For a generation of kids who rushed home from school to watch Prince Adam raise his sword and transform into the most powerful man in the universe, the wait has been a long one. Masters of the Universe opened in theaters June 5, and the first wave of reviews suggests Travis Knight’s live-action reimagining is something ’80s fans were hoping for…a genuine crowd-pleaser that respects where it came from.<\/p>\n
Nicholas Galitzine, who spent the better part of a year eating 4,000 calories a day<\/a> and logging three-hour weight sessions to build the physique the role required, plays Prince Adam<\/a> as a man trying to outrun a destiny he barely remembers. The story sends a young Adam to Earth after being separated from his home planet<\/a> of Eternia, where he’s been living a thoroughly ordinary life, until the Sword of Power calls him back. Waiting for him when he arrives is a shattered kingdom under the control of Skeletor, played with full camp commitment by Jared Leto.<\/p>\n Related: Nicholas Galitzine’s Extreme ‘Masters of the Universe’ Workout Reveals What It Really Takes to Play He-Man<\/a><\/p>\n Many critics who were skeptical of the premise walked out pleasantly surprised. Mashable’s Kristy Puchko<\/a> wrote that she confessed with “no small amount of shock” to really enjoying the film. Screen Rant’s Molly Freeman noted that Galitzine’s empathetic, earnest hero won her over even though she never understood He-Man’s appeal as a kid. Plugged In called it a film with ‘a lot of heart and a valuable lesson,’ while Variety<\/a>offered the more measured verdict that the film tries to serve too many masters and doesn’t fully honor any of them.<\/p>\n The casting seems to be a big reason. Idris Elba<\/a> brings gravitas to Man-At-Arms. Camila Mendes holds her own as Teela. And Alison Brie<\/a>‘s Evil-Lyn (purple headdress, cosmic orb, the whole iconic look) provides the film with some of its sharpest comedic energy. The franchise’s silliness, as director Knight told Empire<\/a>, was never something the production tried to hide. ‘There’s an inherent silliness to it, which we are acknowledging and embracing,” he said. “I think it’s a virtue, actually.’<\/p>\n The detail generating the most joy among fans is a cameo from Dolph Lundgren, the He-Man from the 1987 film, who returns in a supporting role and passes the torch<\/a> in a way the production handled with genuine affection. Lundgren had said of Galitzine before opening weekend that he ‘looked great’ and praised the younger actor’s balance of strength and compassion. The moment plays, by most accounts, exactly the way it should.<\/p>\n For viewers who spent their childhoods with the cartoon, the film is a pleasant reminder that sometimes nostalgia holds up better than expected.<\/p>\n \ud83c\udfacSIGN UP for Parade\u2019s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox<\/a>\ud83c\udfac<\/p>\n This story was originally published by Parade<\/a> on Jun 7, 2026, where it first appeared in the Movies<\/a> section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For a generation of kids who rushed home from school to watch Prince Adam raise his sword and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":481733,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[146,85,46,65344,397,102579,223176,132858],"class_list":["post-481732","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-entertainment","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-masters-of-the-universe","tag-movies","tag-nicholas-galitzine","tag-prince-adam","tag-travis-knight"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/481732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=481732"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/481732\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/481733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=481732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=481732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=481732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}