Fifteen years after tracking down the Sword of Power, Prince Adam is whisked back to his home planet. Finding Eternia shattered under the fiendish rule of Skeletor, he must embrace his true destiny to save his world and protect the secrets of Castle Grayskull. A film by Travis Knight, starring Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Alison Brie, James Purefoy, Morena Baccarin, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Charlotte Riley, Kristen Wiig, Jared Leto, Idris Elba, Sasheer Zamata, Jon Xue Zhang, Christian Vunipola, Sam C. Wilson, Christiaan Bettridge, Artie Wilkinson-Hunt, Eire Farrell, James Wilkinson, Dolph Lundgren, Kojo Attah, Hung Dante Dong, James Apps, Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, Arun Bassi, Max Kraus, Kelly Coughlin, Elena Rivers, Stephen Adentan, Michael Bijok, Everleigh Brenner, Emma Mulkern, Elliott Culpepper, Dylan Zalikowski, Michelle Schechter, Chanelle Nicole, Susie Coutts, Eddison Burch, Arthur Galiano, Aaron Lynn, Delilah O’Riordan, Callum Burns, Devonté Sackitey, Mark Conway, Connor Crawford, Richard David-Caine, Olivia Marcus, Billy Clements, Piotr Michael, Christopher Ragland, Tom Wilton, Fletcher Glenn, and Gary Martin.

On the beautiful world of Eternia, the creatures of myth and bedtime stories actually exist. It is a realm of griffins, dragons, and talking tigers, spanning from enchanted forests and burning deserts to islands in the sky.

Eternia is believed to be the beating heart of the cosmos, and at its center lies Castle Grayskull, which holds a mystical power capable of making a man as mighty as a god. However, this power was bound within a vessel known as the Sword of Power.

Legend foretold that in Eternia’s time of greatest need, a hero would step forth to wield the blade. Until that day, the sword remained locked away within the castle under the watchful eye of the ancient Sorceress.

For centuries, Eternia has been ruled and protected by King Randor (James Purefoy) and his royal lineage. In the capital city of Eternos, young Prince Adam (Artie Wilkinson-Hunt) and his friend Teela (Eire Farrell) train alongside other teenagers under the guidance of Duncan (Idris Elba), the king’s Man-At-Arms.

Adam struggles with the regimen due to his size and poor coordination, which severely impacts his confidence. However, his mother, Queen Marlena (Charlotte Riley), insists that he participate in arms training. During one session, King Randor stops by to observe and feels Adam isn’t taking it seriously. The king steps in as his son’s opponent and easily overpowers him. Shoving him to the dirt, the king declares that there is no place for the weak in this world.

The peace of Eternos is shattered one evening when the city falls under siege by a menacing army. Leading the assault is the demonic warlord Skeletor (Jared Leto), driven by a dark desire to obtain the mystical power of Castle Grayskull. In the ensuing destruction, Skeletor successfully captures King Randor. Meanwhile, Duncan (Sam C. Wilson) is gravely injured in a fight with Trap Jaw, barely managing to escape a massive explosion with his daughter Teela.

Fleeing the attack, Queen Marlena and Adam race to Castle Grayskull and find the Sorceress (Morena Baccarin). Though she promises the castle will stand, the Sorceress insists the Sword of Power must be hidden somewhere far away. Marlena suggests sending Adam to her homeworld of Earth, a place where Skeletor will never find him.

Just as the Sorceress opens a portal, Skeletor and his second-in-command, Evil-Lyn (Alison Brie), arrive and demand the Sword. The Sorceress warns Adam never to lose the blade, reminding him that it is his only way home and the last hope of Eternia. Using her magic to create a diversion, the Sorceress buys Adam just enough time to escape into the rift. However, while leaping through the portal, the Sword slips from Adam’s grasp just before he crash-lands on Earth.

