Masters of the Universe (2026 film)

     Masters of the Universe is incredibly silly, but it's fully aware of exactly how goofy it is. If you have a low tolerance for cheese, you're not going to have a good time. It reminds me of the 1980 Flash Gordon movie, but if it had modern special effects and an unlimited budget.
    It makes fun of itself constantly. A ton of the jokes center around the names of the characters. It turns out Ram-Man and Fisto were just nicknames young Adam used because he couldn't remember their real names.
    I've heard of superhero movies being described as "the film version of a kid mashing all their action figures together." Never has that been more true than here. I wouldn't have been surprised if at some point the camera zoomed out, only to show the entire movie was just a kid playing with his toys, like The Lego Movie. But that doesn't happen.
    The special effects are amazing. There's a few badly-matted shots, and a couple of CGI failures, but for the most part the movie is gorgeous and very colorful.
    Speaking of Flash Gordon, the soundtrack is very much a Queen tribute. Brian May worked with the film's composer, and it's full of electric guitar riffs that really set the mood.
    Masters of the Universe is full of fanservice. It's got plenty of obscure characters and vehicles. It's got a decent cast, including a cameo for fans of the 1987 film. I know Jared Leto has a lot of haters, but Skeletor was pretty entertaining.
    Bottom line, MotU is a lot of fun. In some ways it's a love letter to fans of the original toy line, but it might be too silly for some viewers.