor (James Apps).
Adam’s background in HR has him deliver a Braveheartspeech with a difference before the big climactic battle (the “war seminar”) when he says, “success in the workplace doesn’t come down to one man, woman or person”. He also tries to pacify the rampaging Skeletor with “why don’t we end this cycle of violence and talk”.
A still from ‘Masters of the Universe’
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Amazon MGM Studios
Suzie (Sasheer Zamata), Adam’s boss at work, is funny too, as she tries very hard to understand his obsession with swords, while his roommate Hussein (Christian Vunipola) advises him to tell a therapist-approved story of his origins on first dates.
The overall look, feel and sound including the CGI, have a charming ‘80s sheen, with a jolly cameo from the 1987 film. Cringer, Adam’s green-and-orange tiger is adorable but does not turn into Battle Cat till the end.
The magician, Orko (Christopher Ragland) also arrives at the end to deliver the moral. There is enough swords, sorcery and cheeky humour (“where is my shirt?” Adam asks once he turns into buff He-Man) in He-Man and the Masters of the Universe to keep one mightily entertained.
Masters of the Universe is currently running in theatres
Published – June 05, 2026 07:09 pm IST
