By the power of Grayskull, it sounds like Masters of the Universe may actually have a hit on its hands. The first social reactions for director Travis Knight’s long-awaited live-action reboot hit social media following the film’s Los Angeles premiere Monday night, and early buzz points to a crowd-pleasing blend of fantasy, sci-fi spectacle, comedy, and pure Saturday morning cartoon energy.
And surprisingly? The breakout star appears to be Jared Leto as Skeletor.
Yes, really.
After months of fan skepticism surrounding the casting, multiple reactions singled out Leto’s performance as one of the film’s biggest highlights, describing his take on Skeletor as wildly entertaining, theatrical, creepy, and gloriously over-the-top in exactly the way a Masters of the Universe villain probably should be.
Meanwhile, Nicholas Galitzine is also earning strong praise for his turn as Prince Adam/He-Man, with reactions suggesting the actor successfully balances the character’s earnest heroism with the self-aware tone Knight reportedly brings to the reboot.
The early consensus seems to be that the film embraces the franchise’s inherent weirdness rather than trying to “ground” it in generic blockbuster territory.
Which, honestly, might be the smartest thing it could do. Have a read through the reactions below.
Several reactions specifically praised the movie for capturing the spirit of the original 1980s animated series while modernizing the action and visuals for contemporary audiences. Others compared its tone to classic Amblin-style adventure films mixed with pulpy fantasy spectacle.
Not every reaction was glowing. A few critics suggested the movie occasionally leans too hard into silliness and camp. But even several mixed responses admitted the film is never boring and fully commits to its wild tone.
That alone may separate it from many modern franchise reboots that spend half their runtime apologizing for their source material.
Directed by Travis Knight, whose previous work includes Kubo and the Two Strings and Bumblebee, the film appears to continue the filmmaker’s strength for balancing emotional sincerity with large-scale genre storytelling.
The reboot arrives in theaters next month as studios continue mining nostalgic ‘80s properties for modern audiences. But unlike some recent attempts, Masters of the Universe sounds less interested in grim reinvention and more focused on delivering a genuinely fun fantasy adventure. Watch the final trailer below:
The Geek is a working screenwriter, director and screenwriting instructor.
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