Masters of the Universe Gets the Screen, Loses the Spark

Lede

Masters of the Universe fills the IMAX screen like a champion, then somehow forgets to make the soul feel larger too.

Hermit Off Script

Masters of the Universe finally gave me a film that actually uses most of the IMAX screen and sound, and for that alone I can’t pretend it was useless. It looked expensive, it sounded expensive, and it knew how to fill the room. The problem is that my feeling while watching it was simple: good boring. A big action, sci-fi, fantasy franchise film should not feel like a polished treadmill. It runs, it shines, it sweats, but somehow it stays in the same place. The Dolph Lundgren cameo worked because it had meaning. The man who played He-Man in 1987 appears as a passing bodybuilder in the gym, and for a moment the film remembers it has a past, not only a marketing department. Then the jokes arrive, and too many of them feel forced, like the film is pressing the laugh button before the audience finds the joke. It makes you laugh without laughing. Idris Elba and Morena Baccarin deserve better than being trapped inside a film that feels good and dull at the same time. Jared Leto also has the strange job of playing without fully playing, because Skeletor as a character can swallow the actor behind the costume and voice. Camila Mendes felt like the fresh presence here. She brightened the film more than several battles managed to. By the end, I still had the same feeling: it is a good boring movie, even with action, CGI and fighting everywhere. It feels premium enough for IMAX, and yes, I would rather see it there than on streaming, because on a television the spell would probably shrink into furniture. The new CGI and image are clearly better than the old days, but better image is not the same as better wonder.

Masters of The Universe – Official Trailer

The Sword Returns, Then So Does the Homework

Prince Adam loses the Sword of Power as a child and grows up far from Eternia, which is already a bit careless for a future saviour, but fine, destiny loves poor admin. Years later, the sword pulls him back across space to a home world broken under Skeletor’s rule. With Teela and Man-At-Arms beside him, Adam has to remember who he is, protect his family, save Eternia, and become He-Man before the villain finishes turning the universe into his personal skull-themed renovation project.

It is classic fantasy business: lost prince, glowing sword, damaged kingdom, evil tyrant, loyal allies, loud prophecy. The film gives the myth plenty of scale, muscle and CGI thunder, but the emotional spark has to fight for screen time between battles, jokes and franchise duty. The result is a story that looks ready to conquer galaxies, while quietly asking the audience to bring some wonder from home.

Cast and credits

Director: Travis Knight
Writers: Chris Butler, Aaron Nee, Adam Nee, Dave Callaham
Genre: Action, adventure, fantasy, sci-fi
Main cast: Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Jared Leto, Idris Elba, Alison Brie, Morena Baccarin, Kristen Wiig, James Purefoy, Johannes Haukur Johannesson, Charlotte Riley
Composer: Daniel Pemberton
Production company/studio: Amazon MGM Studios, Mattel Studios, Escape Artists
Runtime: 132 minutes listed by Rotten Tomatoes and The Numbers; IMAX and Box Office Mojo listings show around 140 to 141 minutes
Release year and platform: 2026, cinemas; U.S. theatrical release on June 5, 2026, with earlier international dates listed from June 3, 2026

What does not make sense

A film can use the IMAX screen properly and still feel emotionally medium-sized.
The action keeps shouting “premium”, while the story quietly checks its watch.
The jokes seem to arrive with their own applause track, but no real pulse.
Dolph Lundgren’s cameo has more emotional memory than several expensive battle scenes.
A cast with Idris Elba, Morena Baccarin and Jared Leto should not feel this underused.
Camila Mendes brings freshness, which only makes the rest of the film’s safe machinery more obvious.
A franchise built on wild fantasy should never feel afraid of being truly strange.
Streaming would make the film look smaller, but IMAX cannot make the writing braver.

Sense check / The numbers

Masters of the Universe opened in U.S. theatres on June 5, 2026, with Amazon MGM handling U.S. distribution and Sony Pictures International handling international distribution. [Amazon]
Amazon’s official overview lists 10 main cast names, including Nicholas Galitzine, Jared Leto, Idris Elba, Camila Mendes, Kristen Wiig, Alison Brie, James Purefoy, Morena Baccarin, Johannes Haukur Johannesson and Charlotte Riley. [Amazon]
IMAX lists the film with a June 5, 2026 release date, PG-13 rating, Amazon MGM Studios as studio, Travis Knight as director, and a duration of 2 hours 21 minutes. [IMAX]
The Numbers reports a $29,308,000 domestic opening from 3,677 theatres, $25,000,000 international, and $54,308,000 worldwide against a listed $170,000,000 production budget. Domestic box office is listed as 54.0 per cent of worldwide gross. [The Numbers]
Rotten Tomatoes lists the film as PG-13, 2 hours 12 minutes, and in theatres from June 5, 2026, which clashes with some cinema and box office listings showing around 140 to 141 minutes. [Rotten Tomatoes, IMAX, Box Office Mojo]

The sketch

Scene 1: The full screen
An enormous cinema screen glows while a small story sits on a folding chair in the corner.
Dialogue:
Screen: “I am ready.”
Story: “I brought a sword.”
Audience: “And a pulse?”

Scene 2: The gym blessing
A tall old bodybuilder silhouette passes a glowing dumbbell to a younger hero silhouette while executives watch from behind a glass wall.
Dialogue:
Old Hero: “Good journey.”
New Hero: “Thank you.”
Executive: “Can we sell that?”

Scene 3: The premium yawn
A battle explodes across the panel while one viewer sits perfectly still with popcorn halfway to their mouth.
Dialogue:
CGI: “Look at me.”
Joke: “Laugh now.”
Viewer: “I nearly did.”

What to watch, not the show

The franchise habit of treating nostalgia as a full screenplay.
The pressure to make every old toy line feel like a cinematic universe.
The difference between theatrical value and actual storytelling value.
The way premium formats can hide weak pacing for 1 night, but not forever.
The streaming question: some films look expensive at home, others look exposed.
The casting problem where big names become ornaments inside armour, masks and lore.
The box office risk when a $170,000,000 production opens like a film still looking for its true audience.

The Hermit take

The screen has the power.
The story keeps asking the sword to do the soul’s job.

Keep or toss

Keep / Toss.
Keep the IMAX scale, Camila Mendes’ freshness and the respectful Lundgren cameo. Toss the forced jokes, franchise padding and the belief that sharper CGI can replace wonder.

Sources

Amazon official overview: https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/entertainment/masters-of-the-universe-movie-amazon-mgm-studios
IMAX listing: https://www.imax.com/movie/masters-of-the-universe?activation=masters_of_the_universe
The Numbers box office page: https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Masters-of-the-Universe-%282026%29
Rotten Tomatoes listing: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/masters_of_the_universe_2026
Box Office Mojo listing: https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl973309441/
SlashFilm cameo explainer: https://www.slashfilm.com/2186081/dolph-lundgren-masters-of-the-universe-2026-movie-cameo-explained/
FMDB soundtrack listing: https://www.fmdb.net/releases/masters-of-the-universe-original-motion-picture-soundtrack-9a3e5e
Guardian review: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jun/02/masters-of-the-universe-amazon-he-man-movie-review
People cast comparison: https://people.com/see-original-masters-of-the-universe-cast-vs-new-stars-11991811