Masters of the Universe: How to farm nostalgia the right way.

Riot’s Reviews: Masters of the Universe

There’s been a pattern emerging in cinema, I’d say within the last 2-3 years, where specific demographics are being targeted: Gen X and the Elder Millennial. The reason is obvious, that’s where the money is; at the very least, that’s where the people who are willing to spend their money are. I don’t spend enough time with the numbers to see how effective this strategy has been and I would argue 2025 exemplified a period where studios and production companies severely dropped the ball in this endeavor, particularly in the quality of the content being put out. So with the new year and with no end of this tactic in sight, I continue feeling a lot of trepidation, keeping expectations as low as possible. When I first heard about the new live action remake of He-Man, a toy and television show that was a major cornerstone of my childhood, I was less than thrilled to say the least. But there’s no way in hell I was going to miss it. After all, they couldn’t possibly do a worse job than Kevin Smith did with that pile of dog s*** of a show Revelation. So how was Masters of the Universe? It has the power!

I’m having a hard time deciding what I liked the most about this film. If I have to give the edge to something, I would have to say the audio. The music selection is fantastic and much like what I enjoyed about The Madalorian and Grogu, the rest of the score was heavy on the synth and worked overtime to drive the events of the story. The sound dripped 80’s nostalgia and I ate it up. The visuals take a close second, with a special nod to the CGI (which I feel like I haven’t done in a while) and the costume design was on point. The costumes were so good I’m giving Richard Sale a shout out by name. It was quite literally watching my childhood toys brought to life, with a grittier flare to them that fit the overall atmosphere of the story. They were even somehow able to make two of the most absurd characters (Moss Man and Spikor) look pretty great. Special nod to those of you out there that remember how ridiculous those two toys actually were.

The casting was also particularly good and some of these newer faces brought out unexpected performances that not only fit their characters well, but really showcased their individual skill. Nicholas Galitzine (Prince Adam/He-Man) was about as good as it gets. Even though they blurred the lines a little too much between his dual personas, he handled the comedy and awkwardness of Adam well and clearly brought the physique and combat/action skills to He-Man. Camilla Mendes(Teela) was also fantastic. Her fight choreography was excellent as was her chemistry with Adam and the rest of the cast. And while I think they harped a little too long on the “drunken failure” plot line for Idris Elba (Duncan/Man-at-Arms) I thought he fit the character remarkably well and was a perfect catalyst for much of the humor in the film. The ultra-surprise standout for me was Jared Leto as Skeletor. There’s a lot of talk (more like hate tbh) online about Leto’s performance that I think is incredibly misplaced, given the overall effect of the movie. People are determined to complain that he wasn’t campy enough, which is an asinine comment to make when you consider the entire film wasn’t even meant to be as campy as the original cartoon was. Leto’s Skeletor was a great blend of menacing dictator and immature man-child, a character that’s unapologetically evil, you know, an ACTUAL VILLAIN?!? And somehow he was still hilarious. As a final note, Dolph Lundgren’s cameo was absolute perfection.

The dislikes are real minor in the grand scheme of things. There are a couple plot armor moments that I wish didn’t happen and a lot of the events of the story are driven by convenient events. The Cringer/Battle Cat personality line blurring was too much for me and I wish the voice actor leaned into the original portrayal more. And finally, the run-time was much too long for a movie like this. They could have cut this into a tight 1:45 in my opinion, but I would have settled for even 2 hours. They spend an inordinate amount of time on Adam’s intro and his time on Earth and there are more than a few sequences that stretch beats too long for comedy bits that don’t totally hit. Because of the darker tones of the film and the obvious audience targeting, I understand why the film was made the way it was. But had they tightened it up, I think they may have capitalized on an opportunity to hook the next generation of kids/fans.

Masters of the Universe is another recent film that delivers what it should, a fantastical, hilarious, action-packed adventure that doesn’t need to bill itself as anything more than what it is. For all the arguments out there that it isn’t “faithful” to the original content, I would vehemently disagree. It was so faithful to the original, they even threw in a post-credit scene with Orko that had a traditional “life lesson” like every He-Man and GI Joe episode from the past! There’s also a weird narrative that is saying it’s just another cookie cutter imitation of Guardians of the Galaxy, which I don’t really understand, as if GOTG were the originators/inventors of this style of film and no one else is able to use it? If that were true, why is Thor:Ragnarok considered a hit? Masters of the Universe returns to an original premise where the hero is the hero and the villain is the villain and the chaos that ensues is all part and parcel of the conflict between two very clear sides. It’s fun! It’s funny! It’s wacky and serious at the same time. It’s certainly nostalgia bait to the max. These are all fine things to have. The acting is good, the music is great, the visual effects are off the charts, and there are plenty of genuine belly laughs to be had.

Riot’s Rating: 9.2/10: I’m leaning toward this being a safe movie for kids, but I wouldn’t say pre-screening is a bad idea. Watch this on the biggest screen you can though! Visually stunning.

P.S. The whole “the villain needs a reason (aka excuse) behind why they’re evil” narrative needs to die a painful death.

P.S.S. Having the film/Adam deconstruct why Human Resources is a pathetic, meaningless endeavor, and a cancer to society was a chef’s kiss. I said what I said.

P.S.S.S. Go see Nicholas Galitzine in The Sheep Detectives, that movie had no right to be that good. Lol.