Masters of the Universe (2026)

My brother and I indulged in a bit of 80s nostalgia last weekend and took in the new Masters of the Universe movie. We both enjoyed. It's not without its as my brother put it: "It may not be the best Masters of the Universe move you could hope for, but it's probably the best one your likely to get."

The approach the move takes is kind of a fusion of the "social commentary plus affectionate poking fun at its silliness" approach of Barbie with the now default action-comedy of Guardians of the Galaxy. There also seems to be a strain of pure camp reminiscent of Flash Gordon (1980). It's not a bad approach, in theory, but the film can't decide exactly on its message (or at least can't seem to get the plot in place to support it), and its comedy, despite some funny moments, falls flat or is belabored. Yes, Fisto's name and schtick are funny to adults, but make the joke once and move on!

At times, the film seems to really need you to understand it realizes is all silly by adding a joke or undercutting a serious bit with a gag. Playing it straight and trusting the audience to know that you were winking at them--or just allowing them to enjoy it whether you were or weren't--seems to be something the filmmakers weren't ready to do. And maybe they're right for 2026, I don't know.

Anyway, I started with the less good part. There are a lot of things I think the film does unambiguously right. The production design is good, more aesthetically pleasing than say Marvel's recent efforts. The action sequences are engaging. Pretty much all the elements of the MOTU mythos you might want to see in a first film are there. It also makes an effort to include a lot of characters, though inevitably there are still some that got left out. Sorry Stratos fans!

The cast is good overall, though some of them have more to do or more interesting to do than others. Leto really shines as Skeletor with a good mix of camp and menace without trying to specifically mimic the cackling Skeletor of the 80s cartoon. 

I would also note that despite at times making fun of the property, it never feels like those involved thought they were better than the material. The jokiness is the same sort of fond/nostalgic jokiness that comes from teens goofing on the cartoons of their youth or from internet means using Skeletor. They are making fun with MOTU not making fun of it.

The weekend box office results are in, and it looks to have under-performed which is not wholly unexpected. It's not a property younger audiences are going to have a connection to, and honestly the language and adult humor don't make it ideal to use it to introduce kids to MOTU. Like the Dungeons & Dragons movie, though, I think if you're in the group it's aimed at, you're likely to enjoy it.