The Stream: A by-the-numbers origin story no one was really looking for that’s too long.

The Big Screen: Jared Leto is Skeletor? Okay… Jared Leto is Skeletor!

The Final Bill: An entertaining pseudo-superhero origin story that fails to make its mark and is not very memorable.

– Trip Fontaine
Director: Travis Knight
Writers: Chris Butler, Aaron Nee, Adam Nee & Dave Callaham; story by Aaron Nee & Adam Nee and Alex Litvak & Michael Finch
Stars: Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Idris Elba, Jared Leto, Alison Brie
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Rating: PG-13 for sequences of violence/action, some suggestive material, and language.
Runtime:
Production Companies: Amazon MGM Studios, Mattel Studios, Escape Artists, Film in Iceland, Canada Audio Visual Tax Credit, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
Platform: Prime Video on July 22, 2026; in theaters June 5. 2026
Notable Trailers: Mutiny, The End of Oak Street, How to Rob a Bank

What’s up, Streamers! If you missed Masters of the Universe in the theaters, you’re in luck. He-Man has arrived on Prime Video. For those who are unfamiliar, based on a toy from Mattel and a cartoon from the 1980s, Masters of the Universe tells the story of Prince Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) as he returns to his home planet Eternia with his long-lost Sword of Power to defeat the evil forces of Skeletor (Jared Leto). Powerful hijinks ensue.

Here’s the thing about Masters of the Universe: If you are not consumed by the nostalgia of He-Man and his pals, you may not be into this movie. Unfortunately, the filmmakers did not do what Greta Gerwig did with Barbie and take a critical look at the character through a 21st century lens. Therefore, it is difficult to understand why this movie had to be made. Okay… so there are updates, but for the most part, this is just a run-of-the-mill superhero origin story. Why do we need another one of those? That’s probably why this movie didn’t do well at the box office.

On the other hand, the filmmakers got the tone of this movie absolutely correct. It is silly and doesn’t take itself too seriously. This movie taps into the cartoonish source material. Both Prince Adam and Skeletor are played for laughs by Galitzine and Leto, respectively. Leto, especially, has great lines and line delivery. It is fun whenever Skeletor is on screen and Evil-Lyn (Alison Brie) excels as his sidekick. The movie is generally funny and has good action sequences. The visual effects are vibrant and enhance the overall look and tone of the film. It all adds up to a decent movie that will hold your attention for most of its runtime, which is too long but isn’t every movie too long these days; but, I doubt it will stick in your mind once the credits roll.

Ultimately, Masters of the Universe is a fairly entertaining silly movie. It has good actions sequences and decent enough visual effects to mimic its cartoon source material. The cast performs the humor of the movie well and doesn’t take it too seriously with Jared Leto as Skeletor being the standout. While I wouldn’t recommend you run out to the movie theater for this unless you are a real He-Man stan, this movie is a good, casual watch on Prime Video. Grab a bowl of popcorn and the Power of Grayskull.