Eternia is a land of endless beauty, with enchanted forest, floating islands in the sky, and magical creatures like griffins, dragons and talking tigers. King Randor (James Purefoy) and his ancestors have ruled over the land and kept the peace for hundreds of years. Duncan (Idris Elba), the King’s Man-At-Arms, has been trying to train the king’s young son Prince Adam, but he doesn’t seem to have inherited the family traits of strength and fearlessness.

Inside Castle Grayskull is the Sword of Power, which is protected by a wise and ancient sorceress (Morena Baccarin). The sword holds all of Eternia’s power, and it is foretold that one day a hero would step forth and wield the sword when Eternia is in its greatest need. However, when the castle comes under attack by the evil Skeletor (Jared Leto), his own sorceress
Evil-Lyn (Alison Brie), and an army of mutants, Adam is rushed away, along with the sword, for his protection, escaping to Earth. However, he is separated from the sword during transit, and this is his only way back home.

For the next 15 years, Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) lives in Oklahoma City, searching for the sword as he works a mundane corporate office job in the HR department. People think he’s crazy when he tells them about Eternia, its people, and his quest to find the sword. But he doesn’t let this stop him. One day, his childhood friend Teela (Camila Mendes) shows up to bring him and the sword back, so he can help rescue Eternia. However, the current Eternia hardly resembles the place he remembers. Skeletor has decimated the beauty of the land, and Duncan has become a drunk and a shell of the war hero he once was. The people are going to need a new hero to rise and lead them to take back their land. Adam is going to need to harness the power of the Sword of Power to become He-Man if he’s going to lead this ragtag group of rebels—including Fisto (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson), Ram Man (Jon Xue Zhang), Dian (Christiaan Bettridge), Mekaneck (James Wilkinson), and Roboto (Kristen Wiig)—to rise up and take back Eternia.

I grew up watching the 1980s He-Man cartoon, so I was quite familiar with these characters. This latest live-action adaptation does an excellent job of bringing these characters and world to life. As the film starts, you really feel like you’ve been transported to this magical world of Eternia. The sets are colorful and beautiful and feel like a whole other planet. Battle sequences are action-packed and exciting. And characters feel real and not just latex costumes. I wasn’t even aware that it was Jared Leto playing the voice of Skeletor until the end credits rolled. He does a phenomenal job of capturing the humor, oddness and whininess of this character that I remember rom the cartoon. This may be his finest performance yet! In fact the whole cast is great. Nicholas Galitzine transforms physically to make you really believe he’s He-Man, but also captures the innocence and humor of Adam. The filmmakers have also done a great job with his costume. Adam’s Earth outfit evokes the same feel of his princely garb on Eternia, and his iconic He-Man outfit is identical to the series. Camila Mendes also delivers on both the humor and more physically-demanding aspects of Teela. And Idris Elba is given the opportunity to showcase both his dramatic and comedic chops as Duncan goes through quite a transformation over the course of the film. There are also so many other fun characters fans will recognize from the cartoon.

I don’t really have anything negative to say about this film. Everything from the tone, to the sets, to the costumes, and the action are nearly perfect. I was definitely experiencing the nostalgia of 8-year-old me watching the cartoon, much more-so than I did when I saw the 1987 live-action film. This latest movie not only pays homage to the cartoon, but also feels like something fresh and new. It even has a nod to the previous live action film adaptation with a fun cameo by Dolph Lundgren. The film was directed by Travis Knight, who also directed the Bumblebee movie, and he knows how to make a film that incorporates nostalgic 1980s properties. You can tell he must have been a fan of the cartoon because there are so many fun references and jokes throughout. I especially enjoy when the movie pokes fun at some of the absurd things that we all just accepted about the series—such as the ridiculous character names, how no one knows that Adam is He-Man, or how characters will just stand and laugh together about nothing. I had a smile on my face from start to finish while watching this movie. I first saw it in the theater in Dolby Cinema, and enjoyed it just as much the second time around at home. What I really liked about this film is that it never takes itself too seriously and just has fun. It know exactly what it wants to be, and just unapologetically goes for it. It’s just pure entertainment.

Amazon MGM Studios/Alliance Home Entertainment have released Masters of the Universe on Amazon-exclusive 4K UHD/Blu-ray Combo SteelBook, 4K UHD, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital. We were sent the standard 4K release for review. The film’s visual presentation is phenomenal, capturing all of the bright colors and magic of Eternia. The picture looks nearly flawless, with a solid level of detail throughout, even in the darker sequences. The film’s immersive Atmos soundtrack also puts the viewer right into the middle of the action—this is noticeable right from the start as Eternia comes under attack by Skeletor and his army. The soundtrack also sounds great, ranging from a catchy and uplifting score, to heavy rock music during some of the action sequences, which feels right on par with the original cartoon.

The 4K release includes just a single 4K disc, which contains a small assortment of bonus material, including almost 15 minutes of short promotional featurettes as well as a 3-minute montage of footage from a drone show to promote the film. The disc is packed in a standard 4K keepcase along with a glossy carboard slipcover, but no digital copy code is included.

What’s Included:

Film: (2:20:30)

4K UHD:
• 2160p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Dolby Vision / HDR10
• Audio: English Dolby Atmos (TrueHD 7.1), English Descriptive Audio, French Canadian 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, German 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Italian 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish – Castilian 5.1 Dolby Digital, Japanese 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish – Latino 5.1 Dolby Digital
• Subtitles: English, English SDH, French Canadian, French, German, Italian, Spanish – Castilian, Japanese, Dutch, Spanish – Latino

Extras:

• Behind-The-Scenes Promotional Gallery (14:43)
  Collection of short promotional featurettes with the cast and crew, who talk about the characters, the setting, the story, the sets, the training routines, the sword, bringing the creatures to life, and more. Includes concept artwork, behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director Travis Knight, production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas, cast trainer David Kingsbury, property master Steven Morris, and stars Nicholas Galitzine (“Adam/He-Man”), Idris Elba (“Duncan”), Camila Mendes (“Teela”) & Alison Brie (“Evil-Lyn”). Play All, or select from:
  • Rebirth of a Hero (1:38)
  • Heroes of Eternia (1:39)
  • Forces of Evil (:52)
  • Constructing Eternia (1:14)
  • Who Is He-Man? (1:21)
  • The Sword of Power (:59)
  • Director Travis Knight: The Master of MOTU (1:04)
  • Becoming He-Man (1:01)
  • Forging the Sword of Power (1:15)
  • Rebirth of a Franchise (1:17)
  • Teela’s Training (1:06)
  • Creature Feature (1:13)
• Masters of Light: Skies of Eternia Drone Spectacle (3:19)
  Montage of footage from a MOTU promotional activation and drone show, set to the theme from the film.

Final Thoughts:

Masters of the Universe is the type of movie you can just sit back and fully enjoy while a smile never leaves your face. If you were a fan of the original cartoon, you will definitely have a great time with this live-action movie. It not only captures the fun and excitement of the series, but also feels fresh and new at the same time. The film also does an excellent job of bringing the world of Eternia and these characters to life like you’ve never experienced before. The 4K release presentation looks and sounds amazing, and the disc even includes some entertaining bonus material. This is a must own for fans of the film/franchise. However, for those on the fence, the film is also currently streaming as part of Prime Video.