Masters of the Universe [VHS]

Don't get me wrong, this movie is objectively bad, but that does not mean it isn't worth watching. At it's core it wanted to be a sword and sorcery movie, but it was hindered by it's roots as a childrens cartoon and the producers evident desire that it remain kid friendly.Right now, so many franchises that I loved as a child are being destroyed, heck it's even a common theme among stories and characters I loved as a Teen or an adult.This might have been made for the wrong audience, but at least it was clear that the producers wanted to make the movie for the young boys who grew up wanting to be He-Man.There are some bright spots.Dolph Lundgren at his physical peak looks the part.Teela is lovely.A young Courtney Cox.Some of the production is quite well done.Overall nostalgia.There are also some dull spots.Why is the sorceress so ugly, she was ethereal in the cartoons.What the hell happened to Castle Grayskull.Bad, bad writing, even for this demographic.The Special FX.Many petty nusiances.The final verdict.Watch it, but know what it is going into it.I truly wish that someone had been able to take this franchise and make a movie that was actually as cool as we "thought" the cartoon was when i was a kid. (many 80's cartoons have this issue.)It did take me back to a time when it was alright to be a little american boy, and the things that you found fun were not taken away and changed to suit audiences who did not want to watch them anyway. I am sure that if this cartoon is remade, it will be desecrated as She-Ra was.The movie aged better than I expected, a kid friendly, not quite B movie that reminded me of happy Saturday mornings, when life could be ok, no matter what else was going on.

The Great Grandfather of movies based on toys. It sort of rides alongside Flash Gordon in the camp factor but who cares? Frank Langella has a BLAST playing Skeletor, and he's clearly having so much fun he finds a way to make that radiate through 50 pounds of makeup. The budget restrictions are obvious, and in that sense it's a shame that the crew had to spend more time on Earth than Eternia. The music is awesome and the cast goes for it. If you are craving 80's fantasy nostalgia this is a fun movie.

It is terrible B-movie level cheese, but...1) It's not overly long - always a death blow for movies like this.2) Dolph Lundgren is there but beautifully absent. He runs around inexplicably naked (even the cartoon kept his clothes on except when he got "the power"). He does the occasional heroics, and rarely talks. He feels like ONE of the main characters instead of THE main character.3) Courteney Cox is adorable (even as a 20-something teenager).4) The effects are ridiculous but they somehow work. There's even a couple of (intentional?) throwbacks to the cartoon - like the bizarre toy-like posture that He-Man assumes when riding that floaty shield thing.5) It's well constructed. There aren't a bunch of nonsense scenes that lead nowhere. The story is silly but it progresses in a logical way and the characters are true to themselves.I've heard awful things about it for years but I really don't regret watching it!

This is a live action adaptation of the cartoon adventures that were originally broadcast in the 1980s. On the distant planet of Eternia, there stands a castle named Greyskull, where a sorceress stands guard over the powers of light that protect the planet from the forces of evil. To battle their enemies, the defenders of Eternia depend on a great hero named He-Man. In this version, through an accident, He-Man, his friends Man at Arms and Teela, and an alien scientist named Gwildor end up being transported to Earth, and thus bringing their fight to our world. They encounter a couple of high school kids, both of whom are in the middle their own life changing crises, and enlist their aid in finding a way back home.This is a great film for nostalgia, as the cast mainly represents actors that were just finding themselves in the business at the time. Courtney Cox and Robert Duncan McNeill play the high school couple, years before they were to find their fame in the shows Friends and Star Trek: Voyager respectively. Dolph Lundgren, who stars as He-Man, was a virtual unknown who had just had his big break in the film Rocky IV. And Meg Foster, who plays the beautiful but dangerous Evil-Lyn, was a television actor just breaking into the big screen. The only true movie actors in the entire production are Frank Langella, who is almost unrecognizable as He-Man's evil nemesis Skeletor, and the incredible Billy Barty, a small dynamo of an actor who had already been famous for years playing roles much like the one he pulls off here as Gwildor. This movie is basically nothing more than a cartoon brought to life. While the special effects and acting are excellent, it is still geared toward the Saturday morning show crowd. There is nothing in this film not to recommend it for children, with perhaps the exception of a good deal of violence, though without the gore that many action flicks excel in. A good one to occupy the kids on a rainy afternoon.

This is a terrible movie on all levels. Frank Langella is the only one who isn't phoning it in here. The story makes no sense. The acting is for the most part bad. The special effects were poor even by contemporary standards. There is a world of difference between the afternoon cartoon and this movie. Even by the poor quality standards of Cannon studios, this move is below par. Watch the cartoons instead.

Cult Classic's don't get much more and colorful and fun than this. Beautiful transfer and very well done menu screen, altogether top notch and simple that anyone of any age can use with ease.Unfortunately only bare bones in this one. There is the Gary Godard commentary from the last dvd release, but still no extra materials too be found. But all in all, a good buy if you enjoy this type of classic fantasy film or enjoyed this movie at one time as a kid and wish to show your kids or extended family.

