Masters of the Universe is The Lord of the Rings Meets Star Wars

The year 2026 has seen several big movies come and go in theaters, with some of these films already on streaming. The latest of these to do so is Masters of the Universe , which was produced by Amazon MGM Studios to reboot He-Man and his allies. While it failed to find an audience at the box office, it's now lighting up the charts on Prime Video, and part of this is the inherent genre mix of the franchise.

With its combination of fantasy and science fiction, Masters of the Universe is essentially 2026's Star Wars meets The Lord of the Rings. This allows it to embrace the source material while being more than just another 1980s retread. In a way, it's a brand unlike any other, offering the thematic familiarity of both Middle-Earth and the galaxy far, far away in an adventurous package.

The world of Eternia in Masters of the Universe is straight out of a fantasy world, having just as many of the genre's elements as Middle-earth in The Lord of the Rings books and movies. There are gigantic castles, magical items, various monsters and fantasy races, with many of the villains under the command of Skeletor being comparable to the Orcs. Likewise, Skeletor could be seen as similar to Sauron or Saruman , being both an evil overlord and a powerful sorcerer. Everything in both franchises has an air of the epic and almost poetic, making things larger than life and grandiose. The same extends to the weapons and artifacts, with the Sword of Power or the One Ring being far more than just an armament or a piece of jewelry.

These are both fabled and legendary items that have the fate of their respective worlds tied to them. There are both literal and figurative journeys surrounding the heroes tied to these items, with these further enhancing the sense of majesty. In fact, just as Adam is exploring Eternia for the first time and in awe of the location, the hobbits in The Lord of the Rings are the same way, being able to see the wonders of Middle-earth beyond the humble Shire on their first grand adventure. Most importantly, both brands capitalize on traditional ideas of good vs. evil, making these ideological feuds into cosmic clashes worthy of the gods. The result is a mythological sensation for both The Lord of the Rings and Masters of the Universe , with warriors such as Aragorn and He-Man being stand-ins for the heroes and demigods of old.

This use of fantasy elements has been ingrained in the Masters of the Universe franchise since it began in the 1980s. Back when Mattel was developing the brand, the company originally wanted to make toys for the recent movie adaptation of Conan the Barbarian. This was a far darker R-rated film than expected, however, with even the source material being far from family-friendly. Thus, Mattel reworked things to make its own fantasy franchise, with He-Man himself initially cast in the barbarian mold. These "sword and sandal" fantasy elements still reside in its thematic DNA, and when combined with modern special effects in the new movie, the similarities to J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings aren't hard to find.

While Eternia is largely a fantasy world that wouldn't be out of place in franchises such as Conan the Barbarian , The Lord of the Rings, or arguably even Game of Thrones , it has distinct elements that separate it from merely being a cheap retread of what's seen in the worlds of those stories. Most notably, it also has a healthy dose of sci-fi, with the phrase "where science ends, magic begins!" being used in early promotional material. This manifests in lasers, spaceships, science fiction-style armor, and characters whose very concepts are strictly in the realms of this more futuristic genre. In this way, the similarities to Star Wars are apparent, and this also has something of a legacy within the series.

The original Masters of the Universe toyline was developed because Mattel needed a direct competitor with the success of Kenner's Star Wars line. This competition was why the science fiction elements were added to Masters of the Universe , especially since it helped to "tone down" the pure fantasy/barbarian elements that were so similar to darker properties such as Conan . These aspects can now be seen in the new movie, with fantasy monsters and mystical warriors fighting with and alongside advanced weapons and technological marvels that would make many of today's gadgets pale in comparison. It's arguably a strange juxtaposition, but this mix of magic and science is never seen as contradictory. In fact, the concepts are handled much the same way as in Star Wars .

Star Wars embraces fantasy and magic-esque spirituality by way of the Force, with the quasi-mystical Jedi and Sith representing this alongside cloned troopers and robotic battle droids. Bringing balance to the Force is similar to the concept of bringing balance between technology and nature, but technology is far from completely demonized. After all, droids such as R2D2 are heroic, while the dark Sith use their esoteric abilities for evil. Likewise, Masters of the Universe has He-Man use a magical sword to become a barbarian of sorts, but his nemesis, Skeletor, is himself an evil sorcerer. Conversely, Man-at-Arms and especially Mekaneck largely eschew magic entirely and use weapons and technology, while Evil-Lyn and Beast Man are a vile witch and a heinous monster who serve Skeletor.

This extends to the main characters of the franchises, with Adam Glenn/He-Man sent away from Eternia as a baby to be saved from the evil that consumed the fantasy world. Likewise, both the heroic Luke Skywalker and his sister Leia were separated and sent away in different capacities after being born, with the intent being to fool the Sith into thinking the twins had died with their mother and were never born. These humble beginnings belie the heroes' notable legacies, with this all being part of the classic "hero's journey" in fiction. Making the parallels even more obvious would be their shared status as swordsmen, with He-Man having the Sword of Power and Luke having a lightsaber.

The ingredients for classic fantasy and mythology literature are all there, even if the medium isn't on the printed page. This connection to film and literary classics helps to elevate a blockbuster that sadly wasn't quite appreciated during its theatrical run. It was well-received by fans, however, and thanks to the Prime Video streaming service , it's gaining a few more of those. Thus, the new Masters of the Universe movie will definitely appeal to more than just those who grew up with the toys or Filmation cartoon from the 1980s. Fans of fantasy, action, adventure, Star Wars , The Lord of the Rings, and the myriad of brands that have been inspired by those names will feel right at home going to Eternia when they watch He-Man's latest incarnation.