Prince Adam of Eternia has been living on Earth for 15 years, working in HR in Oklahoma City and somewhere out there, the Sword of Power has been misplaced while his home planet falls apart. When a text message alerts Adam to the location of the sword in a shop and he finally finds it, the sword sends a signal. Just like that, destiny comes knocking.
Amazon MGM's long-awaited live-action reboot arrives with dazzling visuals and all the nostalgia an '80s kid could ask for. Director Travis Knight has done his homework; Eternia is rich in colour and world-building, and the sound design alone makes it worth the big screen experience. There's even a warm moment early on where, at the gym, Dolph Lundgren, the OG He-Man himself, quietly nudges Adam forward with an energy that says, 'Take it from here.'
Nicholas Galitzine brings a likability to Prince Adam, a man who would rather resolve a conflict over dialogue than a sword fight, which makes him the most un-He-Man He-Man-like. That's the film's freshest idea. The Sorceress, played by Morena Baccarin, didn't choose Adam for his muscle but for his humanity and empathy, making him the vessel of Grayskull for reasons that go beyond brute force. When he finally raises the sword and delivers those iconic words, "By the power of Grayskull⦠I have the power," the transformation lands, goosebumps and all.
Camila Mendes brings fire and presence to Teela, and
Idris Elba is simply magnetic as Man-At-Arms Duncan, the king's trusted commander. Every scene he's in, he elevates. The problem is the film doesn't give anyone in the supporting cast enough room. Ram-Man, Fisto, and even beloved Cringer feel like extended cameos, popping in just long enough to remind you they exist.
Back on Eternia, the stakes should feel enormous. Skeletor, played by
Jared Leto, didn't just want to rule Eternos but just destroy it, leaving the planet a hollow shell of what it once was. But Leto's Skeletor is so dripping with sarcasm and one-liners that he never quite lands as a genuine threat. He's witty and more of a heckler than a world-ending villain. When your antagonist is getting bigger laughs than your comic relief, something has gone sideways.
And that brings us to the film's biggest issue, the comedy. There's nothing wrong with levity in a fantasy blockbuster, and some of it genuinely works. But the film simply cannot stop. The jokes are relentless, and they drain the action of any real weight. A mind-battle sequence between Adam and Skeletor, clearly meant to be an emotional turning point, deflates completely under the same breezy tone. The first half moves with sluggishness, and getting Adam properly into the main story takes far longer than it should.
This is a film that looks and sounds like a blockbuster but doesn't feel like one.
Masters of the Universe too often mistakes comedy for character and spectacle for story. The power of Grayskull deserved a sharper script to match.