Growing up on Earth, Adam struggles to fit in. Haunted by memories of his past life, he relentlessly searches for the lost Sword of Power. Without the weapon, he has no power and remains stranded on Earth indefinitely. He is frequently ridiculed by his schoolmates. Whenever he attempts to explain where he truly comes from, his classmates mock him as delusional, convinced that Eternia and its magical inhabitants, including the Heroic Warriors Ram Man (Jon Xue Zhang), Fisto (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson), and Mekaneck (James Wilkinson), are nothing more than childish fantasies.

Fifteen years after landing on Earth, an adult Adam now goes by the name Adam Glenn (Nicholas Galitzine). He lives with his roommate, Hussein (Christian Vunipola), who constantly urges him to stop talking about his past life on Eternia. Warning that these stories only scare people away, Hussein suggests Adam adopt his therapist’s explanation instead: that his parents were killed in a traumatic event, and he blocked out the memory by replacing it with a fantasy about an enchanted planet. However, Adam refuses to forget who he is or abandon his life’s purpose.

While working a mundane job in Human Resources for a large corporation, Adam obsessively scours the internet for any sign of the Sword of Power. He regularly posts drawings of the weapon on obscure message boards, asking if anyone has ever come across it. Just as his hope begins to fade after years of dead ends, Adam receives a text message from an unknown sender. The mysterious sender claims to have found the exact sword Adam has been looking for, demanding a $300 ransom for it.

Overjoyed, Adam rushes to The Fright Zone, a comic and collectibles store chosen by the mysterious sender. Inside, a nerd (Connor Crawford) approaches Adam and leads him into anothe room. There, standing on display is a life-size figure of Torak, a barbarian warrior, clutching a prop weapon that looks exactly like the long-lost Sword of Power. Adam is caught off guard when the nerd says that this is as far as he can take him. The opportunist points out that retrieving the Sword is entirely Adam’s problem. His part in the setup complete, the nerd flees, leaving Adam alone to figure out how to get his weapon back.

Out of options and acting on pure desperation, Adam resorts to taking the Sword by force, knowing it is his only ticket back to his home planet. The attempt quickly turns awkward when he realizes the weapon is practically fused to the statue’s grip. As Adam wrestles with the display, drawing stares from bewildered patrons, an alarmed store clerk (Olivia Marcus) rushes over to stop him, insisting the item is not for sale.

After a brief struggle, Adam manages to pry the Sword from the statue’s grip. Fully expecting the weapon to magically transport him home, he shouts the incantation, “By the Power of Grayskull, I have to go home!” and raises the blade high. To his profound disappointment, nothing happens. As the store patrons are left in stunned silence, Adam quickly flees the scene with the Sword.

The following day, the consequences of the theft catch up to Adam when police officers Blumenthal (Kelly Coughlin) and Black (Max Kraus) arrive at his apartment. Adam is apprehended, but as he is being escorted to the station, the transport vehicle is attacked by Beast Man (Gary Martin), a monstrous evil warrior sent by Skeletor to retrieve the Sword of Power.

Just as Adam is overpowered and on the verge of being crushed by Beast Man, an adult Teela (Camila Mendes) arrives exactly in time to intervene. However, Beast Man proves too formidable for Teela to defeat alone. Forced to retreat, Teela and Adam make a sprint for her spaceship, narrowly escaping Beast Man’s grasp.

Upon returning to Eternos, Adam is devastated to find the once glorious city reduced to rubble by Skeletor’s forces. Teela takes Adam to a secret location where the surviving Royal Guards are biding their time for a counterattack. Now that Adam has returned with the Sword of Power, they finally have a chance to defeat Skeletor. Meanwhile, Beast Man returns from his failed retrieval mission, reporting to Skeletor that Teela intercepted him and took the Sword. Unbeknownst to the heroes, Tri-Klops (Kojo Attah) spots Teela’s ship flying over Eternos and stealthily follows them.

