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Ron and Mon: “By the Power of Grayskull!” 

Ron: Hello and welcome to a new episode of Stereo Geeks, a bi-weekly pop culture podcast, and weekly newsletter. Today, we’re reviewing Masters of the Universe. I’m one of your hosts, Ron, a pop culture critic and managing editor at Women Write About Comics, now on hiatus. 

Mon: And I’m your other host, Mon, an entertainment writer with bylines in Bam Smack Pow and Huffpost, to name a few. This review will be divided into two sections, a spoiler-free review, followed by spoilers.

Ron: Before we start our episode, we would like to acknowledge that the land we are recording on is the traditional territory of many nations, including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples. It is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. We also acknowledge that Toronto is covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit.

Mon: While we are making this land acknowledgement, we understand that this is not enough and that positive action is required by the people of Canada to make substantive change for the Indigenous nations and communities whose lands we now reside on.

[Music]

Ron: Masters of the Universe follows Adam, played by Nicholas Galitzine. Adam is a loser. He works in Human Resources, he lives with a secretly rom-com-loving roommate, he can’t benchpress anything. But worse, he insists on telling people that he’s actually from a beautiful planet called Eternia where he was a Prince. He was a loser then too, but Earthlings don’t need to know that.

Mon: Obviously, nobody believes Adam because Earthlings have no imagination. But it would help if Adam had proof of his story. He does not. Until! Earth is attacked by a terrifying creature and Adam is saved by Teela, played by Camila Mendes.

Ron: Finally, Adam will get to live out his best life on Eternia, with his friends and family. Of course not, this is a fantasy film. Eternia is ruled by the evil Skeletor, voiced by Jared Leto, sigh. The place is a mess and they need a hero.

Mon: But can Adam be that hero? And can he beat Skeletor on his own?

Ron: Also in the cast are Idris Elba as Man-at-Arms, Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn, and Morena Baccarin as The Sorceress.

Mon: The film is directed by Travis Knight, with screenplay and story by Chris Butler, Aaron Nee, Adam Nee, Dave Callaham, Alex Litvak, and Michael Finch.

Ron: We have a long, storied history with Masters of the Universe. We grew up with He-Man toys. We had a He-Man, a Skeletor, a Battlecat, plus Skeletor’s Panthor. A couple of Orko toys. We even had a little Grayskull.

Mon: Yes, we used to love the cartoon! And, many years later, we discovered the Dolph Lundgren Masters of the Universe film, from 1987. We saw it so many years later, because it had a Star Trek: Voyager connection. Ever since we saw that film, we say “Good Journey”, which is what He-Man and his crew say in the film.

Ron: We kind of fell off of the Masters of the Universe world for most of our adulthood, until the Netflix cartoon, and the She-Ra show.

Mon: You can listen to our review of the first season of the Masters of the Universe show wherever you listen to podcasts.

Ron: So, would it be safe to say that we were worried about this film? How do you make a He-Man film in 2026? The costumes, the lore, the character names. It’s all a bit silly.

Mon: I couldn’t see it, to be honest. The first half of the Netflix animated show was so refreshing, but then it pivoted to being the opposite of its subversive start. Even then though, I felt the show was uncomfortable with its origins. If an animated show was that uneasy, what would a live-action film do? Embrace it, apparently!

Ron: The silliness is exactly why the 2026 Masters of the Universe film works for me. This film is made for 80s and 90s kids who are now old enough to indulge in nostalgia and to appreciate the campiness. It wholeheartedly leans into those aspects. The humour, the fact that Adam works in HR, his complete loser-vibe. This is a film made for millennials, even though the stars are somewhat younger.

Mon: That is exactly it. Masters of the Universe is fun to watch because it’s very self-aware. It’s a film based on toys, everything about it is childish. So, make that the core of the story. Spotlight the ridiculousness; have fun with it, but don’t make fun of it! I loved how the film balanced that out. The creative team also remembered that this is still a story about people. So, no matter how ludicrous the premise is, we need to feel for the characters, identify with them, and want to hang out with them. 

