“Masters of the Universe” key art featuring Camila Mendes, Nicholas Galitzine and Idris Elba.
Amazon MGM Studios
Masters of the Universe, the new big‑screen adaptation of the He‑Man story starring Nicholas Galitzine, Idris Elba and Camila Mendes, has earned a generally positive but not unanimous response from Rotten Tomatoes critics.
Directed by Travis Knight (known for Bumblebee and Kubo and the Two Strings), the film opened in Thursday night previews before a wide release on Friday. He‑Man originates from Mattel’s iconic Masters of the Universe toy line launched in 1982, which later expanded into animated series, movies, books, comics and video games.
Galitzine portrays Prince Adam/He‑Man, a young prince who flees his home planet Eternia after the evil wizard Skeletor (Jared Leto) attacks his parents, King Randor (James Purefoy) and Queen Marlena (Charlotte Riley), seeking the Sword of Power. To protect the sword, Queen Marlena sends Adam through a portal to Earth, where he is separated from the weapon. After fifteen years of searching, Adam recovers the sword, returns to a ravaged Eternia, and joins his childhood friend Teela (Mendes) and her father, Man‑At‑Arms Duncan (Elba), to reclaim the Power of Grayskull and defeat Skeletor.
As of Tuesday, the film holds a 78 % “fresh” rating on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer, based on 36 reviews. The audience score and Popcornmeter rating are pending.
What Critics Are Saying
Liz Shannon Miller of Consequence gave the film a “fresh” rating, noting, “Given the choice between a silly take on this material and a grounded one, the silly version feels far preferable. If nothing else, the film is doing its best to have fun—just like playing with one’s toys should feel.”
Donald Clarke of the Irish Times also praised the movie, writing, “Combining the small‑screen cartoon’s brash aesthetics—the neon whoosh is sickeningly retro—with sharp, self‑conscious wit, this Masters of the Universe dances gaily, walking the fine line between clever and stupid.”
Clint Worthington of RogerEbert.com awarded a “fresh” score but expressed reservations: “When it works, it proves a rollicking underdog space adventure; when it doesn’t, it feels ashamed of what it truly wants to be.”
William Bibbiani of The Wrap was less enthusiastic, assigning a “rotten” rating and warning that the film “could very well be the final nail in the coffin for 1980s nostalgia.”
Edward Douglas of the New York Daily News criticized Knight’s direction, urging him “to stop playing with toy franchises and return to serious filmmaking and animation.”
Frank Scheck of the Hollywood Reporter described the movie as feeling “like a fringe‑festival musical theater parody, leaving the audience waiting for the characters to burst into song.”
Rated PG‑13, Masters of the Universe continues its theatrical run nationwide.
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