Masters of the Universe: A fantasy action film that makes you want to applaud and say 'This is exactly what I wanted!' as a muscular blonde man beats up his enemies, even if the protagonist's costume is catastrophically tacky.

[Personal Satisfaction Rating]

Ranking of 2026 Japanese theatrical releases by enjoyment: 5/51
Story: ★★★★★★★★★★
Characters: ★★★★★★★★★★
Visuals: ★★★★★★★★★★
Music: ★★★★★
Want to see in theaters: ★★★★★★★★★★

[Work Information]

Original Title: Masters of the Universe
Production Year: 2026
Country of Origin: USA
Distributor: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Runtime: 140 minutes
Genre: Fantasy, Action
Source Material, etc.: Toy line 'Masters of the Universe' (1981-)
Official Website: https://masters-of-the-universe.jp/

[Synopsis]

*Quoted from the official website.
Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) was born as the prince of the planet Eternia.
When war broke out in his homeland during his childhood, he was sent to Earth, a 'place no one knows,' to protect him.

15 years later, a grown-up Adam discovers the legendary 'Power Sword'.
Guided by the sword, he returns to his homeland, but Eternia has already fallen to his evil nemesis, Skeletor (Jared Leto)...

Determined to save Eternia and its people, Adam resolves to take on the forces of evil in a life-or-death battle as He-Man!

[Review]

The source material is a toy line released by Mattel.
This film is the second live-action adaptation, following a history of media mix expansions including TV anime, comics, and video games.
It revamps the setting from the 1987 film starring Dolph Lundgren, Masters of the Universe, and returns as a thrilling action movie where a muscular blonde man beats up his enemies!
Movies like this tend to polarize into either cheap B-movies or top-tier S-class films, but personally, this one is definitely the latter!
There's even an Easter egg with a cameo by Dolph Lundgren, which got me super hyped from the very beginning!

<A classic fantasy action film that is easier to understand than the original>

The premise of the villain Skeletor attacking the planet Eternia is the same in both the 1987 version and this film.
However, the 1987 version featured a plot where the planet Eternia and Earth intersected, and the focus was split between the Eternian warrior He-Man (Dolph Lundgren) and the characters on Earth, Julie (Courteney Cox) and Kevin (Robert Duncan McNeill), making it a bit confusing.
You'd find yourself asking, 'Which one is the main character?'

On the other hand, this film follows a flow where Prince Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) is sent to Earth as a child when Eternia is in crisis, and returns home 15 years later with the 'Power Sword' to fight Skeletor (Jared Leto).
It's easy to follow because the protagonist is unified as Adam alone.

<Overpowering the roughness full of plot holes with brute force!>

Honestly, the story itself is quite simple and progresses conveniently, so there are plenty of things to nitpick (lol).

・Who raised young Adam for 15 years after he arrived on Earth?
・Why was the 'Power Sword,' which was lost when he came to Earth, displayed as a weapon for a giant figure in a toy store?
・The cheat setting where you gain superpowers without any effort due to the effects of the 'Power Sword'.
・Adam was chosen as a 'vessel' not for his physical strength but for his empathy, yet in the end, it was physical strength, not empathy, that defeated Skeletor (though empathy might have helped in uniting his allies).
・The comical banter on the enemy side falls flat and isn't funny.

But!

The movie moves at such a fast pace that those complaints—or rather, points of concern—are blown away in an instant, and above all, the exhilaration of Adam beating the enemies to a pulp is overwhelming!
I love the energy and momentum that cover up the holes in the setting.

<Muscles solve everything>

And really, muscles are important, you know, muscles.
It has a different kind of persuasiveness compared to the 'slender but strong' trope often seen in Japanese anime and manga.
It's said that the lead actor, Nicholas Galitzine, consumed 5,000 kcal a day (about 2.5 times that of an adult male) and trained for 5 months to prepare for the role.
The genuine, massive muscles produced from that effort carry tremendous weight on their own and convince everyone watching that he is a hero.
It's a complete victory for the character and a victory for the muscles.
Just like in Flash Gordon (1980) and Conan the Barbarian (1982), it might be a characteristic of the 1980s that movies featuring muscular blonde men swinging swords to defeat enemies were popular.

<And so>

As a grand fantasy action film where a muscular hero mows down his enemies, it was personally a movie I loved!
The theme song is also catchy and has an addictive quality that won't leave your head once you hear it.
There's also a hint of a sequel after the main story ends, so I have high expectations for future developments!
I definitely want you to see it in a movie theater!