He-Man famously says he “has the power,” but does his movie? Next month, after years of starts and stops, a new, live-action Masters of the Universe film is coming to theaters.
Directed by Travis Knight (Bumblebee), it stars Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Adam/He-Man, Camila Mendes as Teela, Jared Leto as Skeletor, Idris Elba as Man-At-Arms, Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn, and many, many more. The film doesn’t open until June 5, but MGM and Amazon held its world premiere Monday night in Los Angeles and the results are in.
Many of us have watched the trailers for this thing and haven’t really known what to make of it. Is it serious? Is it campy? Will it have some heart? Can general audiences get behind it? It’s hard to say from everything we’ve seen.
But people have seen the full movie now, and it looks like the overall reaction to Masters of the Universe is pretty positive! There are a few outliers, to be sure, but it seems most of the critics and fans who saw it enjoyed it. Here are a bunch of reactions.
I HAVE THE POWER to tell you that #MastersOfTheUniverse is what happens when you watch the cartoon, grab your action figures, & make your own adventure. An absolute blast, laugh out loud funny, and a Fisto-powered punch of heart. I loved it. Everything you could want. pic.twitter.com/jxQWVvknwx
— BJ Colangelo (@bjcolangelo) May 19, 2026
I LOVED #MastersoftheUniverse! Both a love-letter to all things He-Man and a beautiful, bombastic fantasy/sci-fi crowd pleaser that wears its heart on its sleeve. It’s insane this movie exists but I’m so happy it does. I had the biggest smile on my face the whole way through. pic.twitter.com/ZeHwvhBtAk
— Chris Killian (@chriskillian) May 19, 2026
#MastersOfTheUniverse’s shaggy charms worked on me. A colossally epic time. Has a GOTG-style, self-aware tone & a radical message at its core. Nicholas Galitzine & Camila Mendes nailed it. @DANIELPEMBERTON’s rock score (w/ assist by Brian May) hits so good. Stay thru the credits! pic.twitter.com/yTVUYD4b60
— Courtney Howard (@Lulamaybelle) May 19, 2026
TRULY EPIC!#MastersOfTheUniverse captures the magic of classic 80s cartoons with modern visuals, crowd pleasing action, and adrenaline fueled battles that will give you chills. A nostalgic fantasy adventure that reminds adults what made Saturday morning cartoons feel legendary pic.twitter.com/E40jgUE5Cr
— Big Gold Belt Media (@BigGoldBelt) May 19, 2026
If you missed the hopeful, bright, and upbeat joy that the 1980s once possessed, you have the power to find it again by watching #MastersoftheUniverse. A film bursting with so much life and fun you truly won’t want it to end… but boy oh boy when it does end 👀
— Maggie Lovitt (@maggieofthetown) May 19, 2026
MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE is a hell of a lot of fun. Nicholas Galitzine brings a sweetness to Adam Glenn that makes his take on He-Man memorable and also a fascinating take on masculinity. Fun, fun, fun and features The Man by The Killers so I was IN! pic.twitter.com/6misEcxupu
— Rachel Leishman (@RachelLeishman) May 19, 2026
MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE is like a sister film to the first Thor. Struggles to find its footing in the first half, but once it locks on its themes of fragile masculinity and ego, it makes way for an incredibly fun time that's also visually stimulating. Nicholas Galitzine is great! pic.twitter.com/w0sprjgNZw
— Andrew J. Salazar (@AndrewJ626) May 19, 2026
Bound to be one of the biggest surprises of 2026 for me — I loved MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE.
I'm a huge fan of a lot of the folks involved, but it was never really my thing growing up and I kind of assumed the same would be true now. Also, based on what I do know of the source… pic.twitter.com/u0ecHjbWgM
— Perri Nemiroff (@PNemiroff) May 19, 2026
#MastersoftheUniverse has a very fun, weird, yet enjoyable last 20 minutes or so. As for the rest of the movie? It’s a mess. Serious played for laughs, laughs played for emotion, it works, it doesn’t, it really tries but ends up being too awkward. Great end credits scenes though. pic.twitter.com/IINjM5uS84
— Germain Lussier (@GermainLussier) May 19, 2026
The last one is mine, and I’m honestly glad that I seem to be the most negative of the bunch. That’s because I’m genuinely happy that everyone else seems to have liked the movie. I really, really wanted to like it. And, by the end, I did—a little. But I’d line up to see a sequel tomorrow because I think director Travis Knight really gets it and has all the pieces in place.
So what do you think? Do you trust all of these people? Do any reactions ring truer than others? And will you go find out for yourself? Let us know below.
Want more io9 news? Check out the best movies and TV shows to stream this month and all the upcoming sci-fi, fantasy, and horror books that should be on your radar.
