The He-Man and the Masters of the Universe trailer is here! And I have been waiting for this movie all of my life.
I fell in love with the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe 80’s cartoon as a child. The series was action-packed and fun with clear lines between good guys and bad guys, with the common-at-the-time moral lesson imparted by our hero at the end. As an adult we can wink slyly at the not-so-subtle homoerotism and be jaded about animation that was created solely to sell toys, but as a kid, I embraced the series whole-heartedly. Prince Adam, the weakling heir to Eternia’s throne could secretly transform himself into the all-powerful He-Man.
I was that geeky, nerdy little kid who wanted to be special. Powerful. Every week, I would watch He-Man raise his sword aloft and cheer along with him, “By the Power of Grayskull…I have the Power!”
I may have screamed at my first view of Castle Grayskull. This is a world I played in for hours at a time (yes, I have many of the 80’s-run toys). Seeing it come to life is powerful. I hope it is as engaging and well-built as the scenes suggest. The trailer seems to follow more traditional hero’s journey type narrative with He-Man exiled to his mother’s Earth after Skeletor’s successful coup, his return to Eternia, and gathering of his allies for an attempt at revolution. It hints at a relatively simple story, but I am eager to see the film itself. There is opportunity for rich worldbuilding and deep storytelling. As an example, I recommend the storyline from 1983 (Season 1, Episode 6) about Teela’s search for her mother.
I will say, in this 2026 version, Nicholas Galitzine looks fantastic as the exiled Prince Adam, lost and a little lonely, making his way on his mother’s Earth as he attempts to find a way home. And I am loving Jared Leto as Skeletor – not an easy role – intimidating and threatening but not so over-the-top as to fall into camp. I am desperate to see more of other well-known characters: Man-at-Arms, Teela, Evil-Lyn, Trap Jaw. We get just enough in the trailer to tease. In particular, I want to see Morena Baccarin as the Sorceress. And of course, who doesn’t want to Battle Cat!
I am much less enthused about the significant CGI which – at this stage – looks overly saturated and has that eerily smooth look that less-than-perfect CGI has. We all know that “heavy CGI look,” and it tends to make even unique worlds look/feel/seem generic. He-Man has such great lore for Eternia and great locations are a part of that story. Let’s also not forget, He-Man came out at a time where many of the children’s shows had a darker, grittier look. If we don’t buy in to the film’s Eternia, the rest (story, characters, acting etc.) will likely not be able to carry the film.
While I have no doubt that some will pooh-pooh this film as a gimmick to sell toys, just as they did the original animation, they are missing the point. The trailer does capture the heart of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe – the idea of transformation: to change, to become more yourself, and to put this new, more confident, more powerful you towards helping and protecting others.
