We are only halfway through 2026 when I am writing this review, and Daniel Pemberton has already produced several excellent soundtracks His score for Project Hail Mary is magnificent, and using only three flutes for the music for The Drama was an innovative and brilliant idea. While I was writing down my thoughts on those two scores, I was already thinking about what he would write for Masters of the Universe. I am not big on nostalgia-based movies, but having watched the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon when I was a kid made me quite curious about this live-action adaptation of these iconic characters. It is not the first live-action film in the franchise, since a movie was already made in 1987. Bill Conti wrote an excellent traditional orchestral score for that previous film, something Pemberton rarely does. This was confirmed when I heard the fantastic announcement that Queen guitarist Brian May was involved with the music for this new adaptation.
The first track, “Eternia,” is immediately the best example of what kind of music Pemberton has crafted for this film. It is a fantastic theme, featuring electronics, choir, percussion, and, of course, Brian May’s iconic guitar. It is a great theme for representing the planet Eternia and its people, including Prince Adam and his alter ego, He-Man. That is why this theme can be heard throughout the whole score. Hiding in this theme is another important subtheme, representing the well-known Sword of Power, He-Man’s weapon that helps him transform into the powerful hero he is. This theme emerges just past the two-minute mark. What I love about this theme is that I can hear quite a few similarities with “The Born King” from King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, in its melody and the use of medieval instruments. I am not sure whether it was a coincidence or a deliberate nod by Pemberton to link the Sword of Power and Excalibur musically. If you want to compare both melodies yourself: “The Power of Grayskull” is the clearest example of this concept that can be found on this album.
There are many minor themes for other characters in the score as well, but they are not that prominent, and you have to listen very carefully to hear them. I did notice the Man-at-Arms theme while watching the movie, a particularly emotional version of which you can hear in “You Failed.” By contrast, Skeletor and the other villains do not really get a melodic theme, but their music is more like dark sound design, similar to what Pemberton did for The Prowler in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
The Sword of Power and the Eternia themes are not the only highlights of the music for Masters of the Universe. What makes this music remarkable is how the themes are integrated to support the scenes. The ‘80s cartoon had some campy, childish, humor, which the new film translates this perfectly by not taking itself too seriously. With a movie like this, Pemberton is the best composer for the job because he can write the perfect music for scenes that contain both serious and silly moments. The longer build-up cues are especially effective –”’Comic Store Heist” brings a classic heist-movie energy with drums and bongos, while “Prison Break” leans into an ’80s rock vibe.
In addition to Pemberton’s original material, the film also features some well-chosen existing music. The Queen song “Princes of the Universe” fits perfectly within the story, though it is missing on the album. What can be found on the album is a wonderful instrumental version of “Boys Don’t Cry,” and while most of the score is original material from Pemberton, you can hear a wonderful orchestral version of the original theme from the cartoon in “A Job for He-Man.”
Whenever I hear an announcement that Pemberton is scoring a film, I am already excited. He is a composer who always delivers a unique and exciting score, and Masters of the Universe is no exception. I have no idea how he comes up with all these innovative ideas, but I am glad his directors give him the freedom to explore them. In my opinion, 2026 is his best year, and yet we are only halfway through!
Listen or buy
- Buy this soundtrack from Amazon or Apple Music
- Listen to this soundtrack on Spotify
Tracklist
The highlights are in bold.
- Eternia (3:19)
- Young Adam (3:46)
- The Battle for Eternos (4:07)
- You Failed (0:50)
- Skeletor and King Randor (2:19)
- Portal to Earth (2:22)
- Boys Don’t Cry (1:28)
- Comic Store Heist (2:41)
- Freeway Escape (1:18)
- Folding Space (Eternia) (1:36)
- Eternos in Ruins (1:28)
- What’s Left of Us (1:06)
- Prison Break (edit) (3:46)
- Conflict Territory (2:27)
- The Power of Grayskull (1:54)
- He-Man Vs Trap-Jaw (1:49)
- Get the Sword (1:21)
- Sky Fight (5:47)
- Mulched (2:06)
- You Are He (1:14)
- See Another Morning (1:54)
- Such Good Friends (1:35)
- Journey to Snake Mountain (1:34)
- Enter Snake Mountain (1:43)
- Fight for Snake Mountain (3:55)
- I Wanted to Protect You (2:33)
- The Universe Shall Quake in My Shadow (1:30)
- Battle Cat and He-Man (2:23)
- The Witch and the Warrior Goddess (1:27)
- Let’s Have a Look (1:15)
- The Sword of Power (3:34)
- Skeletor Vs He-Man (3:32)
- Return to Eternia (3:12)
- A Job for He-Man (1:51)
- Masters of the Universe (3:20)
Total length: 1 hour and 22 minutes
Lakeshore Records (2026)
