directed by Travis Knight
written by Christ Butler, Aaron Nee, Adam Nee, and Dave Callaham (screenplay) and Alex Litvak and Michael Finch (story)
There's something strange (to me) about having strong nostalgic feelings for a cartoon from the 1980s which was created to sell a toy line despite never having owned a single toy from that line. That said, Amazon Prime/MGM Studios' live-action adaptation of the popular 80s sword-and-sorcery franchise Masters of the Universe was among my must see films for 2026.
The film begins with Adam Glenn (Nicholas Galitzine) a worker in a human resources, reminiscing wistfully about where he's really from: the fantastical world of Eternia. where as a child (Artie Wilkinson-Hunt) he lived with his parents, King Randor (James Purefoy) and Queen Marlena (Charlotte Riley) and their subjects. Adam struggles to live up become the man his father thinks he should be, even as the king's man-at-arms Duncan (Idris Elba) tries to train him and his best friend, Duncan's daughter Teela (Eire Farrell) tries to encourage him, but all of that is forgotten when Skeletor (Jared Leto) and his minions attack, in search of the mystical power of Eternos located in the mysterious Castle Grayskull, which is guarded by the Sorceress (Morena Baccarin). With Eternia's forces overwhelmed, the Sorceress and Queen Marlena cast Adam and the sword of power, key to unlocking the power of Eternos, into a portal that takes Adam to Earth, where he's been trapped ever since, unable to leave without the Sword of Power, which he lost in transit. When, after years of searching, Adam finally finds the Sword of Power at a hobby store, he seizes it, hoping to be instantly transported home. What happens instead is a series of harrowing events that involves him being chased by one of Skeletor's minions, rescued by the now grown-up Teela (Camilla Mendes) and taken home to Eternia, which, he discovers, has turned into a desolate wasteland under Skeletor's rule. Will Adam and his friends be able to unlock the secrets held by the Sword of Power to bring peace back to Eternia, or is the might of Skeletor simply too much for them?
I was a huge fan of its director, Travis Knight, who has delivered two memorable films for me, namely 2016's animated film Kubo and the Two Strings, and the only truly decent live-action Transformers movie to date, 2018's Bumblebee. I walked in expecting a nice, light and frothy nostalgia trip, callbacks galore, and people running around in brightly colored costumes. I'm happy to report that I was not disappointed. For me, the filmmakers knew exactly what kind of tone they had to go for to make this story work, which is completely goofy and irreverent. After all, we're talking about a film based on a toy line involving sword-wielding barbarians and spaceships. There was no way to pull this off without dollops of self-awareness and self-deprecating humor, and while there are a number of jokes that don't quite land, I am convinced this was still very much the way to go.
It helps that, for all of the silly dialogue and story contrivances, none of the actors in this movie is phoning in it. Nicholas Galitzine shines as Adam, with some wonderful earnestness and some pretty great comic timing, while Jared Leto does some delightful scenery chewing as Skeletor, very much going for the mustache-twirling bad guy, complete with the British accent. Idris Elba does a surprising, somewhat against-type turn against Duncan, who has a surprising bit of a character arc in this film. Camilla Mendes delights as Teela; not only is she easy on the eyes but she has some pretty serious action chops as well as great chemistry with both Galitzine and Elba. Alison Brie is quite fun as Skeletor's right-hand Evil Lyn but could have been so much more if the script had only let her.
For all the silliness in the script, apart from some really solid acting, this movie boasts some pretty impressive production value as well. The fight scenes are well-staged, the color-grading is nice and vibrant, and the music score by Daniel Pemberton which even features Queen guitarist Brian May is simply magnificent, with just the right amount of drama and 80s vibes. There are a few needle-drop moments that are completely on-point.
This is the kind of movie that's easy to pick apart upon closer analysis, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself as to my mind, it did exactly what it was supposed to do; tickle the audience's nostalgia bone and provide heaping servings of some good, silly fun. If I had nitpicks, it would be that the movie was a touch too long, and that at least one the jokes (the one involving a character's name) was repeated to the point of wearing out its welcome, but that's about it. I really wasn't expecting high art, and this movie delivered on my modest expectations.
For ANYONE who enjoyed the 80s cartoon or played with the toys, this is definitely for you.
9/10
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