Masters Of The Universe (1987)

 

Genre: Fantasy/ Action        Time: 1h 47mins        Director: Gary Goddard

Quick summary: Skeletor wants the cosmic key as he wants to be powerful and take over the world. He-Man and company must save the world from Skeletor and free Sorceress, who is Skeletor's prisoner.

Boy, this film is so silly; I love it.

But not a lot.

This was very much obvious a way to get kids to buy more He-man toys. The plot line is very simple, the script is kinda bare bones, and the action scenes are very cheesy, even for the 1980s.

But man Skeletor (Frank Langella) absolutely carried this film with his dramatic acting that honestly really appealed to me. He was so entertaining to watch and my attention was instantly grabbed anytime he was on screen. 

The cinematography in this is very dark with a bit of edge, giving us somewhat of that mystical fantasy feeling, though it does fall flat when you look at the set pieces as they feel very cheap and a bit out of place sometimes. They are very grand and dramatic occasionally, the scenes where Skeletor is sitting on the throne turn out to be actually two Hollywood sets put together, being one of the biggest sets recorded. 

This film had a lot of potential, but sadly just did not have the budget for it, but it made up for that with its campy fun energy. What I do like about it, is it's just an escapist fantasy filled with 80’s neon and a sense of wonder; it’s packed with action including swordfights, shoot-outs, and a few explosions.

He-Man is a bit lackluster in my opinion, you don't really get to see his super strength. He just kinda runs about with his sword. He just generally comes across as a really strong dude. 

The pacing though is absolutely all over the place. I found myself kinda staring off into space a few times, even during some of the action-packed scenes. A lot of scenes kinda went on too long and the characters did so much expedition I wouldn't be surprised if even kids got bored. 

4/10