Masters of the Universe [DVD]

MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE [1987] [25th Anniversary] [Blu-ray] Only the Universe Could Hold Adventure This Big!Planet Eternia and the Castle of Greyskull are under threat from the evil Skeletor who wants to take over the planet. A group of freedom fighters, led by the heroic He-Man are accidentally transported to Earth by a mysterious Cosmic Key which holds the power to make Skeletor all-powerful. Once on Earth, He-Man joins alliances with two teenagers as they attempt to find the key and return home.Cast: Dolph Lundgren, Frank Langella, Meg Foster, Chelsea Field, Jon Cypher, Billy Barty, Courteney Cox, Robert Duncan McNeill, James Tolkan, Christina Pickles, Anthony De Longis, Tony Carroll, Pons Maar, Robert Towers and Peter Brooks [Narrator]Director: Gary GoddardProducers: Edward R. Pressman, Menahem Golan and Yoram GlobusScreenplay: David OdellComposer: Bill ContiCinematography: Hanania BaerVideo Resolution: 1080pAspect Ratio: 1.85:1Audio: English: 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio StereoSubtitles: English SDH, French and SpanishRunning Time: 105 minutesRegion: Region A/1Number of discs: 1Studio: Warner Home VideoAndrew's Blu-ray Review: It's no coincidence that Dolph Lundgren took on the role of a franchise action hero character like He-Man directly after he starred in 'Rocky IV' with Sylvester Stallone. His enormous physique and menacing demeanour were truly awe-inspiring. Sylvester Stallone was ripped, but Lundgren towered over him in that movie featuring a body with muscles in places I didn't think muscles could be found. It's natural that Hollywood thought Dolph Lundgren might end up being the town's new action star.'Masters of the Universe' came out in cinemas in 1987, at the height of He-Man's popularity. The cartoon and toys were extremely popular, and a movie seemed like a logical next step for the franchise. Lundgren fit He-Man's impossible body structure and mirrored his Scandinavian appearance. It was a perfect fit. It's too bad that Gary Goddard's film turned into a cheesy B-movie right from the outset and became more of a laugh-at-it-with-a-bunch-of-friends cult classic film than a respected fantasy action film.To Gary Goddard's credit, he creates a fairly kid-friendly universe in which He-Man and Skeletor [Frank Langella] appear as giant action figures duelling for the universe's ultimate power. The whole movie feels like something imagined by a child in the 1980s as he plays with his He-Man toys in his room. The problem with this approach is that the movie never has any real sense of dread. It's a live-action cartoon and plays out as such.He-Man lives on a planet called Eternia where Skeletor's forces of evil-doers are plotting to take control. They've already entombed the planet's sorceress in an impenetrable force field and are now seeking to harness the power of Grayskull in order to rule the universe. Because when you're big, evil and look like a giant skeleton, why wouldn't you want to rule the universe? He-Man battles back against Skeletor with the help of his ragamuffin group of renegades which includes an ugly little dwarf named Gwildor, a headstrong soldier [Jon Cypher] and the soldier's even more headstrong daughter [Chelsea Field]. Skeletor has legions of Storm trooper looking troops and He-Man has these three allies. He's grossly outnumbered, but when you're sporting what I assume is a sixteen-pack (Dolph Lundgren is insanely ripped in this film) then maybe numbers don't matter much.The battle soon finds its way to Earth as He-Man and his crew are accidentally transported there. On Earth they meet a young teenage couple. Julie [Courtney Cox] and Kevin [Robert Duncan McNeill] soon become embroiled in the scuffle for universal power, as the movie checks another cliché off its growing list. Looking back on 'Masters of the Universe' it's glaringly obvious that it's a product of the 80s. The only way it could've been any more 1980s is if there was a slap wrap included in the purchase of this Blu-ray. This isn't a bad thing per se, but it's almost too hard to get over the movie's era-related corniness. Especially the key that opens interstellar doorways by playing synthesised musical notes.Personally, I found it great fun to watch 'Masters of the Universe' having a good laugh all way throughout the film, as it is very tongue in cheek humour. Lundgren's acting flat lines, giving us a glimpse of what his future starring roles would be like. He was great in 'Rocky IV' because he simply had to stand