By the Power of Grayskull, They Finally Got It Right!

Travis Knight's Masters of the Universe is, in a word, perfect.

I was 7 when I got my first He-Man action figure, Beast Man. I loved Star Wars more, but He-Man was a huge part of my childhood. The cartoon was on every day after school, and I had a good chunk of the toy line. I still remember in the 4th grade being asked to give an example of a fable. I said the He-Man cartoon. My teacher laughed and dismissed it as an example of a fable because it didn't teach a moral lesson. Which made no sense to me, because, like G.I. Joe, every episode ended with Orko or another Master reinforcing the lesson of the day.

Then again, Miss H isn't at the top of my list for inspiring, or even good, teachers.

But I digress.

The first reason this movie is perfect: it's the live-action version of the cartoon that 10-year-old me wanted back in 1987 but never got. The actors, as much as is humanly possible, resemble the gonzo, anatomically impossible bodies of the action figures and cartoon characters. The story is absurd, well-paced, and refuses to take itself seriously, which is exactly the right tone for a world where ships fold space to ferry people between Earth and a planet whose tech sits somewhere between Lord of the Rings and Star Wars.

I also love that it's a blend of ALL the various He-Man lores. There isn't one cohesive canon to this franchise. The original action figures came with mini-comics that told each character's story. Then the Filmation cartoon arrived and introduced the idea that He-Man wasn't a barbarian who'd left his tribe, but the alter ego of the dweebish Prince Adam (who looked exactly like He-Man).

In the 1990s there was an attempt at a new cartoon that I never watched and didn't spot any references to. But I have seen the 2002-2004 Cartoon Network reboot, a sharply written, serialized series with an overarching story rather than standalone episodes. Finally there's Kevin Smith's 2021 and 2024 Netflix series, which felt more in line with the Cartoon Network show than with Filmation (and which I thought were amazing).

What all this means is that He-Man's lore isn't carved in stone. Storytellers can craft multiple versions of the same characters. In that way the property is more like Batman or the MCU than Star Wars: a multiverse where the same characters live multiple timelines and lives. It also means creators can successfully change the gender or race of characters, like Idris Elba as Duncan/Man-At-Arms and Kristen Wiig as Roboto. Both did a fantastic job of nailing the characters they played. And a special shout-out to Jared Leto for his portrayal of Skeletor. I thought he sounded more like Mark Hamill's Skeletor than Alan Oppenheimer's, but I like both versions.

So if a fan can walk into the theater without clinging too tightly to their headcanon, they're going to have a great time.

There were a few Easter eggs I was hoping to see:

• A cameo by Dolph Lundgren

• "What's Up?" by 4 Non Blondes

• Orko

• A moral of the story (take that, Miss H!)

I got them all.

As for criticism: some viewers may find it a little violent, crude, and rude for small children. There's some light cussing ("asses" and "shit" stand out), and at one point Cringer gets called a "pussy." A few jokes come at Fisto's expense; they're adult-grade, but I think they'll sail over most 8- to 10-year-olds' heads.

It's worth remembering this IP was created for little boys aged 5 to 8. If you've seen the Masters of the Universe episode of The Toys That Made Us, you know the people behind the toys were having fun and letting their inner children run wild. After all, they didn't just create a character named Fisto; poor Mer-Man was very nearly Sea-Man.

If you don't take yourself, or the franchise, too seriously, and you want to let your inner little boy (or girl) out — this is the movie for you.

(Please Amazon/MGM, make the sequels you tease in the end credits!)