Masters of the Universe Trailer Learns Great Lesson from D&D: Honor Among Thieves

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The new live-action Masters of the Universe movie seems to be taking inspiration from the recent success of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, particularly in terms of its tone and approach.

This summer, look out for “Masters of the Universe,” a new movie from director Travis Knight and Amazon MGM Studios. The film, based on the popular franchise, features Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man, Camila Mendes as Teela, Idris Elba as Duncan/Man-At-Arms, and Jared Leto as Skeletor, among others.

What lesson does the Masters of the Universe trailer learn from Honor Among Thieves?

Okay, I just watched the new Masters of the Universe trailer, and honestly, I’m really glad they’re not taking themselves too seriously! The original cartoon was a blast, but let’s be real, it was wonderfully cheesy sci-fi. We’re talking a villain with a skull face, a massive talking cat – it was all about fun! I think a lot of younger viewers might only know He-Man from those iconic ‘HEYEYAAEYAAAEYAEYAA’ memes, and it’s cool the movie seems to embrace that energy.

As a movie fan, I’ve seen so many adaptations of things we all love totally miss the mark. It’s like they get so worried about pleasing the existing fanbase that they forget to have fun. Take the recent Transformers or those live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies – they were way too serious! And honestly, the Dungeons & Dragons movie from the 2000s, or even the Assassin’s Creed film a few years back, just didn’t seem to get what people loved about those franchises in the first place.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is a great example of how to get this right. Like Guardians of the Galaxy, the movie successfully balances appealing to dedicated fans with its rich backstory and hidden details, while still being a fun and accessible adventure for everyone.

Just because the new Masters of the Universe movie is going for a certain feel doesn’t automatically mean it will be good – we’ve seen similar approaches fail, like with the 2024 Borderlands movie. However, the tone shown in the trailer is much more appealing than if they’d tried to make a dark and serious He-Man film. Right now, Masters of the Universe looks like it could be a hit.

Masters of the Universe will be released in United States theaters on June 5, 2026.

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2026-01-22 19:16