As a kid who grew up glued to the TV watching reruns of the original He-Man and the Masters of the Universe animated series in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the announcement of a new live-action film hit me right in the childhood. I was one of those kids who didn’t just watch the show; I lived it. I distinctly remember sprinting at top speed around the house, hoisting my plastic Power Sword high in the air, and yelling “I have the power!” at the top of my lungs. In fact, my commitment to the role was so total that I once suffered a spectacular wipeout right by the front door because I was too busy staring up at my plastic weapon to notice what my own feet were doing.

When the 1987 live-action film came along, I absolutely loved it. Say what you want about it, but it had a tremendous cast—Frank Langella’s Skeletor remains iconic—and a dark, synth-heavy vibe that completely captured my imagination. Because of that lifelong fandom, my expectations and hopes for Director Travis Knight’s 2026 Masters of the Universe were incredibly high.

Ultimately, the new movie mostly lived up to what I wanted, even if it trips over its own feet along the way.