“Masters of the Universe” might not know who its audience is. Sure, yes, perhaps “everyone” is the goal. Modern blockbusters are usually aiming for those golden four quadrants that might justify spending hundreds of millions of dollars to make a movie about an old toy. But as far as beautiful, blond Mattel products go, He-Man is not and was never going to be Barbie.

It’s a character and aesthetic — bodybuilder muscles, pageboy haircuts and all — that is about as rooted in the 1980s as you can be. The toy launched in 1982, apparently an attempt to compete with Star Wars products. The animated series came the next year, and in 1987, a movie was released with Dolph Lundgren. It was a critical and box office flop, and that was around the height of its popularity.

Yes, some have reclaimed that “Masters of the Universe” as a campy cult classic, and there have been some animated series in the last few decades, but culturally speaking, He-Man seems to have stayed in that decade. It’s a relic that went the way of Saturday morning cartoons — aside from that meme set to “What’s Up?” by 4 Non Blondes, which is referenced in the new movie. But even that’s a little long in the tooth: It was made in 2005.

This “Masters of the Universe” was directed by Travis Knight, who did spin something charming off “Transformers” in “Bumblebee.” But this is a film that doesn’t seem to know what it wants to be. It’s, paradoxically, a big-budget B-movie. It’s cartoony and campy, which it is also constantly apologizing for. It’s also violent enough to probably rule out the under-10 crowd. It’s aiming for something in the vein of a Taika Waititi “Thor” or a “Guardians of the Galaxy,” but it doesn’t fully commit to the thing that the HEYYEYAAEYAAAEYAEYAA video understood so well: He-Man is extremely silly. Not just the character. The whole thing: the look, the names, even the phrase “by the power of Greyskull, I have the power.”

The script and story, which is laboriously credited to so many people it’s probably not worth going into, attempt to turn much of this into a one-note joke. Here, they excuse cringey names like Fisto and Ram Man as the product of a young boy’s imagination. The film sets up a world where Prince Adam (played as a boy by Artie Wilkinson-Hunt) is sent away from Eternia for his protection as the kingdom fell to Skeletor (Jared Leto). And for 15 years he’s been stranded on Earth, working a dull job in human resources, living with a roommate and obsessively looking for the Power Sword that is his only hope of getting back home. He’s also grown into a hunk ( Nicholas Galitzine ), but an extremely awkward one who isn’t shy with his origin story. Naturally, everyone thinks he’s basically crazy.

Thankfully, our time with him on Earth is short (but perhaps not short enough in a movie that runs a bloated 142 minutes, including a Lundgren cameo) and, soon enough, he’s back on Eternia and trying to help return the kingdom to its former glory. Everyone is very dismissive of him, including his old friend Teela, who has grown into a model-y warrior (played with cool girl jadedness by Camila Mendes), until he figures out how to use the sword that instantly transforms him into a superhuman. It’s difficult to stress how not exciting or dramatic this quick fix is.

The large cast is doing the best they can. Galitzine is quite awkward and sweet, but his character is deeply underdeveloped. Idris Elba brings some goofy gravitas to a fallen warrior whose confidence was shaken. As Skeletor, Leto has gone full camp with a theatrical British accent that reminded me less of Bane and more of Paul F. Tompkins’ Andrew Lloyd Webber. This isn’t a bad thing — Leto and Alison Brie, as his abused henchwoman, seem to be having the most fun of all, like exiles from an episode of “Power Rangers” — but it does make you wonder why they didn’t just cast an English character actor in the first place. Others aren’t so lucky: Morena Baccarin is mostly there for vibes as The Sorceress, and Kristen Wiig is mostly forgettable as a warrior robot.

It also tries to weave in threads about expectations of masculinity and power, but even that is messy and confused and fails to incorporate the female characters into the dialogue.

The movie might have worked better if it had just gone full Saturday morning cartoon with fewer self-deprecating jokes. But that would have required more conviction about what everyone was making in the first place.

“Masters of the Universe,” an Amazon MGM Studios release in theaters Friday, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association for “sequences of violence and action, some suggestive material and language.” Running time: 142 minutes. Two stars out of four.

Published on
02/06/2026 – 17:17 GMT+2

An oil tanker suspected of being part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” has arrived in the Bay of Douarnenez in western France on Tuesday under the escort of the French Navy.

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The Tagor was intercepted and boarded in international waters off the coast of Brittany on Sunday with support from the United Kingdom, the Elysée Palace confirmed.

French officials said the vessel had departed from the Russian Arctic port of Murmansk and was sailing under a false Cameroonian flag when it was intercepted.

Authorities said the ship’s Russian captain initially refused orders to stop, prompting a boarding operation that the Kremlin has described as an act of “international piracy”.

It is the fourth tanker linked to Russia’s shadow fleet to be detained by France since September 2024.

Shadow fleet vessels are typically characterised by opaque ownership structures, frequent changes of flag registration, ship-to-ship cargo transfers and limited insurance coverage.

Western governments say the network has become a critical tool for exporting Russian oil despite international restrictions.

