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Rating:  -
This movie was once called, "a Star Wars for the eighties". Now, I'd have to disagree with that, because this movie is a bit too silly to be compared to Star Wars, which was a very lofty title. Nevertheless, this movie is just plain fun to watch. It's quite different from the cartoon, which is kinda disappointing, but in the long run nobody cares. It has everything you would expect from a campy, and pretty bizarre, comic-book style world. A super-strong hero with a magic sword, an array of weird bounty hunters out to get him, a diabolical fiend whose body is nothing but bones, a magic trans-dimensional key that sounds like a synthesizer from the Sharper Image, a pair of naive humans who are fascinated by the new world they've sicovered, and a wild showdown in a futuristic palace. You can't take it too seriously, but that just makes it all the more enjoyable. See it!
Rating: -
I remember I saw this movie when I was a kid of course with high expectations of it being more than it was but I wasn't disapointed. This movie really didn't have much of a plot and the bad guys (ie Blade)had the worse lines imaginable and were predictably incompotent as He-man's adversaries. Still there was the general excitement of seeing this movie over again. An Dolph Lundgren relic from childhood. It's a shame this flick didn't do much for his acting career. Frank Langella as Skeletor stole the show. He was more evil than say Khan from Star Trek TOS. His lines were in prime form and he didn't waste his words saying stupid one liners. This was a great movie and I still enjoy watching from time to time. The DVD could've had some extras like interviews with the actors though.
Rating:  -
Master's of the Universe is kind of an insider's club for those of us who were raised on the cartoon. The plotline really doesn't stick to the original storyline, but is a liveable variation. In it's time it was one of the most expensive movies ever produced and used the most advanced special effects available, including a multi-colored, flashing light effect on a prop that took 4hrs and several cameras to create. If you are a fan, or just want to take a trip back to your childhood, it's worth it. The DVD features original movie trailers and an interview with the director which sway the loyals and the DVD enthusiats to repurchase this film on the DVD format if they already own it on VHS.
I gave this movie 3 stars based on less than stellar performances by the majority of the cast (With the exception of Frank Langella's Skeletor). Also, unless you are an avid Masters of the Universe fan, there isn't a whole lot to keep you watching the DVD over and over again versus saving the money on renting it. Also the soundtrack is helplessly late '80s for better or worse (to each his/her own).
Because, as a little boy, I reneted this video nearly every weekend from the local video store I have a much more nostalgic sentiment for it. If you don't have that in common with me, you may want to rent this one before you buy it!
Rating:  -
He-Man was a cartoon that just about every kid my age watched while growing up. We used to practice the He-Man roll in the backyard; that was the coolest gymnastic stunt around. My brother's favorite character was Orko and Tela was everything I thought a woman should be.
The toys were dropping in popularity, the cartoon was no longer being produced, and in some places all reruns had stopped by the time MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE was released in 1987. The franchise was dying and the film was a last ditch effort to revitalize things. Unfortunately, it did the opposite and buried the He-Man Universe in oblivion for awhile.
MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE is a really cheesy film that lacks any charm and totally rips off several other films, but without being original. Very few characters from the He-Man cartoons make it to the big screen. The acting is pretty bad, the scenery and sets dull, and the special effects lame. The score is a rip off of the SUPERMAN score and much of the plot is directly stolen from the STAR WARS trilogy.
Besides being a He-Man fan, the film is worth watching for two reasons. One: it is a great example of bad 80's action movies; plus it dives into one of the more memorable parts of the 80's pop music scene--the synthesizer. The other reason the movie is worth watching is to see a pre-star Courtney Cox; she is as hot then as she is now.Other than that, I would watch the new He-Man cartoons and wait another 6-9 months for the release of the original He-Man cartoons on DVD and video.
Rating:  -
I've seen every episode of the original He-Man cartoon, so it's safe to say that I'm an aficionado when it comes to the Prince of Eternia (Adam), and his magic sword that transforms him into He-Man.
When the cartoon was taken off the air, my life was empty, and I didn't know where to turn... that is, until I heard about the "Masters of the Universe" movie. Who better to play He-Man, then the talented (and hugely popular, at the time) Dolph Lundgren? I couldn't wait to see the movie in the theaters.
Well, leave it to the "big-shots" in Hollywood to ruin a perfectly good movie.
Before I begin my diatribe on everything wrong with this movie, I'll start by saying that Teela (played by the delightful Chelsea Field) is absolutely breath-taking. Her charisma and stunning costume shine brighter than all those who surround her.
Now, it is my unfortunate duty to inform you Earthlings that "Masters of the Universe" is a real stinker. The tagline for this movie was "A Battle Fought In The Stars. Now... Comes To Earth." Why, why, why?! Taking He-Man and Skeletor out of Eternia, and putting them on Earth, was a huge mistake. The only reason why I think the writers chose to do this, was so they could save on budget by not having to create elaborate sets of Eternia. By taking the gang out Eternia, you also drastically limit the number of characters that can make an appearance in the movie.
Where's King Randor?
Where's Man-E-Faces?
Where's Buzz Off?
Where's Leech?
Where's Webstor? (Emmanuel Lewis, he's not!)
Where's Battlecat?
Where's Kobra Kahn?
Where's Clawful?
And where's my personal favorite, Manteena?
The list goes on and on.
When we are introduced to Kevin and Julie (a pre-"Friends" Courtney Cox) - the helpless kids who need He-Man and friends to save them - you can't help but shake your head in disappointment. Why must the Earthlings meddle in the battle for Eternia? And James Tolkan's "Detective Lubic" character (who isn't much of a stretch from his Mr. Strickland character in the "Back to the Future" movies), doesn't help the cause. It's sad that the most colorful characters in a He-Man movie are the humans.
The plot of "Masters of the Universe" is laughable - music saves the day? Come on!
If that's not enough to deter you from watching this movie, there's always the characters:
* He-Man acts like a bumbling fool most of the movie.
* Man-At-Arms looks like a grandpa wearing a stupid costume
* Gwildor... where did this guy come from, and how can we send him back there?
* Skeletor has lips, you can clearly see them in close-ups. Lips? He's a skeleton!?
* Blade & Karg are last minute additions to the cast who do nothing but taint the creativity of the original character creations.
"Masters of the Universe" had endless potential, but it failed on too many levels for me to recommend this to any fans of the original He-Man cartoon. I'm sorry.
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