Tripwire Reviews Masters Of The Universe

The Power Of Nostalgia?

Tripwire’s contributing writer Laurence Boyce takes a look at Masters Of The Universe, in cinemas now…

Masters of the Universe
Director: Travis Knight
Stars: Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Idris Elba, Jared Leto

For kids of a certain age, the very mention of He-Man and Masters of the Universe evokes a nostalgia rush on a par with Proust and his biscuits (and I claim the prize for surely being the only person to mention ‘Proust’ and ‘He-Man’ in the same sentence). Memories of that opening narration with Prince Adam explaining his true identity and  that bombastic theme tune in the background. Echoes of times watching our hero hold his sword, echoing the phrase ‘I Have The Power’ while gathering toys around you of all the whacky heroes and villains you’re about to see (also meaning that if He-Man has the power, then Mattel have all your parents’ money). Images rattle in the brain of the vaguely shonky animation typical of Filmation but the bright colours that stayed in the imagination. The comforting end in which the bad guys were defeated (for all his attempts at being evil, Skeletor was a bit useless) and we all shared an important lesson such as lying is bad, sharing is good and you should avoid strangers. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was a jumped-up moralistic toy advert. But for a certain era of youngsters it was OUR jumped-up moralistic toy advert.

Hence the 1987 movie version was a bit of misfire partly because it suffered from being unable to recreate the cartoon aesthetic, and re-create the memories. It was dark and dingy, Dolph Lundgren lacked the slight goofiness of the He-Man character and the villains – despite Frank Langella hamming it up as Skeletor so much that the film could be classed as a ‘pork product’ – lacked a sparkle. And anyway, He-Man was on the wane as kids went on to be obsessed by a new set of toys and cartoons.

The fact that a major Hollywood film trades in nostalgia in 2026 is a surprise akin to calling the Arctic ‘a bit chilly’. But narratively a lot of the 2026 iteration of Masters of the Universe is all about nostalgia. The hazily remembered characters and moments that give emotional succour to a certain generation .Yet, as it celebrates nostalgia, the film doesn’t quite know what to do for those whose memories might not cast far back as the early 80s. So it also tries to throw in typical modern-day blockbuster sensibilities that both reinforce and deconstruct modern genre tropes. What results is a film that has great moments but never quite knows what it wants to be.

The opening gives an inkling of what will follow. While narratively setting up the scene and the characters, the film also assumes that many watching already know what’s coming up. So we soon get Skeletor (a destroyer of worlds being played by Jared Leto, the destroyer of the large majority of genre films he’s been in during the past few years) doing his thing, claiming the throne of Eternia but losing Prince Adam and the Sword of Power along the way.

Said Prince and Sword find their way to Earth, Adam grows into the hunky Nicholas Galitzine and – after an extended section in which he tries to get his sword back – finds his way back to Eternia. Finding Skeletor has ravaged the land, Adam must gather together a band of survivors – including Teela and Man-At-Arms – and find his inner hero so that He-Man can be unleashed and the likes of Skeletor, Beast Man and Evil-Lynn can all be defeated.

Those who want the nostalgia will already feel a swell of remembrance as soon as Trap-Jaw hoves into view, looking very much like his toy counterpart. With director Travis Knight being an avowed fan of He-Man, much of the film is centred around bringing the lore to the screen with a certain fidelity to the original show (though with some touches that homage the ‘87 film and other bits of the franchise such as Kevin Smith’s recent Netflix He-Man effort) . Ram-Man, Man-At-Arms, Mekaneck and a large swathe of other characters are all brought to the screen with a fun fidelity. And beyond the franchise, the film opts for a distinctly 80s vibe. Echoes of the likes of Flash Gordon and Highlander are all here, not only from the slightly neon-tinged aesthetic but also Daniel Pemberton’s soundtrack which is not just synth heavy but also features Brian May on guitar. Even Queen’s Princes of the Universe – originally used in the aforementioned Highlander – is used for a very 80s montage sequence. Moments such as these are, in isolation, really fun. There’s lots of unapologetic ‘Big Damn Hero’ moments, as music pulsates in the background and villains are dispatched with aplomb. Whilst it’s very much de rigueur for modern action cinema, the 80s sheen adds an extra sense of dumb fun to some of the set pieces.

Yet the film can never decide whether to lean into a sense of 80s camp or a more modern sense of knowingness. When it leans into the former, the film has its greatest moments. Aside from the aforementioned set-pieces, these often include Skeletor. After years of not quite getting genre right (‘It’s Morbin’ time’ anyone?) he nails our flesh-challenged villain and is about the best thing in the film. Avoiding an impression of the great Alan Oppenheimer from the original show (of which he counts himself a fan), Leto opts for a ‘Tom Hardy’s Bane’ style British accent and makes Skeletor more a pompous ass than the camp loser he often was. While there’s enough threat for him to be a credible antagonist, there are also enough comedy moments that the film lights up every time he is on screen. As game as the rest of the cast are – Galitzine has a goofy charm whilst Idris Elba (another He-Man fan) as Man-At-Arms has fun – they all pale slightly when compared to Leto. One thinks that his Skeletor has a chance of slipping into the pantheon of the great movie villains.

Its more modern trappings see the film play with ideas of masculinity as Adam/He-Man must decide how to use the power at his disposal. It’s not exactly subtle – in his Earthbound phase, his desk name plate has He/Him pronouns (which amusingly had a bunch of people getting their nethers in a bunch with the character using pronouns. You know. The character called ‘He-Man’). The film feels at points it’s going to head down some reactionary territory – with a message that, ultimately, might is right – but brings perhaps more of a balanced view near the film’s conclusion.

But with the film never fully committing to going completely down the road of 80s campness or going with modern deconstruction, it never quite gels and there are points when narrative and tone seem off. If it had maybe pushed its tongue further into its cheek more than it already is, the film might have been more than the sum of its parts. But as love letter to He-Man, Master of the Universe is more than admirable. Now excuse me while I search the loft for my Tri-Klops and Orko. I’ve got some more nostalgia to wade in.

Masters Of The Universe is in cinemas in the UK and US now. Here’s the film’s trailer

Masters of The Universe Releases A Trailer