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“Back to Tribune. HomeT-Magazine. The power of nostalgiaT-Magazine. Next Story. The power of nostalgia. He-Man’s return to the big screen for the first time since 1987 is both a triumph and a missed opportunityB…”
Back to Tribune. HomeT-Magazine. The power of nostalgiaT-Magazine. Next Story. The power of nostalgia. He-Man’s return to the big screen for the first time since 1987 is both a triumph and a missed opportunity. By. Omair Alavi|facebooktwitterwhatsuplinkdedemailPUBLISHED August 23, 2026The first English phrase I memorised with real meaning and proper understanding was not a nursery rhyme or a classroom lesson.
So, with equal parts excitement and caution, I saw Travis Knight's reboot of Masters of the Universe and ended up somewhere between relieved and disappointed. Let me first talk about the relief – finally, they showed Prince Adam's transformation into He-Man, a moment they missed in the last film due to budget constraints.
Hopefully, I didn’t waste time; I am just warming up to the possibility that my analysis was more thoughtful than the director’s performance.
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The new Masters of the Universe begins strongly with an introduction to the characters, followed by a fight sequence in which Skeletor (Jared Leto) dethrones King Randor of Eternia, injures Queen Marlena, attacks the Sorceress, and forces Prince Adam to flee for his life with the Sword of Power.
When he finally gets the sword in his hand, it attracts both Teela (Camila Mendes) and Beast Man, who fight over it while Adam looks on as if he has no clue what is happening. The battle then shifts to He-Man’s home planet, Eternia, where Prince Adam finally embraces the Power of Grayskull and announces his arrival in style.
Although neither character’s voice resembles the one in the animated series – Skeletor had a shrill voice; Evil-Lyn’s was husky – they managed to step out of the shadows of supporting characters and establish themselves as the bad guys we wanted to lose. Rather than reinventing the villain, Jared Leto leans into the theatricality that has always made Skeletor memorable.
If the director had taken a leaf from classic Hollywood flicks, a three-tier fight featuring He-Man and Skeletor, Teela and Evil-Lyn, and Battle Cat and Panthor (who wasn’t in the film) would have made the climax more interesting.
The special effects were impressive as well, and for the first time in live action, Castle Grayskull is appropriately imposing, and Eternia itself bursts with colour in ways modern fantasy blockbusters often avoid.
Because they were busy penning cheesy jokes for newer fans instead of connecting with the real fans who have been building a mental checklist for a long time, the film doesn’t tick half the boxes on that list. Then there are the story choices that feel fundamentally off, even though everyone knows Prince Adam is He-Man.
However, if you have no idea who the most powerful man in the universe is, this film may leave you wondering what all the fuss is about.
The writer is a freelance contributor who writes about film, television, and popular culture. All facts and information are the sole responsibility of the writer. Pages.
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Written by Saba Qamar
Aman-e-Pakistan Senior Journalist & Bureau Reporter
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