Muscles, Midgets, and Skeletons Collide in the Most Controversial Fantasy Film Ever Made
By Chris Snellgrove | Published
If your rise is all from Stranger Things so synthwave didn't tell you, '80s kids are having a moment now. All the kids' favorite properties keep coming back to the big screen, including Ghostbusters, Transformers, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. One franchise that continues to be updated is Masters of the Universe, whose hero He-Man serves as the ultimate icon of masculinity and strength. The original show already had one anime spinoff and one anime-flavored reboot before Netflix brought the franchise back to life with two separate cartoons. Now, He-Man's latest live-action movie is set to premiere, and the early buzz proves that this IP is still going strong.
With the new movie about to break and hit theaters, now is the perfect time to revisit the original. Masters of the Universe movie from 1987. It's a film that gets a bad rap from genre fans for its glaring flaws: there's not enough action, not enough Eternia, and He-Man's powerful voice actor Dolph Lundgren is ridiculously bad. If you can look beyond that, however, this film has a lot to love, including amazing costume designs, hilarious dialogue, and an incredible performance from Skeletor actor Frank Langella. Throw in the original roles of two of the biggest stars of the '90s, and you have plenty of reasons to revisit this underrated film.
When He Raised His Magic Sword
The layout of Masters of the Universe begins with Big Bad Skeletor finally succeeding: he captures Castle Grayskull and imprisons its guardian, the Witch. Once he has completely exhausted his powers, he will be able to rule the universe. He-Man and his allies attack the castle, but are forced to flee to Earth due to the invention of their new friend Gwildor: the cosmic key. Skeletor's forces pursue them on Earth, desperate to retrieve a cosmic key that threatens to thwart their plans for global domination. But with the help of newfound allies, He-Man may discover the secret to saving countless worlds from the forces of darkness.
When Masters of the Universe came out, it was considered a mixed bag by fans of the iconic '80s cartoon. That cartoon was set entirely on Eternia, so it was disappointing to see the movie set almost entirely on Earth. It was also strange to see new, unusual villains replace the familiar characters; instead of Mer-Man or Try-Klops, we get new baddies that include a robot lizard, a thug with a sword, and a regular straight-haired monster from The Righteous Gemstones. There were also many deviations from this idea, including the fact that He-Man does not have his secret identity of Prince Adam.
Despite these drawbacks, however, there's a lot to like, too Masters of the Universe it's glorious '80s B-movie schlock in its purest form!
Collaboration Makes the Dream Work
What's so great about this hated fictional movie? First, Dolph Lundgren. Yes, his accent is atrocious, but that gives the movie a great dose of goofy charm. Like, you know how fun it is Rocky IV when Lundgren said, “If he dies, does he die?” Well, Masters of the Universe it's full of stupid dialogue, and it becomes endlessly laughs from Lundgren's mouth. And, he certainly looks the part: He-Man was originally inspired by Conan the Barbarian, and Lundgren looks as good here as Arnold Schwarzenegger did in the '80s Conan films. A combination of muscles and a silly accent turn this He-Man into something strangely compelling: the ultimate hibo.
Other players are equally attractive. Like, it was a shame that Orko didn't make an appearance here, but Billy Barty's Gwildor guy takes the rightful place, and his performance gives this movie a campiness that's really appealing. Meg Foster is the perfect embodiment of Evil-Lyn, a powerful dommy mother who can chill your bones with one look from her abyssal eyes. James Tolkan is perfect as the tough cop, and if anything, he's more at ease here than ever as the principal. Back to the Future. And, while their performance isn't great, it's nice to see an early appearance of two '90s icons: Friends' Courtney Cox and Star Trek: VoyagerRobert Duncan McNeil.
Spooky, Skeleton Spooky
However, no one plays on the same level as Skeletor actor Frank Langella. Instead of relying on the campiness of the cartoon incarnation, he imbues Skeletor with the pathos and gravitas befitting a Shakespearean character like King Lear. Actually, Langella didn't get the memo that this is a schlocky animated film, and she gives a confident and 100 percent locked-in performance whenever she's on screen. Despite her face covered in weird makeup, Langella is fully committed to being the ultimate villain. In short, it's great to see him transform a funny cartoon villain into a tough guy Alan Rickman Die Hard.
Apart from games, Masters of the Universe and brings some crowd-pleasing action. Admittedly, it's not enough, and the film would have benefited from more editing and less animation. But it's great to see He-Man take on Skeletor's foot soldiers, whose smart suits are (thanks to designer William Stout) the coolest sci-fi design since Stormtrooper. Also, it's undeniably awesome to see He-Man fighting Skeletor on screen. If you grew up with a cartoon obsession like I did, seeing your favorite characters do it live is an absolute dream come true.
Masters of the Universe it's obviously not a perfect movie, but it's much better than its name suggests. Fast-paced performances, killer costume design, and bad-ass-good dialogue all make this movie worth watching. Just ask yourself: do you like swords and sorcery? Do you like cool villains and hot villainesses? Want to go back to a time when sci-fi movies didn't take themselves too seriously? You don't need a cosmic key to blast the past. Just hold your magic remote up, shout “I have power,” and broadcast Masters of the Universe to Thubi. It's free, leaving you with some spare cash for one of the best things in life: action figures, baby!