Ron: And then throw in a bunch of action scenes.

Mon: But, of course!

Ron: Now, on to spoilers! I cannot get over how funny Masters of the Universe was. From the very start, with Adam’s voiceover about Eternia. He’s like, the heart of the galaxy is Eternia. And the heart of the heart is the power. And the heart of the heart of that heart is the Sword of Power. Yeah, the gods really named it that. It sets the tone for the self-deprecating humour of the film.

Mon: Absolutely. The dialogue is intentionally humorous. But they work in a lot of physical comedy that I genuinely wasn’t expecting. You do not expect the beefed up, bleach-blond male hero to be panting because he’s never done cardio. 

Ron: Yes! Galitzine is a huge guy; he’s hella ripped. And that baggy pink shirt does little to hide his muscles. But it’s so funny seeing him pretend to struggle with any physical activity. We were laughing so hard.

Ron: I almost wish they’d done the Captain America: The First Avenger thing of CGI-ing Galitzine on a slighter person. But I don’t think it would have been as funny that way. The humour of this film is campy, so it actually adds to the hilarity. 

Mon: I thought about that, because he’s so obviously buff. Agreed that it’s funnier with Galitzine himself. They could have gone down the Snowpiercer route though and hidden him under layers of jackets. But in any case, he’s hilarious!

Mon: He’s also not the only one powering the comedy. Pretty much everyone has their moments. 

Ron: Even Skeletor is funny! I did not expect that. I love how he’s being all bombastic and laughing way too long for comfort, and his cronies are just like, I guess we’ve got to go on with this. 

Mon: This film only works because we don’t have to see or hear Jared Leto. Skeletor is a suit. The voice is overly modulated. Because he’s hidden, we don’t cringe every time Skeletor appears. 

Ron: I know. Phew! And Evil-lyn, played by Alison Brie, she’s so over Skeletor’s antics, but she clearly needs this job so she puts up with it. It looked like Brie was having a ball with her role. Everyone looked like they were enjoying the film!

Mon: Yes! Alison Brie is so hammy in this. And that performance is very specific and intentional. I loved it!

Ron: I also love the fact that Adam works in HR. He has the world’s most boring corporate job, and it’s made worse by the fact that he has to talk to people. And his boss is played by Sasheer Zamata. She is perfect! She captures the annoying HR lingo and that fake HR smile so well. I cringed and screamed internally. Perfect casting. I’d watch a remake of The Office with her leading the show. Any day.

Mon: Ok… But what I loved is that Adam’s HR background plays a part in his efforts on Eternia. He doesn’t have a big hero speech. Instead he conducts a seminar.

Ron: A war seminar! I did not expect that Eternia would be saved, not just by the Sword of Power, but by the Power of HR!

Mon: Haha, yeah. And he keeps trying to meet the villains part-way. But logic in Eternia doesn’t follow Earth’s. Everything is solved by fighting.

Ron: It is hilarious when he tries to talk about emotions and feelings. It somewhat works with Man-at-Arms, who gets all emotional about how he’s let his daughter, Teela, down. But with Trap-Jaw and Skeletor? Talking’s never going to work, Adam. Why are you trying?

Mon: Well, Adam is nothing if not persistent. We should talk about Idris Elba. I really enjoyed his performance here. He’s really calm and cool, but also ridiculously funny. 

Ron: Seeing Elba as Man-at-Arms made me realise how much I miss Heimdall in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Why did they kill him off? He was such a soothing, brave character.

Mon: I know! I got such strong Heimdall vibes.

Ron: I did, somewhat, especially when he’s so kindly towards young Adam. The king, played by James Purefoy, is such a meanie to his weakling son. And then there’s Man-at-Arms, who’s like, do your best, Adam. He’s protective, like Heimdall. But he’s also very different as Duncan. Or as Roboto calls him, Drunken. I love the dorky humour in this film!

Mon: I loved Elba’s action scene. It was near the start of the film, and it was energetic. He has moves! As does his stunt double.

