Masters of the Universe (1987)

I love this movie, yes it has bad acting and cheesy effects but so did the original star wars movies, right?? the only thing star wars had was that intangible you cant describe when talking about movies. it had "it" Masters of the universe had "it" as well but i think it had a different kind of it. Frank Langella has probably the most underrated performances as the evil and sinister Skeletor, one of my votes as baddest bad guy in movie history if they had something like that... this is the Jack Nicholson performance of the Joker before Batman. I don't know why people are giving it such a low rating, there are a ton of movies that are a lot worse out there. You have to realize that this was made in 1987 and SFX weren't as good as they are today, but this had heart and it shows if you watch it. If you go into it watching for deeper meanings and all this other stuff that art fans go for, i can see why you'd bash it afterward. But if you go into it expecting a fantasy story and great sci fi action, you will not be disappointed... you might actually be surprised with it!

Fmovies: Not only does this film stand tall on it's own achievements but it is also clearly the inspiration for that well loved classic "Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time". It follows the mythos of the original He-Man mini comics (the ones that came with the toys) more than the plot of the animated series, as such He-Man is not secretly Prince Adam. (My fellow post teenage virgins as well as losers in general will probably understand what I'm talking about.) Anyway Langela proves the perfect Skeletor. Unlike the cartoon character he proves to be convincingly pure evil. I must say that he honestly did succeed in being one of the most terrifying villains in movie history. Hat's off to director Gary Goddard and the cast for taking the story entirely seriously and not just dismissing it as a campy hour and a half long toy add. It's that kind of conviction that distinguishes between art and commercial shlock. This movie also taught me some valuable life lessons. For instance, if a guy with a skull head gets massive god-like power the only real change he will make to his life is giving himself golden armour. (Both Skeletor and the Red Skull have done this.) I also learned that when some one gets god-like power, to defeat them all you need to do is push them into a muddy ditch. Having the characters travel to late 1980's earth made this movie all the better specially since they got to meet Courteney Cox (what a babe. Grrrowwlll). Why doesn't anybody ever ask her about this movie when she's on talk shows? Oh wait it's cause there's no reason they should care. Anyway if you don't have anything better to do give it a rent... and wait till the end of the credits for the secret surprise. You can probably find it at your local Blockbuster Video! Make it a Blockbuster Night!

Some people say it was the Star Wars of the 80's and some people say it was completely horrible. I wouldn't quite agree with either statement. Though not as good as Star Wars, it really isn't that bad of a movie. Especially if you remember growing up watching He-man on TV and pretending that you could hold a magic sword above your head and become all powerful. Yes, some of the lines are cheap and the acting is stilted and questionable at times, but it is still a fun movie. If you forget what I've just mentioned and just sit back and enjoy the fantasy and the adventure, and you will enjoy the movie. Some memorable scenes are the battles in the junk yard, the flying hover craft fight and the final fight between He-man and Skelator. If you're a fan of He-man or any action movie made in the late 80's, I would recommend that you rent this movie.

Masters of the Universe fmovies. This IS a great film. You just have to have been a child in the 80's to appreciate the magic of it all.

I was 6 years old when my dad took me to see this on the big screen. At age 6, this movie was about as enjoyable as going to Disneyland. Frank Langella's Skeletor was absolutely terrifying for me. But of course, anyone familiar with Frank Langella's acting knows that he can take any role and make it work. Even in a goofy fantasy film like this, his acting comes off as epic and strong.

The only real reason anyone would have any beef with this movie is if they are die hard fans of the comic or cartoon, as this movie obviously took plenty of liberties with canon.

That being said, if you can ignore that, it's a REALLY fun movie! And if you enjoy 80's special effects, this movie has a plethora.

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

A corpulent hero named He-man , a veteran warrior (John Cypher), his daughter (Chelsea Field), a likable midget (Billy Barty) fight in Eternia against a vile villain named Skeletor (Frank Langella as a Darth Vader clone) in a fantasy/Sci-Fi about rebel forces battling for the sake of freedom and engaged in a life or death war with the tyrant leader of a far planet . They transport themselves by means of a mechanism that creates a time hole to earth in which nothing less the future of the universe is at stake . There they meet an intimate and youthful couple ((Courney Cox , Richard Duncan). Meanwhile , Skeletor wants to get a chance by destiny to receive the powers of Grayskull.

This is a big-budgeted live-action rendition of the cartoon roles' feats in the ¨Star Wars¨ mold and characterized by He-man , Skeletor and many others . All of them blend together with wonderful and terrific special effects courtesy of Richard Edlund and special designs by Moebius .¨Masters of the Universe¨ is basically numerous spectacular fight-scenes with a tiny bit of plot movement, full of sympathetic dialog and flashy blasts of light and energy . It features stunted and disjointed action, as well as the hilarious but quite conventional characters fitting partially to animated series . The abundant breathtaking images , which labor mightily to reproduce the source materials in some impressive scenes and eye-popping look .

After his nasty roles in in ¨Rocky 4 (85)¨ and ¨A view to kill(85)¨ , the Swedish muscle mountain Dolph Lundgren starred this film and followed by ¨Red Scorpion(90)¨ and ¨Universal soldier(92)¨ in his successful period during the 80s and early 90s . Lundgren has enough acting ability and charisma to play this kind of heroes . Based on cartoon and famous toys by ¨Mattei Inc¨ that proved to be one of the biggest of all time . The characters and story may aim a little more at kids than teenagers and adults. For comic relief is in charge of Billy Barty with his antics and jokes . Other support actors making brief appearance are James Tolkan and Christina Pickles as the imprisoned sorceress . The special effects are all they're cracked up to be and set a new cinematic standard for realistic realization . Action scenes have the zip and excitement you'd expect . The motion picture is well directed by Gary Goddard in his only realization , subsequently he dedicated to production and 3D . This would-be epic about ¨ Sword and witchery¨ is an entertaining romp through space and time .