there and look menacing as hell. Here, not so much. Most of the time it feels like Goddard is directly off screen telling him exactly what facial expressions to make ("Okay, now you're happy, so smile!" "Now He-Man is angry. Grimace!"). Frank Langella is great as Skeletor though. Buried underneath that dated make-up, Frank Langella provides a perfectly threatening voice for the villainous action figure that he is. The story is a hodge-podge of sci-fi/fantasy ideas and never feels like it really nails down who He-Man really is. However, it's a nostalgia thing, right? If you grew up loving He-Man and therefore loving 'Masters of the Universe' then you'll most likely be chomping at the bit to own this on Blu-ray. It's one of those movies that people remember fondly even though the corniness factor is off the charts.Blu-ray Video Quality – As with most lower-tier catalogue titles from the 1980s, 'Masters of the Universe' definitely shows its age. It's predominately soft in the mid- and long-range shots. It has some errant noise here and there. The colours seem a tad faded, but fans need not fear though. Even though the Blu-ray has some issues that should've been expected given its age, the film has never looked better. I was actually very pleased with the amount of detail provided in the movie's many close-ups. I don't remember the DVD of the movie offering nearly as much visible facial hair, pores, freckles, and intricate smile lines. Sure the added detail betrays the make-up that was used on Frank Langella's face more than once, but overall the effect is accurate detail when the camera closes in. When the camera pans back is when the picture gets expectedly hazy. Hair becomes less detailed and clumpier. Skin tones appear a little washed out. Whites become fuzzy and bleed past their edges as softness takes its toll. Edges aren't nearly as crisply defined as they are in close-ups. Blacks seem deep enough, but nothing that should really detract from viewing. It isn't a flawless presentation by any means; however it's definitely worth the visual upgrade if you are a fan of this film.Blu-ray Audio Quality – A new sound mix hasn't been provided here. This time around it has a stereo presentation. We get a 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio track this time around. I must admit that as a fan I was hoping for a surround sound remix for this movie. The stereo does produce quite a bit more resonance than its DVD counterpart. For one thing in the mix, it seems to be quite a bit clearer. Explosions and laser blasts have a bit more heft than they did with the inferior NTSC DVD sound mix. Dialogue still sounds tinny though, along with the musical soundtrack. That's really all I can say about the audio here. Dialogue is clear and that's about it. It's a mix that will get you through the movie, but if you were hoping for Warner Home Video to do a little more with this release you'll probably end up disappointed.Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:Audio Commentary: Commentary with Director Gary Goddard: Goddard is an energetic commentator, but it had been almost fifteen years since he'd directed the film, and he hadn't directed another one since. He moved from film directing into producing and directing major theme park attractions such as Jurassic Park: The Ride and Six Flags' Monster Mansion, though his company, Landmark Productions. Re-watching the film is like revisiting an old scrapbook for him, and Goddard shares many memories from the shoot, but one can sense the distance and the shift in perspective that comes with a career change. Many of Gary Goddard's items have been excerpted and listed in the film's "trivia" section at IMDb.Theatrical Trailer [1987] [1080i] [1.78:1] [1:42] The theatrical trailer is a bit hokey and overdone narration which is almost laughably solemn and a too-darn-serious-for-its-own-good.Finally, 'Masters of the Universe' what else is there to say, as it's a perfect example of just how corny many 1980s sci-fi films were at the time. Not only that, but we're able to witness Dolph Lundgren's movie career in a flawless microcosm, which fits the character perfectly. It starts out with a whole lot of promise and then slowly fizzles away into appreciative cult obscurity. 'Masters of the Universe' is fun to remember. It isn't a popcorn sort of film by any means, nevertheless nostalgic attachment is reason enough to enjoy, which I can vouch for. Highly Recommended!Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film FanLe Cinema ParadisoWARE, United Kingdom

