Masters of the Universe

This film came out in 1987 which was two years after the Transformers movie (the cartoon). It also came on two years after the last new episode of the cartoon was made. Basically, it pretty much was a done franchise when the live action adaptation hit the big screen. I was a fan of the cartoon, so I went to this film, but even at this young age I was not the fan I once was. Transformers took the mantle of my favorite cartoon. Still, I thought it would be cool to see a live action He-man, which I remember reading about in my He-man monthly magazine. What graces the screen is a mixed bag. You find yourself saying 'that is pretty cool' while at the same time going 'this really isn't much like the cartoon'. The film was released by Canon, which is odd mainly due to the fact they mainly released 'R' rated, over the top violence and bloody movies during this time. Here they release a children's film and do so with a rather large budget...over 20 million. They cast Dolph in the role of He-man and had a few other stars of note in what would be a doomed franchise in that it never made it passed the first initial film.

The story has Skeletor basically in charge. He has taken over Castle Greyskull, he has the sorceress in his evil clutches and he has He-man and his two allies Man-At-Arms and Teela on the run. So already it is nothing like the cartoon as I just do not remember any episodes where Skeletor was this ahead of the game. It is kind of like the Transformers film in that in that one the Decepticons were winning despite never really challenging the Autobots during the course of the show. It is also more forgiving here as this is a live action movie, independent of the cartoon, while the Transformers were a continuation of the show. Well He-man and company run across a little creature named Gwildor. I do think they should of just named him Orko and be down with it, cause that is obviously who he was in essence. Well this creature has a device that transports our gang from Eternia to Earth and thus Hollywood once again uses the trick of setting what should be a battle on a fantasy world to Earth. Earth, the place where sets are not as expensive. We also get these two teenagers who have drama in their lives, making me wonder, who the heck were these two characters trying to appeal to? Not me, or my friend as we both found their romance and storyline boring. Well there are battles aplenty and when the film is focused on the action it is pretty good.

Dolph is okay as He-man, he certainly has the looks. Still, he does not look at home in a child friendly film in costume. Frank Langella seems right at home though as the evil Skeletor and he does a commendable job. He also has the coolest scene in the film, where his giant throne like ship comes rising up behind our characters. The rest of the cast do okay, get rid of the two teens and their asinine sad plot and this film could of been great. Not saying we should not have an earthling for the gang to interact with, but not the girl from the Bruce Springsteen video! Seriously, were they trying to attract teens that would not want to see a He-man film in a million years or what? If they were looking to attract teen guys, all the simply had to do was put Teela in the costume she wore in the cartoon.

So basically the film has some good and some bad. A bit more good than bad. The film plays like other films like Star Wars and Krull with the added additions of the He-man and Skeletor characters. I do not understand the inclusions of the newer characters, because at this point the toy was finished so why not have more of the characters from the show. Why Gwilder instead of Orko? They at least had Teela, Man-At-Arms, Evilyne and Beastman, but those new characters were just lame. Well Sauron was cool and not in the movie for long. Karg and Blademaster were just embarrassing looking. The film though has some good action, between the melodrama and this film while not perfect did probably the best it could with the budget and the source material. Had the rights been bought by a bigger film company I am sure it could have done better. This film reminds me of the Dragonball: Evolution film, it too was released well after the show's popularity had fallen, only this one was not the failure it was, because even it followed the source material better than that film. So an okay action flick with some fantasy touches.

On the planet Eternia, Skeletor (Frank Langella) and his dark army overthrow the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull (Christina Pickles) expecting to acquire her power. He-Man (Dolph Lundgren), his old friend Duncan "Man-at-Arms" (Jon Cypher) and his daughter Teela (Chelsea Field) are attacked by Skeletor's soldiers and they defeat them. They also rescue their prisoner, the inventor and locksmith Gwildor (Billy Barty). He explains that he was lured by Evil-Lyn (Meg Foster) that used his invention Cosmic Key to open the gates and seize the Castle Grayskull. He-Man and his friends retrieve the prototype of the Cosmic Key trying to release the Sorcereress but they are defeated by Skeletor and his army and Gwildor uses his key to open and portal for them to flee. They come to Earth but lose the key. Meanwhile Julie Winston (Courteney Cox), who grieves the loss of her parents in a plane crash, and her boyfriend Kevin Corrigan (Robert Duncan McNeill) find and activate the key, believing it is a foreign musical instrument. On Eternia, Evil-Lyn locates the Cosmic Key and Skeletor sends her with a group of mercenaries and soldiers to vanquish He-man and his friends and bring the key back. Will they succeed?

"Masters of the Universe" is a silly but entertaining fantasy adventure film. The movie is a ripoff Star Wars, with the introductory credits rolling on the screen, the score and Skeletor's army, and Conan, with the strong Dolph Lundgren. The plot has silly moments, like Julie delivering the Key to her deceased mother or the comic attitudes of Detective Lubic. But "Masters of the Universe" is cult and entertaining for the fans. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Mestres do Universo – O Filme" ("Masters of the Universe – The Movie")

This bad lad turned up on Prime and brought me way back to Enternia.

Could not believe it's a 5.4!! This movie is pure gold.

The soundtrack is awesome.

Dolph is Dolph like in every movie.

Lubic should have been in the movie more, would have been an 8 if that was the case.

