Review - Masters of the Universe - Prime

If you’re wondering about the new film, Masters of the Universe, a live-action remake of the beloved movie from the 80′s, I’ll tell you what I thought about it.

BACK TO THE FIRST MOVIE

Let’s walk back in time to the 1987 movie that every boy from kindergarten age to high school adored. Yes, it was a critical failure according to critics and an economic failure for Cannon Films.

However, in the hearts and minds of those boys of that generation—and girls too—it was AWESOME!

Given that, how could they create such a mess of this 2026 remake?

THE PROBLEM

Lack of focus seems to be the main problem. It’s as if they didn’t know whether they were making a movie for kids or one for young adults because there’s an irritating mix of silly, stupid comedy and colorful over the top violence, sex, and innuendo. Yes, too adult for children; too ridiculous for adults.

What’s even worse, if that’s possible, is that the comedy bits to characterize “Adam” aka He-Man as young and naive, either aren’t funny or the cast weren’t comfortable in their respective roles.

Honestly, after the first 30 minutes, I began fast forwarding through the movie. The story just wasn’t compelling and the acting seemed as if the cast thought the story was as ridiculous as the AI tiger.

I’m reluctant to say this movie was lackluster and rather boring, but, it was. I think there’s a reason, or reasons for that. Sony Pictures announced the movie in 2009, but the project underwent multiple changes—writers, directors, and cast—before it finally went into filming and production in 2025.

To me, all of those changes indicate a lack of focus on what the movie should be. Sony transferred the rights to Netflix in 2022. In 2024 the rights were bought by Amazon MGM Studios. Filming occurred in the first half of 2025 with the premiere held a hear later in May 2026 at TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles.

In June, the film was released in the U.S. by Amazon (internationally by Sony). The latest stats say it underperformed at the box office, grossing $114M on a $170M budget. Perhap it will break even with revenue from streaming.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

This rather harsh review is just my opinion. You may have an entirely different appreciation for the movie.

Joan Reeves aka SlingWords: The Word Slinging Adventures of Joan Reeves

Source: https://slingwords.blogspot.com/2026/08/review-masters-of-universe-prime.html