According to French authorities, the Tagor was bound for the port of Limbe in Cameroon when it was stopped.

Flying a false or invalid flag is considered a serious maritime violation and is commonly associated with sanctions evasion.

Iranian shipping magnate linked to Russian oil exports

The vessel has attracted particular attention because databases have linked it to the wider shipping network of Iranian oil trader Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, one of the most prominent figures accused of facilitating both Russian and Iranian oil exports.

Shamkhani, the son of former Iranian national security chief Ali Shamkhani, has built a vast network of shipping and logistics companies operating primarily from the United Arab Emirates.

In July 2025, the European Union sanctioned Shamkhani and several companies linked to his business empire, including Admiral Group and Milavous Group, describing him as a central player in Russia’s shadow fleet.

The EU said his network had become an important facilitator of Russian crude oil exports and accused him of helping generate significant revenues for the Russian energy sector.

The United States subsequently expanded sanctions against what it described as Shamkhani’s “vast shipping empire”, targeting more than 100 entities, individuals and vessels connected to the network.

U.S. authorities said the structure had generated billions of dollars through the transportation and sale of Russian and Iranian oil, although French authorities have not publicly alleged that Shamkhani directly owns the Tagor.

Fourth vessel detained by France in recent times

France has intensified enforcement against shadow fleet vessels over the past year. Authorities detained the tankers Deyna and Grinch in the Mediterranean on similar grounds, although both vessels were later released after paying fines.

In a separate case, a French court sentenced the Chinese captain of the tanker Boracay in absentia to one year in prison and imposed a €150,000 fine after the vessel failed to comply with orders to stop off the Brittany coast in September 2024.

The French government announced in April that it would strengthen penalties for vessels operating without valid flag registrations or refusing maritime inspections, reflecting growing European concern over sanctions evasion and maritime safety risks associated with the shadow fleet.

According to the European Union, nearly 600 vessels linked to Russia are now subject to sanctions as governments seek to tighten restrictions on Moscow’s oil exports.

Mexican authorities have uncovered a sophisticated underground tunnel near the U.S.-Mexico border that was equipped with lighting, ventilation and an electronic transport system, which they say may connect Tijuana to a street in San Diego.

Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office, known as the FGR, announced the discovery Saturday following a search warrant executed at a property in the Nueva Tijuana neighborhood of Tijuana, Baja California.

Authorities said the tunnel stretched approximately 265 meters, or about 870 feet, and reached a depth of roughly 6.3 meters, or 21 feet underground.

According to investigators, the tunnel contained operational infrastructure, including lighting and ventilation systems, as well as an electronic sliding mechanism designed to move items in both directions between Mexico and the U.S.

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The tunnel was discovered through intelligence work conducted by agents with the FGR’s Criminal Investigation Agency in coordination with Mexico’s Security Cabinet.

Officials said the search warrant was executed as part of an investigation into alleged violations of Mexico’s firearms and explosives laws as well as drug-related offenses.

Authorities said they believe the property may have functioned as a storage, logistics and trafficking center for firearms, explosives and illicit drugs.

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Photos released by the FGR appear to show agents navigating the underground passageway, access points leading into the tunnel and evidence recovered during the operation.

Investigators said they recovered ammunition, suspected methamphetamine, suspected marijuana, cell phones and various documents from the property.

Images released by Mexican authorities also appear to show ventilation infrastructure inside the tunnel, underscoring what officials described as a sophisticated operation.

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The FGR said its investigation indicates the tunnel likely connects to a street in San Diego, though authorities have not publicly identified the location or confirmed whether the U.S. side of the tunnel has been located.

The tunnel discovery comes as U.S. authorities announced charges against four individuals accused of trafficking more than a ton of cocaine through a sophisticated cross-border tunnel stretching between Tijuana and San Diego.

According to federal prosecutors in San Diego, the tunnel extended approximately 1,933 feet, reached a depth of about 55 feet and was equipped with reinforced walls, electricity, ventilation systems and rail infrastructure.

Federal investigators said the tunnel connected Tijuana to a storefront in Otay Mesa known as “Buy 4 Less,” where agents discovered a concealed exit point hidden beneath the floor of a storage room.

Authorities seized approximately 1,029 kilograms, or more than 2,269 pounds, of suspected cocaine during the investigation, an amount prosecutors estimated was worth roughly $45 million.

Homeland Security Investigations said the seizure dealt a significant blow to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one of Mexico’s most powerful criminal organizations.

The investigation resulted in charges against four suspects accused of using the tunnel to move narcotics into the U.S.

Federal officials said the tunnel was discovered after months of surveillance that began in late 2025 and culminated in coordinated enforcement actions on May 29.

Officials described the discovery as a significant blow to criminal organizations that rely on underground smuggling routes to move narcotics and other contraband across the border.

“For these defendants, it wasn’t a light at the end of the tunnel. It was lights and sirens,” U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon for the Southern District of California, said.

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The evidence and property have been turned over to federal prosecutors in Baja California, who will continue the investigation.