Okay, when I was a kid back in the early 90's, I worshiped this film. Why, you ask? Because I had never seen the cartoon. Not one single episode. I had more figures than I could play with in a day's time, but I had never seen the cartoon. In fact, I actually thought the toys were based on the film. I remember thinking 'hmmm...this guy with the blue body and crappy yellow and green face doesn't look anything like the Emperor-like Skeletor! And this red guy with the big claw hand wasn't even in the movie!' Anyways, I grew with this film and remembered it fondly. Fast-forward to 2009. I'm 24 years old now, and He-Man was a largely forgotten phase of my childhood. However, one day, at a garage sale, I run across a vintage Skeletor figure and something...changes. I was like "Hey, I used to have this guy!" Discovering that old gem was the seed that grew into the powerful tree of my renewed He-Man craze. I began devoting disturbing amounts of time online researching He-Man and everything related to He-Man. I began buying the old vintage figures and a couple of the 2002 figures here and there. I ordered all four boxed sets of the classic cartoon (and fell in love with it) and I'm currently buying the monthly releases of the Classics action figure line; a couple of which I bought here on Amazon when I couldn't get them from Matty Collector, like Faker and Webstor. During my He-Man rebirth, the live-action film also resurfaced and my love for it as well. As I eagerly awaited for its arrival in the mail, I hoped it would live up to all my old childhood memories. Perhaps it succeeded, but with mixed results. First of all, why in heck didn't it occur in Eternia? After building the fabulous throne room set, they spirit the film away to...earth...surprised? I am! Secondly, the Sorceress. where was the bird-clad (hehe) hottie from the cartoon? Why did they give us a crystal statue with a mummified face that looked more like Mumm-ra from Thundercats instead of the Sorceress? Next, Man-At-Arms. I loved the guy who played the part, he fit it perfectly, I just wish he had been a little tougher and had some fatherly dialogue and possibly a shred of character development. Next, Teela. I didn't much care for the actress playing Teela, I thought she was too..."fragile", even though she was tough as nails. I also didn't care much for the Space Teela outfit. Next, where the heck was Orko and Battlecat? I know, Billy Barty's character Gwildor was a cost-effective replacement for Orko, and I have nothing against Gwildor (poor Billy Barty was ancient at the time, he done excellent with all things considered), but it just wasn't Orko...I know it really wouldn't have been possible for them to be in the film in an acceptable way, but couldn't they have at least just mentioned them for fan's sake? *Sighs* Next, Beast Man. Why the heck did he look so much like Grizzlor? Why didn't he talk? Would it have been so hard to give him shorter, orange fur and an idiotic line of dialogue or two? It certainly couldn't have made things any worse! And as for the rest of the Bounty Hunter hacks, to the garbage can with Blade and Karg! I want Trap-Jaw and Mer-Man, blast it! Saurod looked kind of cool, but why did he have to be Saurod? With a little tweaking, he could easily have been Kobra Khan instead, a character all He-Fans are familiar with. Okay, maybe asking for Mer-Man is a bit much, but wouldn't we all rather have seen Tri-Klops fighting He-Man instead of the worthless Blade? Next, Skeletor's Stormtrooper/Cylon soldiers. If they had only had a different color scheme, they could at least have looked a little something like Horde Troopers, and that's a heckuva lot closer to the mark than worthless Cylons, isn't it? Next, Skeletor. Frank Langella done an awesome job, he got the best dialogue and really brought presence to it, and I understand they had to craft the mask to reveal some of that presence, but couldn't the mask have been more skull-like? To me it looked more like plaster instead of bone. Next, He-Man himself. First off, I love Dolph Lundgren. When it comes to the likes of Arnold, Sly, Van Damme and all the others, Dolph is my absolute favorite and I thought he was the best choice for He-Man. Of course he receives a lot of criticism for his role in Masters, but an actor can't save a worthless script, no matter how much talent he has. And when the powers that be are so bent to focus the writing all around Skeletor, what can one do? Just like Michael Keaton will always be the best Batman to me, Dolph Lundgren will always be the best He-Man, regardless of who may or may not play him further on down the line. I just wish he had used his sword more than laser guns and "powered up" more than once. All in all, I love this film, it holds a special place in my heart because of the impact it had on my childhood plus my revived love of all things He-Man. The plot could have been better, the supporting characters and things could have been better. I understand their deadline was tight, but I also understand their budget was quite large for that kind of movie in that day and age. I only wish the production had been more dedicated to He-Man and not the money He-Man was bringing in at the time. It's situations like this that call for Peter Jackson and time machines. But all in all, this is an enjoyable film and it's approached in a way that makes it fun for everyone, even if you don't know much about He-Man...especially if you don't know much about He-Man...the picture and sound quality of the dvd are good, director Gary Goddard is insightful (and a little sympathetic?) in the commentary and the other extras are nice as well. For the price, you can't go wrong with this dvd and it's worth it. Like it or not, He-Fans can't deny the existence of this film, we have to take the bad with the good. Good Journey!