Ron: It was so cool! He’s got all these weapons and he keeps finding new and inventive ways to fight. He was doing so well against Trap-Jaw, until he wasn’t. Uff, tough to see him fail.

Mon: Yes, I wanna mention, the characters use some really clever tactics in this film. I was seriously impressed. Like yo, that was smart. 

Ron: It was! Adam’s fight against Skeletor’s goons. I love how he uses the spikey guy’s spikes against him. Again, this is the humour that had me laughing so hard.

Mon: We’ve mentioned the humour a lot, but this is not a kids’ film. The humour is pretty bawdy at times. We laughed out loud so much, but those jokes are not for kids to repeat. 

Ron: The inappropriate adult jokes were so on-point for a millennial film. This is exactly what we used to get in the 80s and 90s. They would put these adult jokes in children’s films, to appeal to the poor adults dragged to watch these films, of course. Kids wouldn’t get it, but then we’d grow up and find them funny.

Mon: Oh my gosh, yes. I was so embarrassed at how loudly I laughed at times. But we weren’t the only ones laughing out loud. The other five people also found the film funny. 

Ron: All seven of us were adults there and we all appreciated the adult jokes. Why were there so few people at the theatre? This movie is hilarious and delightful!

Mon: Yeah that was disappointing. Ok, one last thing I loved about this film. And I hate that I loved it, because when will this need for cameos end? But Dolph Lundgren shows up in a cameo.

Ron: I love cameos. I refuse to have them stop. It was so exciting to see the former He-Man meeting the new He-Man! Okay, he meets wimpy Adam at the gym, but you know what I mean.

Mon: It was such an obvious passing of the baton. But done in a hilarious fashion, so it works with the story. 

Ron: The advice Lundgren’s nameless character gives makes no sense, and has nothing to do with gymming, which is what Adam asks him. And yet, Adam uses that advice during the war seminar at the end of the film!

Mon: And then they take a moment out to let Lundgren say the classic line from the OG live-action He-Man film… “Good journey!”

Ron: Classic?

Mon: It’s a classic in our home!

Ron: Of course it is. Now that we’ve talked about what we loved, we’ve got to be critical. Please hold as I sigh deeply. I was enjoying Masters of the Universe until the credits rolled and I saw that Skeletor, who was hilarious, was voiced by Jared Leto. Why? Why, in 2026, is the cult leader getting roles? 

Ron: Look, Leto got a lot of interest because he was very good-looking, and did weird roles. We listened to 30 Seconds to Mars. But once you read about the cult stuff and his disturbing behaviour on-set, in the name of method acting nonsense, you’ve got to ask, why do some people get to flourish in Hollywood?

Mon: I’m lost. He just keeps coming back, despite all the allegations. Hollywood is so weird.

Ron: My other major complaint is how little Teela gets to do in this film. She gets this amazing costume and a fantastic action scene intro. 

Mon: Please hold. I have to interrupt you to say, it’s really fun–for me, anyway–that Teela is almost fully-covered in a practical costume, and Adam, as He-Man, is running around in a loincloth and very little else. Tee hee!

Ron: I didn’t even realise that. I just loved her costume so much. But you’re right; we usually see barely-clothed female characters beside fully-clothed men. This film is the opposite. That’s so fun. 

Ron: But aside from that, for most of the film, Teela is flying a crashing ship, and then she’s just standing about while He-Man and Skeletor fight. Why not have her and Evil-Lyn duke it out as a separate fight? Give the ladies something to do. This film and The Mandalorian and Grogu are making me disillusioned about the state of blockbusters. It feels like we’re going back to the time when women had small roles in genre fare. Do better, Hollywood.

Mon: That’s the 90s throwback I didn’t like in this film. Teela, Roboto and Sorceress are set dressing here with very little screentime. 

Ron: That’s the best way to describe it. I was really hoping for more Sorceress. She’s always been the character I most want to see, and I’m always disappointed. I also don’t think Hollywood knows what to do with Morena Baccarin because she’s so striking to look at.

