Toy company Mattel have done pretty well out of their He-Man toys. First, they became a huge success with their figurines, which led to the popular cartoon series in the 80s. Then, Cannon Films produced the cult-favourite live-action version back in 1987, with Dolph Lundgren as He-Man. Now, just when you thought the characters were a thing of the past, Amazon has delivered Masters of the Universe, an origin movie that tells the story of how the son of the King of Eternia became the legendary muscle man with the mighty sword and power. Did we really need a new He-Man movie? Probably not, but what has surprised me is just how much fun it actually is.

After the kingdom of Eternia comes under attack by Skeletor, Prince Adam escapes through a wormhole that takes him to Earth, along with the mystical sword. Fifteen years later, having lost the sword for years, Adam finds it, and this triggers his return home, a land that is very different from the one he left, and having to come up against Skeletor, only this time, Adam has the power that turns him into the fabled warrior known as He-Man.

Director Travis Knight has only helmed two other movies before this: Kubo and the Two Strings and the best Transformer movie, Bumblebee. Both films are of high quality, so there was hope that this wouldn’t be a total disaster, and it isn’t. What it is is a very self-aware, tongue-in-cheek, almost campy adventure that draws comparisons to the 1980 version of Flash Gordon, as well as Guardians of the Galaxy and Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves.

This starts with an impressive action sequence, as the villain Skeletor hits the planet, seeking to become ruler and seize the sword’s power. It then shifts gears as we see Adam coping with life on Earth, telling dates from his past, with obvious results, being dragged up by his boss for focusing on finding the sword, and no one believing him to be a Prince from a distant planet. That is, until he finds the sword in a comic book store and the arrival of friend and warrior Teela in a spacecraft.

From this point on, we get plenty of action scenes as Adam brings together a ragtag band to fight Skeletor and his army, all the while playing with pure self-deprecation. This is a film that you should never take seriously for one moment. And why should you? It’s brimming with lines about how ridiculous this whole idea is, and where do Adam’s clothes go when he changes into the hero? There are moments when the gags get a little saucy, coming at you like a Carry On film.

The issue with the film is its length. It’s far too long and would have worked better if it had been snappier. Some of the effects also fail to impress, especially Cringer, Adam’s pet green lion. Yet with all the fun it has in itself, you can almost forgive it for the CGI not being as impressive as it should be.

The cast is stacked with names, all seem to be having the time of their lives. Kristen Wiig voices a robot. Idris Elba gets to play drunk as the former guard to the king who let himself down, Duncan, while Community star Alison Brie has loads of fun playing against type as Evil-Lyn. As Teela, Camila Mendes does a fine job as the feisty friend who was once Adam’s protector, and as the lead, British actor Nicholas Galitzine is very good, mixing a clumsy, often confused Adam and managing to transform into the musclebound He-Man.

The film does throw up the biggest surprise in the form of Jared Leto as Skeletor. Although under a mask throughout, Leto takes the villain role to a whole new level, with plenty of the best lines and delivering them as if he were Tim Curry in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Leto has been criticised of late for his performances, particularly his dire Italian in House of Gucci, but this is his best performance since his Oscar-winning turn in The Dallas Buyers Club.

Masters of the Universe is not perfect, and the running time does affect it, but it never takes itself seriously, and that works in its favour. Look out for this as a future cult favourite, and also look out for an appearance from the past in a knowing nod to the past. Stick around also for the post-credit sequences and a title track from The Darkness with Brian May playing his guitar.

3 out of 5

Director: Travis Knight

Starring: Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Idris Elba, Jared Leto, Alison Brie, Kristen Wiig, Morena Baccarin, Johannes Haukur Johannesson, Jon Xue Zhang, Sam C. Wilson, Charlotte Riley, James Purefoy

Written by: Chris Butler, Dave Callaham, (also story) Aaron Nee, Adam Nee (story), Alex Litvak and Michael Finch

Running Time: 140 mins

Cert: 12A

Release date: 5th June 2026