When I first saw this as a kid, I really thought it was kind of lame, especially the acting by Dolph Lunderen, I couldn't get passed his accent but over time I gotten used to hearing his voice from past movies. But what really outshines the most was Skeletor especially how Frank portrayed him. That voice sent chills down my spine. I couldn't get enough of his voice. I was really shocked the actor who played him played in Dave and Superman Returns. I didn't find this out until much later. Skeletor just steals every scene. I just watched it again this movie was pretty awesome. I hope someone makes another one and not that trash Netflix has on right now.

I saw this on release in the cinema in 1987, I was seven years old and a He-Man fanatic.My mum tells me I loved it, and I did, but even aged seven I was able to recognise why I felt a small twinge of disappointment. Firstly, He-Man wasn’t in it very much. Then, Orko wasn’t in it, Skeletor didn’t look like he did in the cartoon and not many of his henchmen were present And the costumes were not true to the cartoon either.Fast forward 33 years and I can appreciate why Masters of the Universe and other films are not faithful to their source material. There are limitations that a child can not comprehend. This review is based on the viewing by the 40 year old me.I can understand why it was a flop. The opening titles and music are a total Superman rip-off. Skeletor’s foot soldiers are storm trooper clones and the assignment of goons to find He-Man is straight from Empire Strikes Back. Add an underwhelming lead and it’s a recipe for disaster. Recycled bits from movies passed.Dolph Lundgren’s performance is not totally emotionless, rather the bare minimum you would want in any TV show or movie. This is a shame because everyone else turns in fantastic performances. Frank Langella is so good as Skeletor it’s unreal. How he wasn’t awarded for it I will never understand. Then it’s a toss up between Evil-Lyn, Man at Arms, Teela and Gwildor. Cortney Cox, Kevin and the cop are next, with He-Man and Skeletor’s goons last.Special effects are seamlessly integrated with the backgrounds. I know nothing of cinematography, but it looks like blue screen is kept to a minimum and other techniques are used to make the actors look like they’re really doing what they’re doing.The story is standard fare that could quite easily have been spanned across a few episodes of the cartoon, maybe even one.Overall, the things I recall from seeing it on release are still the things that disappoint me about it now. But with the benefit of time to experience other masterpieces and flops I can safely say that this film did not deserve to fail. Time and technology has given it another chance and it seems like it’s totally appreciated now. It’s in my soul the same way Star Wars is and it will stay that way forever.My heart wants to give it five stars but my head says it’s slightly lacking, so it gets four stars. If I could go higher it would be 4.9.

Masters Of The Universe.Certificate: PGGenre: Fantasy/Action.Running Time 101 Minutes.US Import Region Free.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.

I remember seeing this back when I was a child and quite liking it. Recently I decided I wanted to watch it again, and picked up this Blu-ray.The quality actually wasn't too bad, apart from a couple of scenes involving the pink car which were very clearly much lower resolution than the rest of the film, it was fine and looked great, even down to the little skulls on the end of Skeletors glove fingers.As for the film itself - well, it hasn't aged well really and a lot of the action scenes are pretty lame. I also wasn't impressed with Dolph Lundgren's performance, and the "I have the power" towards of the film made me cringe rather than cheer. I kept expecting Rocky to show up and start pounding on him. Plus I spent a lot of film trying to work out who the heck Kevin was (Lt Paris in Voyager I finally found out). But hey, I enjoyed it regardless - flaws and all it still seemed better than many a modern film.One final comment - the Blu-ray seems to be an import of some sort and the box and subtitles are in North Germanic languages. But the film itself is in English.

Absolutely Tremendous, this film is unavailable in the UK on Blu Ray but thanks to TVseriesshop it is, the film plays in English with Swedish Subtitles so just disable the subtitles & sit back and enjoy a great piece of nostalgia from 1987..Fantastic Blu Ray quality but sadly No Extras..