Masters Of The Universe.Certificate: PGGenre: Fantasy/Action.Running Time 101 Minutes.Synopsis.On the planet Eternia, the dark lord Skeletor has taken over Castle Greyskull, imprisoned the Sorceress & begun draining the Sorceress' powers as he attempts to claim the powers of Greyskull.He-Man, the most powerful man in the universe & his companions: Man-at-Arms, his daughter Teela & a dwarf inventor named Gwildor finds themselves on Earth, by Gwildor's creation, the Cosmic Key, a device that can open portals that lead to anywhere in the galaxy, which Skeletor requires in his plan for universal conquest.But when the Cosmic Key is discovered by Julie Winston & her boyfriend Kevin Corrigan, both are unaware that Earth is about to become a battleground, as Skeletors vile minions arrive on Earth in pursuit of He-Man & his companions who are searching for the Cosmic Key so they can return home to Eternia & defeat Skeletor.Timelord Thoughts."I have the power", I've always wanted to say that.Despite being a box office flop upon it's 1987 original release ($17.3 million box office gross from a $22 million dollar budget) Master's Of The Universe has become a cult classic B' movie based on the cartoon & Mattel action figures the movie starring Dolph Lungdren & Frank Langella is a exciting, funny, scary, action-packed fantasy movie that's hugely entertaining despite cheesy lines of dialogue & campy performances.Dolph Lungdren certainly looks the part as He-Man (No dual role as Prince Adam here) & can easily handle the movies action & fight sequences, however his acting range is wooden as Lungdren speaks his lines instead of acting them & doesn't convey any drama or emotion during the dramatic aspects of the movie, thankfully there are only a few scenes in the movie that he's required to perform drama, but seeing Lungdren half naked, ripped & flexing his manly muscles as He-Man he certainly looks the part especially when he's kicking the bad guy's ass.Frank Langella gives a magnificent performance as the sinister Skeletor & completely steals the movie from Lungdren, Langella has said in interviews he loved playing the part & it clearly shows as he gives a brilliant performance even in the scenes were he's evilness chews the scenery & goes completely over the top & wants to rule Eternia & become the true master of the universe, Langella is simply mesmerising to watch in the role & I'd have loved to have seen him reprise Skeletor in a sequel which sadly never got made.Meg Foster oozes the right amount of bitchy wickedness as seductive sorceress Evil Lyn, Skeletors right hand warrior while Anthony De Longis looks menacing as Blade, Tony Carroll snarls frequently as Beast Man, while Pons Maar as Saurod & Robert Towers as Karg play lesser known villians but all of these characters add something fun & entertaining as Skeletors deadliest warrior's who are sent to earth to kill He-Man & his friends & retrieve the cosmic key.He-Man's loyal friends include the sexy Chelsea Field who I thought was very underused as the warrior Teela, Jon Cypher is ok as soldier leader Man-At-Arms & gives a competent enough performance but like Teela his character also feels sidelined, however the excellent Billy Barty is superb as eccentric wizardry inventor Gwildor who's a newly written character especially for this movie.The rest of the cast include Robert Duncan McNeill as musician Kevin Corrigan who mistakes the cosmic key for a synthesizer, Friends & Scream's actress Courteney Cox plays the nice girl next door in a early movie role as Kevin's girlfriend Julie Winston but her soap opera acting inexperience stands out like a sore thumb, Julie is moving away to start afresh after her parents recent tragic death while James Tolkan acts similar to the role he performed in Back To The Future (Strickland) who here plays the bumbling Detective Lubic who unwittingly becomes involved in helping He-Man in his quest to find the cosmic key.Director Gary Goddard paces the movie well & certainly knows how to cut together cool fight sequences & deliver adrenaline fuelled action scenes which pushes the PG violence in places especially the scene where He-Man is being whipped which would get a 12/PG-13 rating today, being a Cannon film produced by Yoram Globus & Menahem Golan I was surprised that the production values & set design were actually pretty good (Castle Greyskull in particular is well designed & darkly gothic design which oozes a eerie atmosphere) & look far more impressive than the other Cannon superhero movie Superman IV: The Quest For Peace which was released in the same year of this film 1987 which also bombed as bad as this movie & was the beginning of the end for Cannon financially.Overall Master's Of The Universe is a entertaining action packed 80's cheesy B' movie adventure that rightly deserves to become a cult classic, is it campy? Definitely, is the acting hammy? Occasionally but somehow it all adds to the films charm in delivering a enjoyable fun filled fantasy adventure movie that I easily recommend giving a watch.

The Canon Group's catalog of films were never the same taste for everyone, but if you grew up in the 80's then you would have had your fair share of B-movie enjoyment from there.Master's of the Universe was perhaps highlight of there releases. Now to the Blu-Ray itself. The version I bought is the Dutch release. There are a few different versions of it around the globe but they are all near the same bar some have an Audio Commentary by the director Gary Goddard and some don't. I have ended up without the Audio. I would have preferred it but its not like there was a documentary in the mix that im missing out on. I am hoping that in time there will be a much bigger release but for now this will do nicely. The HD quality is spot on with a few grainy scenes here and there but does not once take you out of the movie experience. If you are impatient like myself then this will certainly do for now.

Often criticized for a wealth of reasons (acting, story, differences to source material) this was a firm family favorite in my house- my brothers and I watched the video umpteen times growing up and loved it. As an adult I still find much to enjoy, Dolph visually makes a perfect flesh and blood He Man, Frank Langella is deliciously evil as Skelitor and a pre Friends Courtney Cox is charming.

This is a import but playes on uk bluray players the film was made in the 80s and is not that bad a film masters of the universe is about he-man and skeletor he-man must travel to earth on a mission and gets involved with two earthlings if you like this sort of film it's good I would recommend it to anybody that remembered he-man from the 80s.

I love the action movies of the 70s and 80s . Special effects in this movie aren't great and the acting isn't fantastic, but that in no way takes away from the enjoyment.