Masters of the Universe came out earlier in 2026, and it was probably the movie highlight of the year for me. It’s no secret that fictional worlds, whether on screen or on a written page, are a huge part of my life. Anyone who knows me understands that I probably can’t get through a conversation without quoting from or referring to a movie or book. Growing up, my brother and I watched He-Man all the time and played with the action figures, so when another rendition of Masters of the Universe came out, I wanted to see it but didn’t have the highest hopes for it.
I walked into this movie expecting to be entertained but I left completely blown away. Everything in this movie captured the feelings from my youth. The cast was fantastic, and the updates bridged the decades-long gap between the old and the modern. Man at Arms, Teela, Evil Lyn, the Sorceress, and King Randor reminded me of why I loved these characters in the first place. Skeletor was exceptional, and Prince Adam/He-Man honored the original because despite all the battles in the series, his character fought only to protect those weaker than himself. He was the strongest man in the universe because he wasn’t on a power trip.
Of all the above goodness in the movie, the standout character for me is Trap Jaw. In the original cartoon, he looked kind of cool, but he was simply one of Skeletor’s henchmen. In this movie, he was so much more than that. His cartoon look translated shockingly well to live action, and his change of attitude made him the most intimidating character in the movie. I know, Skeletor wields magic, but for grit and attitude, Trap Jaw has him beat. This updated version conveys elements of the character’s background lore. Trap Jaw didn’t start out as a mindless goon. He had ambition. He was a ruthless leader tortured into submission by the ultimate manipulator Skeletor. Trap Jaw is calculating, physically powerful, practically glows with underlying rage, and is generally vile, but he’s oddly charismatic. In my opinion, Trap Jaw stole the show, and that’s hard to do because everything about this movie was, in this old fan’s opinion, perfect.
If you saw the movie, what is your opinion about it? Who is your favorite character? If you remember He-Man and the Masters of the Universe from the 1980s, how do you think this movie captured the essence of the original?