Mon: Which brings me to my major criticism of Masters of the Universe. The third act dragged on too long. They just couldn’t get the pacing right. The final fight should have played out on 4 levels–the Masters of the Universe fighting the hordes, Man-at-Arms and Roboto protecting Grayskull, Teela and Evil-Lyn duking it out, and Adam and Skeletor’s fight. 

Ron: Yes! I enjoyed He-Man and Skeletor’s fight but we lost the scope of the battle when the film became hyper-focused on these two. And that’s why Teela and Evil-Lyn were mere spectators at the end. Disappointing.

Mon: The issue was that they wanted to do everything with He-Man and Skeletor’s fight, so the rest of the characters were forgotten. Their fight has Adam appealing to Skeletor’s humanity, and then Skeletor messes with Adam’s brain–so we get a trippy montage of Skeletor on Earth.

Ron: I really liked that bit, only because it was hilarious to see Skeletor in Earth clothes. What a delightful visual gag. But as story propulsion, it didn’t do much.

Mon: Yes yes. It was a lot of fun. Let me finish complaining. Then Adam is almost dying, which is when Sorceress drops the unearned truth-bombs that Adam brings more power than brute force. But! The only way Adam beats Skeletor is by punching his lights out. 

Ron: Oooh, I did not make that connection. I thought Sorceress granted him the powers because he would fight for the weak, like Captain America. Which is why Adam tried to reason with Skeletor. Only to learn that Skeletor only responds to brute strength. And hence, punchy-punchy.

Mon: Oh. That’s a much better reading of the whole thing. My bad. Now, let me continue. The final final final fight is then done in the video game slow-mo mode. That is a lot going on in one fight. 

Ron: I liked the video-game slow-mo shots!

Mon: Oh my gawd, Ron! We’re trying to critique a film here!

Ron: But I was having fun. It’s all so silly. It’s made just for me. Barring the part where Teela is side-lined.

Mon: Listeners, I’m facepalming here. Anyway, my point is, had all this been interwoven with some clever editing, we wouldn’t have felt like Man-at-Arms and Teela were sidelined. 

Ron: Oh yeah, agreed, 100%. That last act needed to be tightened up far more.

Mon: So, what are your final thoughts on Masters of the Universe?

Ron: I loved Masters of the Universe. It was made for my immature sense of physical and visual humour. I laughed so hard throughout this film. 

Mon: I went in with no expectations. I just wanted to watch the film because… reasons. But I freaking loved it. What is happening to me, bro? I hate everything! And off late, it seems like I love so many things.

Ron: I went in with low expectations. I haven’t seen much of Galtizine, so I didn’t know what he would do. I was mostly worried about the cringe factor. But this film wasn’t cringey at all. Instead, Masters of the Universe is funny, energetic, it has the most gorgeous costumes. I love how it has an in-universe explanation for the ridiculous character names. Galitizine is having the time of his life and it shows in every scene. Idris Elba is a wonderful presence, as always. Justice for Camila Mendes’ Teela. But I loved this film, despite Jared Leto. I had so much fun.

Mon: Masters of the Universe has no right to be as fun and funny as it is, and yet here we are. The film embraces its origins–it’s childish and campy, but self-aware about why it exists in 2026. Everyone in the film seems to be having the best time, and that shines through in the hilarious comedy throughout. I loved the physical comedy and the unending jokes. It’s predictable, and silly. But it’s like watching a 90s film without the 90s sensibilities. If you want to switch off your brain and have a really great time, you should be watching Masters of the Universe. 

Mon: We can safely say that Masters of the Universe has the power of Grayskull. That’s it for our review today.

Ron: Join us next time for our review of the new Supergirl film. Good journey, listeners.

Ron: You can listen to Stereo Geeks on stereogeeks.ca, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Don’t forget to rate us, and leave us a review; it helps other listeners find us.

Mon: And, get more exclusive content when you subscribe to our newsletter on our website, and follow us on Instagram, @stereogeeks_podcast. Plus, we’re also on BlueSky, @stereogeekspodcast.bsky.social. 

Ron: The Stereo Geeks logo was created using Canva. Our music is courtesy Audionautix. 

Mon: See you next time.