‘Masters of the Universe’ Reviews Are In, and Critics Can’t Stop Talking About Jared Leto’s Skeletor
Few pop culture relics carry as much nostalgic weight as He-Man, the muscle-bound Prince of Eternia who dominated children’s imaginations throughout the 1980s via Mattel’s toy line and the animated series that followed. Director Travis Knight brings the franchise back to the big screen through Amazon MGM Studios, with a reported budget sitting between 170 and 200 million dollars, signaling just how serious Hollywood is about turning Eternia into a blockbuster universe once again. The story follows Prince Adam, sent to the human world as a boy along with the Sword of Power when his kingdom is attacked by the villainous Skeletor, with Adam returning fifteen years later in an attempt to reclaim Eternia from the villain’s grip.
The ensemble assembled around this revival is nothing short of impressive. Nicholas Galitzine leads as Prince Adam, supported by Camila Mendes as Teela, Idris Elba as Duncan/Man-At-Arms, and Jared Leto as Skeletor, with Alison Brie, Morena Baccarin, and Kristen Wiig rounding out the cast. Galitzine, who broke through with popular performances in ‘The Idea of You’ and ‘Red, White and Royal Blue’, was tapped to inherit a role that Dolph Lundgren first brought to life in the 1987 cult classic.
The Hollywood Reporter’s roundup of critical reactions paints a picture of a film that has genuinely surprised many, though not everyone. As of early reviews, ‘Masters of the Universe’ is sitting at a 76 percent critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, with the majority of positive notices landing in the seven and eight out of ten range rather than generating perfect scores. Notably, the humor and faithful adherence to He-Man lore that drew praise from fans are the exact same elements drawing criticism from detractors, with some finding the comedy landing flat and the deeper franchise references alienating for newcomers.
Where critics seem to find the most consensus is in the unlikely triumph of Jared Leto’s Skeletor. IGN’s Clint Gage noted the film was funnier than expected, and singled out Leto’s Skeletor for bringing a delightfully weird and cartoonish energy to every scene, while Galitzine and Elba anchor the film’s thematic weight. Coming Soon called the film one of the most fun adventures of the year, praising Knight’s handling of action set pieces and crediting his deep love for the source material as the key ingredient that sets this apart. On the other end, The Wrap was sharply critical, arguing the film is so unfocused and self-conscious that it risks being the final nail in the coffin for 1980s nostalgia, though even that review acknowledged Galitzine was perfectly cast.
The generational handoff between He-Men has been one of the film’s most discussed storylines off screen as well. At the Los Angeles premiere, Dolph Lundgren praised Galitzine by telling The Hollywood Reporter that the role demands a leading-man type first and foremost, with physicality being something that can always be developed, and that Galitzine proved that by building himself up for the part. Lundgren, in a joint interview with Galitzine for TODAY, described the new film as being about finding your inner power and believing in yourself, done in a charming way, calling it a blast with big heart.
‘Masters of the Universe’ opens in theaters on June 5, distributed by Amazon MGM Studios domestically and Sony Pictures Releasing International overseas. With a mixed but largely warm critical reception and genuine crowd-pleasing energy reported from premiere screenings, the question now is whether audiences will show up in numbers large enough to justify the universe Knight and company are clearly hoping to expand. Whether you think Jared Leto was the last person who should play Skeletor or the best possible choice, drop your take in the comments.