Deep within the subterranean sanctuary beneath Eternos, Adam is reunited with the Heroic Warriors: Ram Man, Fisto, Dian (Christiaan Bettridge), and Moss Man (Stephen Adentan). Instead of a warm welcome, he faces intense suspicion. The warriors are completely unconvinced that Adam is the true heir to King Randor. Deeply offended by Adam casually using nicknames that he created for them when he was a child, the group confiscates the Sword of Power and locks both Adam and Teela in a holding cell to inspect the weapon. Inside the confinement, Adam is stunned to discover Roboto (Kristen Wiig), a former Class 4 Battlebot who has been severely downgraded and reprogrammed to serve as a basic Service Bot.

While Teela is trying to figure out how to escape the confinement, their hiding place suddenly comes under attack by Skeletor’s fleet. Amid the chaos, Adam befriends Roboto and asks her to join the group as a soldier. Roboto accepts the offer and breaks the door down, allowing them to exit the confinement. Before they flee, Adam is surprised to learn that another prisoner sleeping there turns out to be Teela’s father, Duncan.

During their escape, they run into Ram Man, who is stumbling while fighting off the intruders. When Ram Man spots Skeletor coming their way, looking for the Sword, he entrusts Adam with the weapon. He instructs Adam to take it as far away from Skeletor as possible. Just before they reach Teela’s spaceship, they spot another troop led by Trap Jaw waiting for them there. In a moment of desperation, Adam raises the Sword and shouts, “By the Power of Grayskull!” The sky trembles as lightning strikes the blade, magically transforming Adam into a Mighty Warrior.

ᴘ ʀ·ʌ·ᴅ ᴛ

@pradt

MASTERS of the UNIVERSE ⚔️
The legend of He-Man is reborn.
—
A film by Travis Knight, starring Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Alison Brie, James Purefoy, Morena Baccarin, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Charlotte Riley, Kristen Wiig, Jared Leto, Sasheer Zamata, Jon Xue Zhang, Christian Vunipola, and Idris Elba.

Directed by American filmmaker Travis Knight from a screenplay by Chris Butler, Aaron Nee, Adam Nee, and David Callaham, MASTERS of the UNIVERSE is an action-fantasy film based on the sword-and-sorcery franchise of the same name. Serving as a franchise reboot and the second live-action adaptation following the 1987 movie, the film features an original story that heavily borrows its core mythology and characters from Filmation’s hit 1983 animated series. The plot follows young Prince Adam, who is sent through a magic portal to Earth alongside the Sword of Power after Skeletor attacks and seizes control of his home planet, Eternia.

The film is entertaining throughout. I love the character design, especially Skeletor, who looks exceptional. My least favorite is Cringer, though. His orange stripes should be much brighter and more vivid, as the muted green fur just makes him look dull.

Nicholas Galitzine is fantastic as Prince Adam/He-Man, bringing a natural charm to the role that results in some genuinely hilarious moments. Jared Leto also shines as Skeletor, proving why the character remains one of the most memorable villains of all time.

Unfortunately, the narrative falls a bit flat, feeling like a patchwork of several superhero films that came before it. In the beginning, young Prince Adam is sent to take refuge on Earth, very much like Superman. The fact that he has no abilities without the Sword of Power also mirrors Thor being stripped of his powers until he proves himself worthy to return home and save the day. It also creates a bit of a logic gap: even a demigod like Wonder Woman had to train from childhood to become a warrior, but Adam goes fifteen years on Earth without any combat training, yet still manages to wield the mystical sword like a true swordmaster.

As for the action, several fight scenes reminded me of James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy, pitting a ragtag band of underdogs against Skeletor’s entire army. There is nothing wrong with taking inspiration from that style, but if you can’t add a wicked twist or top them off with something spectacularly hilarious like Taika Waititi did in Thor: Ragnarok, the entire thing can feel a bit underwhelming. It just leaves you feeling like you’ve seen it all before.

MASTERS of the UNIVERSE premiered in Los Angeles on 18 May 2026.The film was theatrically released in the United States on 5 June.