The movie bombed due to the budget. I had this bad lad on VHS and watched it well over a 100 times.

It's there with the goodies, Killer Klowns, Big Trouble In Little china.

You either love the full on 80s flicks that age great in time or you bring it down. Some great memories here and most important it's a good movie even in May 2024.

Forget the 5 it's a 7 You have the POWER.

I have read a number of reviews on this movie and they are accurate and good for the most part. My credit is to Gary Goddard for all he endured and still getting a credible and succinct movie made.

The fight scenes are real and actual so they seem methodical but they're great. The hair, clothing, make-up, special effects, and down the list we go, is so caked in '80s gunk it would be hard to fight for this as a classic. It is the only He-Man movie out there, and although a sequel beckons, eighteen years have passed without a stir.

If a sequel were to made Langella would have to be Skeletor. I mean the best acting from both he and Lundgren comes when He-Man is being led by the Centaurian. Langella saying "I give you a choice: return to Eternia with me as my slave and save their despicable lives, or perish with them here on this tasteless, and primitive, planet." It's cold and dark and it's authentic. It's chilling and you get chills. Langella overacts sometimes but mostly is great. He took Skeletor from a whiny, irritating, and downright pathetic worm of a guy to a believable, earthy, credible, and despicable evil-doer. We get a taste of the importance of He-man and all that he does, here in this scene, too.

Goddard did something brilliant here, he made the movie personable. He puts these people on Earth, interacting with Earthlings, and putting a grasp on how out there these "aliens" are. But it is also probably why this movie is so widely disregarded, because it doesn't have great and illustrative fight scenes. Instead they are sensible and plotted. To see this movie remade could be a real treat.

Gwildar is, essentially, Orco. He was easy, sensible, irritating, but not nearly as annoying, and unfairly Billy Barty was nominated for a Razzie. The story interlocks with this missing "key" as created by Gwildar. This cosmos idea of God-like power through the manifestation of a fourth dimension is highly advanced. This is why the movie is good. Portals are doors and He-Man is definitely a science fiction adventurer. This puts an Earthy spin on an idea wiling out.

Teela works and Man-in-Arms (Duncan) is good as a faithful sidekick to He-Man. That's what he is. He can hold his own but mostly is fighting for duty of right, and he follows He-Man for he is the epitome of it. Teela's gritty and pitched voice, with her desperate actions, are very formidable. Duncan is best when inspiring Kevin. Kevin is a sensitive guy with a talent. What these Eternians do is showcase pessimism on Earth for their planet is dying at their own hands. They are their own good and evil and it is hard to differentiate, so why care? By the end of the movie Courtney Cox and Robert Duncan McNeill (Julie and Kevin) see that. So does Lubic. The Eternians have no planet and yet they continue to hold hope and forge ahead: He-Man.

Tolkan is not so much a distraction as he is pretentious. McNeill yelling to Tolkan "Lubic this is for real" as he dodges a Centaurian blast doesn't hold much weight, or reality. It is about unity, division, and strength. Both literal and figurative.

Meg Foster is great as Evil-Lyn because she improves the movie rather than take time from Skeletor. Goddard lets most of the acting chops fall to the incomparable Frank Langella. He-Man is the ambassador of good. He is to talk slow, be level-headed, and search for justice. Lundgren does all of these things. He mission isn't to be malicious and blood seeking. When he runs into Julie (and a great fight sequence ensues) it is Duncan and Teela doing some leg work. He-Man is a protector. He'll abate killing Skeletor to keep any and all safe. In all honesty how many lines can you give someone? Someone suggested Brad Pitt as He-Man for a remake. I don't mind Pitt, but he would ham up the screen like some feel Skeletor did. Skeletor's was good, He-Man's would not be. Lundgren, in all honesty, is great. He has a mullet but looks the part, and contrary to popular belief, acts it. He wields the Sword of Grayskull gracefully, yet with force and some clumsiness. It's heavy, but he's well-skilled and versed in the sword. These oppositions are found in the Soceress. She would normally seem bad to us; however, she is the greatest power of good. Christina Pickles gives great lines of philosophy allowing for good banter and humor with Skeletor. And her love for He-Man is very evident and clear with solid acting.

The cartoon is hardly to be found here, aside from the characters and Eternia. Battle cat, and all other characters good and bad, could cloud a remake. But it would be great to see history revealed for He-Man like the new Batman series has done. People forget we like to see depth in our characters. And the character Charlie is filler, not unimportant, but certainly not integral. He's written well. All in all watch this movie because it's really, quite engrossing.

I gave a groan when I saw the Golan-Globus name in the opening credits, but this movie actually turned out to be much better than I would have expected.

This movie may not appeal to die-hard fans of the animated series because of the liberties it takes with the established characters, but as a stand-alone work it's decent enough for what it's supposed to be. It thankfully doesn't take itself too seriously, allowing us to just enjoy it as the light bit of entertainment that it is.

Frank Langella is unexpectedly excellent as Skeletor under all that make-up, and it was fun to see Star Trek Voyager's "Mr. Paris" at a very young age here.(His first major role perhaps?) Dolph Lundgren is as unexpressive as usual, but at least he looks the part. And Beast-Man makes a good contribution to the cast of villains.

All in all, don't set your expectations too high and you will probably enjoy this fun piece of 80s pop culture.

Now if it would just come out on DVD!