After the success of Barbie, it was a given that we’d be seeing more movies based on classic toys, specifically of the Mattel variety. Travis Knight’s Masters of the Universe, which hits the 2026 movie calendar on June 5 brings He-Man, Teela, Skeletor and more to life, as Adam Glenn is reunited with his Sword of Power, returning to an Eternia that has been taken over by Skeletor. Reviews are in for the upcoming action film, and I was surprised by the main thing critics disagreed on.
The movie brings the jokes, but the question is whether or not they work — or are even funny — and that is definitely not the disagreement I expected to see in the Masters of the Universe reviews. After all, the early reactions lauded Nicholas Galitzine and his comedic timing, so what’s all the fuss about? As far as Clint Gage of IGN is concerned, there’s no problem. He gives it a “Great” 8 out of 10, agreeing with director Travis Knight’s decision to not take anything too seriously, writing:
Masters of the Universe is so much funnier than I expected, and the fight scenes are choreographed and photographed in a way that gives the sequences just enough flair to make them stand out (even if they’re not revolutionizing superhero style fisticuffs on screen). 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.
Pete Hammond of Deadline also praises Nicholas Galitzine’s performance, as well as the director for keeping the tone light and plot moving. Hammond says:
Does it work over four decades later? On its own terms it certainly does thanks to a younger attitude with genuine humor weaved in and out, plus an appealing star in Nicholas Galitzine who invests his future He-Man with self -deprecating wit and an instant rapport with the target audience of today’s youth, and maybe even a nostalgic blast for their parents who were the first to play with all these action toys.
Frank Scheck of THR, however, says Masters of the Universe is “exhaustingly jokey,” as the director drives home the fact that they are in on the joke. The humor is juvenile and the dialogue is worse, the critic says. It’s hard for him to imagine this appealing to anyone who isn’t already a fan of this franchise. Scheck continues:
On one hand, it’s admirable that the film doesn’t take itself too seriously. But the relentless jokiness might have worked better if the material were actually funny. From the moment it begins with Prince Adam’s hokey, self-mocking narration, the jokes are so lame they become cringeworthy. ... The dialogue is even worse. ‘Why would he do this?’ Adam asks Teela forlornly when he first sees the planetary destruction Skeletor has wreaked. ‘Because he’s bad,’ she replies. Well, duh.
Germain Lussier of Gizmodo says it’s a shame that Masters of the Universe “isn’t a good movie,” because the passion that all involved have for the franchise is very clear. The actors are game, but it fails to hit the mark of a movie that will appeal both to its longtime fanbase and to newcomers alike. Forcing humor into every situation is part of the problem, Lussier says, writing:
That pattern of ruining an exciting, epic moment with an ill-timed joke happens time and time again in Masters of the Universe. You almost won’t believe how, in seemingly every scene, attempts at humor always become the focus over anything else. And then how, more often than not, those attempts are simply not funny. Obviously, the jokes are meant to give playfulness to the scenes. A sense of levity. But it goes well beyond that, almost into the absurd.
Guy Lodge of Variety says Nicholas Galitzine almost pulls off the impossible task of making us care about our hero’s battle while simultaneously laughing at his loincloth. But at 140 minutes and an overabundance of self-deprecation, Masters of the Universe is only likely to draw laughs from the over-40 crowd who grew up playing with He-Man toys. Lodge writes:
Travis Knight‘s film is so loaded with jokes about its own out-of-time uncoolness that it occasionally seems to be apologizing for its very existence: ‘Yeah, I know, but that’s what they went with,’ says flaxen warrior Adam, on identifying his signature Sword of Power weapon in an introductory voiceover. (Adam, of course, is better remembered as He-Man, though the film shies away from that lame moniker, too, until its closing minutes.)
As unlikely as it may seem, it's the jokes that the critics don’t agree on, but this movie still definitely sounds like a viable option for those looking for a couple of hours of (hopefully) laughs and fight scenes. If you’re excited to draw your own conclusions about this movie, you’ll want to get your ticket for Masters of the Universe, because this one hits theaters on Friday, June 5.
