Masters of the Universe (2026) Review 

Along many films this year, we have another reboot of an old franchise with the new Masters of the Universe film. I was a fan of this franchise as a child so I had some prior knowledge of the subject but apart from watching the pretty poor Netflix show, I haven't seen much. I found the time to go and see the film, so here is my review for Masters of the Universe. The premise of the film sees a regular man attempt to return to his magical homeland and stop the evil forces from subjugating the people. 

Main Character

Nicholas Galitzine plays Adam and he does a great job here. You really do end up rooting for him and he is just very charming in his role and feels like a natural fit. The character goes through a pretty basic story arc but it works and Galitzine is a strong lead. 

Supporting Characters

Camila Mendes plays Teela and she was a fun character here. She has really good chemistry with Galitzine and was a pretty cool character that didn't overshadow him but also provided plenty to the film. 

Idris Elba plays Duncan and I thought he was fantastic. Elba is genuinely one of the best actors at the moment and he nails this role. His character is awesome in the action scenes and actually has a story arc that I got behind and anything with Elba in is worth a watch. 

Alison Brie plays Evil-Lyn and she is so over the top but it just works. She is pretty engrossing to watch on screen and it is hard to take your eyes off her. She isn't the most important villain but she is a lot of fun to watch. 

I have been pretty critical of Jared Leto over the last few years but his performance as Skeletor is really great and he added so much life to the villain. He was intimidating and evil but also sarcastic and charming and it made this a really memorable villain.  

Story

The story works for the source material. Adam and Duncan have decent character arcs and the overall theme is one of triumph and positivity. However, it isn't exactly a riveting story. It is very predictable and if you have seen any family friendly adventure film you kind of know everything that is going to happen before it does. 

Script

The script is okay, it was one of those films that clearly took inspiration from The Marvel Cinematic Universe with its humour and sometimes it worked and made me laugh and sometimes it didn't. The same with the drama, some times it worked and sometimes it felt pretty forced and out of place. 

Style

The style also clearly takes inspiration from the MCU. There is a lot of CGI but I think it is necessary and I really like the world that they created here and it had really fun and well filmed action sequences. The film does have some issues with its pacing though, it is a bit uneven and makes the film feel a bit janky. 

Overall

Overall, Masters of the Universe is a good film and a lot of fun to watch. It has its issues but it is a good film and one that I would encourage for a watch and hopefully we will get more from this franchise in the future. 

Rating - 7/10