| Amazon MGM Studios | Release Date: June 5, 2026 | CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION | ||
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Positive:
18
Mixed:
18
Negative:
8
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Critic Reviews
Jun 15, 2026
Masters of the Universe is a thrilling ride featuring high-octane action sequences and performances fueled by an infectious, heroic heart that make the audience root for the “good guys” to emerge victorious. Travis Knight and team have successfully captured the magic of 80’s cinema with explosive energy, creating a film that will make you feel like a kid again, ready to shout, “I have the power.”
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Screen RantJun 2, 2026
I can't speak to whether it's a faithful adaptation of the source material, but as someone who wasn't previously a He-Man fan, I'm eager to see where this franchise goes – and there are plenty of indications that Mattel and Amazon MGM are confident that Masters of the Universe could get a sequel.
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Jun 2, 2026
While Nicholas Galitzine and Idris Elba provide the thematic structure to the film, Jared Leto’s Skeletor gives a delightfully weird and cartoonish energy to every scene he’s in. It’s a film that appreciates the source material, silly names and all, and proves the best way to add to a 50-year-old franchise that’s about toys as much as anything else is to not take it too seriously.
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ColliderJun 2, 2026
Far from a gritty reimagining, this new version of Masters of the Universe is determined to wink at the camera and appeal to your nostalgia. Not everything works, and it would have been nice to have a more menacing villain, but it's a good time if you leave your cynicism at the door.
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AwardsWatchJun 2, 2026
It’s plainly imperfect: overlong, sometimes too winking, and occasionally flattened by the digitally homogenized look of modern blockbusters. But as a version of the property that bridges demographic and generational gaps to deliver a worthwhile take on a virtually dead franchise, it has at least a little bit of power.
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RogerEbert.comJun 2, 2026
It wants to be the crowd-pleasing, audience-nudging, Easter-Egg-having ode to the toy line that Mattel clearly desires, while also avoiding accusations of taking the whole thing too seriously. In so doing, it’s a film that tries to serve two masters, and doesn’t have the power to really honor either.
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A little of Masters of the Universe’s cheeky awesomeness goes a long way. The film’s 141-minute running time means there’s a lot of Masters of the Universe’s cheeky awesomeness. It’s not exhausting—if anything, the film’s second half improves on its first—but it does grow repetitive.
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Jun 2, 2026
At nearly two-and-a-half hours, the film ultimately succumbs to blockbuster conventionality and the stifling demands of brand management. But like the timid Adam transforming into the swaggering He-Man, occasionally the picture transcends those confining strictures to become something a little more confident and carefree.
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Radio TimesJun 2, 2026
OK, it’s all about cartoon emotions, yawningly obvious culture-clashing, hectic space swashbuckling and, ultimately, selling toys. Yet, Gerwig managed to navigate her way through the Barbie plastic mythology silliness to make potent statements about female solidarity and self-fulfilment. Nothing so inspired is forthcoming here, and considering the brilliance and complexity of Knight’s animated debut feature, 2016’s Kubo and the Two Strings, that’s a major disappointment.
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Jun 2, 2026IndieWireJun 2, 2026
Jun 2, 2026
Masters of the Universe touches all the fan-serving bases, with a fun cameo by a certain star of a previous film incarnation and enough post-credit sequences to guarantee several sequels. But it all comes off as terribly forced, as if everyone involved was already trying to figure out exactly how much they’ll earn signing autographs at future Comic-Cons.
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The TimesJun 2, 2026
The acting is feeble but for a solid turn from Idris Elba as the boozy bodyguard Duncan. The action is jeopardy-free and repetitive. And although the pitiful script, in vague development hell for more than two decades, seems determined to recast He-Man as a delicate, left-leaning protagonist, a finale involving gloriously captured face punches and broken jaws leaves us in no doubt that he remains a two-fisted Trumpian warrior and 1980s to the core.
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Jun 3, 2026
Masters of the Universe has a beating heart—thoughtfully recontextualizing He-Man as a different presentation of masculinity—and it’s bolstered by a cartoon-perfect representation of the original cartoon’s menagerie of characters and their powers. But the poorly executed, jingling-key cheap elements piled up around that heart are enough to clog it until it explodes.
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