'Masters of the Universe' Review: It was actually quite good
Published on HivePostify by @namiks · Fri Jul 24 2026
I'm not sure what made me check this out beyond hearing that it wasn't that bad despite flopping upon release. I've never really been a fan for the He-Man universe, never watched it as a kid, never really cared to look it up as an adult. Though I have to say I was really surprised at how fun of a film this ended up being, with a fun mix of fantasy and colourful visuals that I think cinema has been missing lately as it pursues darker, more gritty fantasy stories and sways away (thankfully, for the most part) from the Guardians of the Galaxy look. But there's always room for creative fantasy stories, and it's nice to see that one was made even if it came from an existing franchise yet again.
I noticed my enjoyment of the film quite early on with the colours and visuals, but also the action sequence that the film begins with. Even with Idris Elba's performance despite the Americanisation of his accent which admittedly killed it off a bit for me. He just can't do them, better off with the natural English one! Despite all of that, I really did enjoy the character designs in the film, the special effects were done quite well and I really enjoyed watching this in 4k, where all of those visual effects just popped that bit extra. Naturally, the film starts off with a bit of context beforehand, the setting up of the main character, him in his youth and a bit weak, though his father expecting more of him, already expecting the signs of a man to come rather than the child he is.
The film definitely had that typical narrative structure with its character development and call to action, to which the character slowly learns of their power and develops into the hero that is needed to save everyone and the land. I didn't mind this at all. The film managed to tick all of the boxes of a big blockbuster epic still. The beautiful sound effects during fight sequences, the science fiction look of the world and tech mixed with the fantasy of magic. The pacing between downtime and action here and there which never felt too familiar but still kept things moving. I actually really enjoyed how it all came together. And of course, all with plenty of little comedic moments throughout to keep it entertaining and not all too serious.
It seems more and more rare for such films to be made these days, and that's fine as Hollywood has ultimately exhausted the main franchises and lost its creativity, I just hope that this leads to similar types of films still being made here and there. Especially if it means some more unique stories being told that aren't already established franchises. This was definitely a gamble anyway with how dated the characters and franchise actually is. And I honestly think it ended up being quite a good film. Especially with the beautiful anamorphic look!
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