‘Masters of the Universe:’ Campy 80s Nostalgia Hits Hard

“Masters of the Universe” feels like a long-awaited reunion with childhood friends for those of us who grew up in the ‘80s. Director Travis Knight brings the legendary franchise back to the big screen in this epic live-action adventure.

After being separated for 15 years, the Sword of Power leads Prince Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) back to Eternia, where he discovers his home shattered under the fiendish rule of Skeletor (Jared Leto). To save his family and his world, Adam must join forces with his closest allies, Teela (Camila Mendes) and Duncan/Man-At-Arms (Idris Elba), and embrace his true destiny as He-Man—the most powerful man in the universe.

Like its Mattel predecessor “Barbie,” this film attempts a tricky balancing act: a slight parody mixed with a serious take on the myth of He-Man and Eternia. It delivers plenty of big-budget spectacle that captures the vibrant colors, fantastic worlds, and tight fight choreography fans remember from those old 2D animated cells, now brought to stunning high-definition life. The hand-to-hand combat, shootouts, and high-speed aerial chases had the theater crowd in rapture during those sequences.

Yet viewing that childhood world through a modern lens introduces a fair amount of camp, cynicism, and double entendres. Skeletor, always larger-than-life with comedic moments in the original series, gets amplified here into full Jared Leto Jack Sparrow mode—relishing every campy, innuendo-laced one-liner. It’s a bold, scenery-chewing performance that will delight some and overwhelm others.

The film often plays like it’s aimed at kids, yet its true audience—those original fans—now sits firmly on the other side of middle age. Frequent profanity and running gags, including several about other men pining after the hero, create a jarring tone. For parents hoping to introduce smaller children or grandkids to Eternia, this version might not serve as the ideal entry point. At times, it borders on feeling like a humiliation ritual for nearly everyone on screen, even poor Battle Cat becoming the butt of jokes. You almost wonder if the filmmakers were racing the old Saturday Night Live writers to the punchline, winking heavily at the audience with “We know this is funny, see?”

That said, the movie echoes “Barbie” in how transplanting these iconic, timeless characters into a contemporary setting highlights ironies in today’s world—political correctness, getting in touch with feelings, and more. Prince Adam’s attempt to reach Skeletor with that approach falls flat, underscoring how out of place such sentiments feel in a genuine wartime scenario on Eternia. But you can’t blame a prince for trying.

Prince Adam’s driving force, his love for his home of Eternia and his destiny, is what propels the action forward in this film. On Earth, he’s living an ordinary, invisible life, but he knows he’s meant for more. His drifting, his aimlessness doesn’t stop until he finds the source of his power, which turns out to be within him the entire time. He just never saw it.

Ultimately, “Masters of the Universe” shines brightest in its action and nostalgia-fueled visuals. It’s an uneven but energetic return to a beloved property that will resonate most with those willing to embrace both the power and the camp. For grown-up ‘80s kids, it’s a reminder of simpler times, even if the modern updates sometimes get in the way of pure heroic fun. By the Sword of Power, it delivers enough thrills to remind us why so many loved He-Man in the first place.

“Masters of the Universe,” directed by Travis Knight and starring Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Alison Brie, James Purefoy, Morena Baccarin, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Charlotte Riley, Kristen Wiig with Jared Leto and Idris Elba, releases Friday from Amazon MGM Studios.