He-Man was a bit before my time, but I was able to experience the reruns and the toys. While not my high point in fun as that was for "Transformers" and "GI Joe", He-Man was still a staple of my growing up. Oddly, I waited until 23 to see the "Masters of the Universe" adaptation, and that was only during a Dolph Lundgren phase on a whim. But I'm glad I indulged my impulse buy because "Masters of the Universe" is a fun film. It's professional from top to bottom. The production is smooth and flashy, the cast is very capable and full of energy, and Dolph rocks a blonde power mullet that makes even MacGuyver insecure. In all fairness "Masters of the Universe" is very reminiscent of "Star Wars" and "Superman"; from the opening/ending credits that scream "Superman" to Skeletor's Army that look like Drth Vader's offspring and shoot just as bad as Stormtroopers, it all seems like we've seen it before. And we have, but what we haven't seen is a man of physical perfection and muscle slathered in baby oil and running around fighting people in a gold Speedo and that is...wait, that was "Conan"...nevermind. I was trying to explain there is a good story here, or was in the cartoon atleast, and a lot of that is lost for the film translation but being geared at kids the plot is fairly easy to follow but not insulting to adults. With that in mind, most people should be able to step back and enjoy it for what it is. It's a copycat. It's a genre piece. But it creates it's own film and there's a lot to appreciate. Dolph's role is rather limited despite top billing. His dialogue is very minimal and he only pops up for an action scene or to explain something about the "Cosmic key". I can see why Dolph was so critical of the film shortly after release, citing it hard to act with such little dialogue and standing in gold underwear for 100 minutes. But Dolph has a presence and his power is undeniable, while his acting skills maybe ridiculed I don't see even the greatest of actors being able to "perform" the feel he is able to translate to the screen excellently. He really is the only man I can see as He-Man. Who really did shine was Frank Langella as "Skeletor". He walks the role, he's believable, he's loud, and he is just hate-worthy. He's really a menace and nails his role excellently. Meg Foster also shined as "Evil-Lyn". Her gaze is hypnotic, and her voice is calculated and cold. Both are truly menacing characters brought to life by their portrayers. The costumes rock. They took some talent and creativity. The sets are most excellent. Castle Greyskull is a grand design. The whole film is polished and made with craft. It's really a lot more than most might deem it worthy of. Someone took the film seriously and it shows. Whether you want a nostalgic trip, you like Dolph Lundgren, or you just want to discover something you missed as a child, "Masters of the Universe" is worth a viewing. It's slick, it's good, it's the glory days of 80s excess, and I can easily recomend a viewing.Read full review
This movie started off like most of that era's (late 1980's) movies... Great sets, but sparse on the number of actors! Nowadays they use CGI to populate the big armies needed to convey immense odds. The opening credits and music were very similar to Superman's first movie starring Chrisotpher Reeves. I found this distracting as the theme music was played throughout the film.... I was not a fan of the toys or the cartoons of the 1980's, so viewed this like any other mainstream viewer would coming across the movie. (However I am a comic book fan since the late 1950's.) Regarding the cast: Billy Barty wasn't that funny in his role, although that was to be his role in the movie. Courteney Cox as the Earth girl was believeable in her role. Dolph Lundgren was a lot more entertaining in this than in several of his other movies! He looked the part of He-Man and acted accordingly throughout the movie. Frank Langella as Skeletor, the villain, was a good portryal, not campy and not over the top in villainy. James Tolkan was outstanding as the Earth polic dectective. You may remember him as the high school principal in the Back To The Future Trilogy. Meg Foster was quite good in her role as the villainess. I don't usually visualize her as a villain, so this was a good change for her! During the movie it was strange seeing ray guns and swords in play, but that was true to the toys and the cartoons. Skeletor's troops looked little Darth Vaders running around shooting. That of all places the Earth is where most of the action was is a little corny, but that is the premise of the cartoons... The space travel format is similar to the Stargate Movie. In the credits it showed that 'Moebius' created special designs. Those in comic books know him as a very good French artist in graphic novels. I watched this movie on the DVD and found it to be a little slow at first, a little small in populating the set with actors or bodies for having it start off as a war movie. However as the movie continued I found it to be better, and actually enjoyed it! This is not a corny or campy comic book movie, nor is it extremely violent. Could actually be viewed as a family movie! MichaelRead full review
For children of the 80's this is a great ride down memory lane. It really isn't an adaptation of the cartoon, but rather a new story based loosely on the action figures. Bad acting? Check. Cheesy costumes and effects? Check. If you don't have fond memories of this from your childhood, you might want to steer clear. However, I enjoyed every minute of it. As for the DVD conversion, the picture quality is pretty good. In fact, it's better than I expected. The audio is standard 2 channel stereo, but that's the norm for this time period. In terms of special features, there is a nice director's commentary and theatrical trailer.
ESTA ES LA UNICA PELICULA QUE EXISTE DE LA SERIE ANIMADA MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE. PERSONALMENTE A MI ME FACINA ESTA PELICULA DE 1987, AUNQUE A CASI NADIE LE GUSTA. ESTA MUY BIEN REALIZADA Y EL ARGUMENTO ME FACINA. ALGO QUE A MUCHAS PERSONAS NO LES GUSTA DE ESTA PELICULA ES QUE LOS QUE LA REALIZARON SE APARTARON BASTANTE DE LA HISTORIA Y PERSONAJES ORIGINALES DE LA SERIE ANIMADA ORIGINAL, PERO ESTO NO QUIERE DECIR QUE SEA UNA MALA PELICULA..SE LAS RECOMIENDO A TODOS, COMPRENLA, INCLUYE SUBTITULOS EN ESPAÑOL ..POR EL PODER DE GRAYSKULL!!!..AH OTRA COSA QUE SE ME OLVIDABA DECIRLES ,EN ESTA PELICULA CRINGER/BATTLE CAT NO HABLA!!
A stand alone tale.. fine quality, good story, great effects and a star studded cast brings this story to life.. Masters of the Universe is a fantasy sci-fi reminiscence of action and adventure movies that pulls you in to the story.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
A trip down memory lane that wasn't the way I remembered.....lol. Bad acting and plot as would be expected but cheap enough it was worth just for the fun of it.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Masters of the Universe, a live-action feature film, was created from the very popular cartoon: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. This film features a brilliant cast which includes: Frank Langella, Courteney Cox, Dolph Lundgren and Billy Barty. Though the movie strays from characters of the popular cartoon, it still contains the basic hero vs villian plot, introduction of new villians and heros not featured in the popular cartoon series and contains memorable music scores. Skeletors acting was very griping, although Dolph turned out to be nothing more than a mountain of muscles and few lines. Watch the Eternanians take on Evil-Lyn and Skeletor of Snake Mountain in this small epic perfect for the slow Saturday afternoon.
Great old movie. Perfect flashback. The price you couldn’t beat for this piece of film. I enjoyed every minute of it. Cheesy acting and all.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
He-Man was my all-time hero when I was younger and I saw this film over the christmas holiday and fell in love all over again. I didn't know that Dolph Lundgren was He-Man and I certainly didn't know that Courntey Cox was in this film. He-Man may lack top notch special effects but it's as great film today as it was back when it was made. The story is great, the acting is great, and the fight sequences are well done. Final Verdict: 5/5 Rent or Buy?: Unless you're a He-Man fan you'll probably get by on a rental, but if you're a fan of He-Man this is a must own. IF YOU FIND THIS REVIEW HELPFUL PLEASE REMEMBER TO VOTE. Thank you.
Its a really good movie if you specifically enjoy the genre.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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