Critic Reviews

Masters of the Universe is a thrilling ride featuring high-octane action sequences and performances fueled by an infectious, heroic heart that make the audience root for the “good guys” to emerge victorious. Travis Knight and team have successfully captured the magic of 80’s cinema with explosive energy, creating a film that will make you feel like a kid again, ready to shout, “I have the power.”

It’s a winning film. Plenty of ‘80s vibes but a lot of fun to be seen and shared with multiple generations of viewers.

All solid good fun. All professionally honed. A minor miracle.

While Nicholas Galitzine and Idris Elba provide the thematic structure to the film, Jared Leto’s Skeletor gives a delightfully weird and cartoonish energy to every scene he’s in. It’s a film that appreciates the source material, silly names and all, and proves the best way to add to a 50-year-old franchise that’s about toys as much as anything else is to not take it too seriously.

I can't speak to whether it's a faithful adaptation of the source material, but as someone who wasn't previously a He-Man fan, I'm eager to see where this franchise goes – and there are plenty of indications that Mattel and Amazon MGM are confident that Masters of the Universe could get a sequel.

Where other reboots lean into dour origin stories, this one is as brightly coloured as a bowl of e-numbered breakfast cereal.

Nostalgia is a hell of a drug, and fans are apt to overdose on it with this rollicking live-action affair.

Given the choice between a silly take on this material and a grounded one, the silly version feels far preferable. If nothing else, the film is doing its best to have fun. The way playing with one's toys should feel.

There’s enough infectious energy and heart to give this sugar-bombed throwback a mainstream appeal more sizable than Galitzine’s impressive deltoids.

Freed from the burden of contemporary relevance, “Masters of the Universe” succeeds by doing something refreshingly straightforward: telling a rousing fantasy adventure with conviction, humor and heart.