Product Details

• Actors: Dolph Lundgren, Frank Langella, Meg Foster, Billy Barty, Courteney Cox
• Directors: Gary Goddard
• Writers: Gary Goddard, David Odell, Donald F. Glut, Stephen Tolkin
• Producers: Edward R. Pressman, Elliot Schick, Evzen Kolar
• Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• DVD Release Date: October 23, 2001
• Run Time: 106 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (171 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005MHOD
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,040 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Masters of the Universe" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

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 ACCIDENTLALLY TRANSPORTED TO EARTH BY A MYSTERIOUS COSMIC KEY,WHICH OLDS THE POWER TO MAKE SKELETOR ALL-POWERFUL.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure Fun For Fans Of The Series, Or Fans Of Fantasy!, June 17, 2004

By 

Adam J. Wishman "Broadway Bound" (IA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Masters of the Universe (DVD)

While I was reading the other customer reviews of "Masters of the Universe" on this page, I was shocked at how many negative reviews there were. I absolutely love this movie! It is one the most fun movies you could ever see, and has been one of my favorites ever since I was a kid. When I was little, I had all of the toys, and watched the cartoon series religiously. Now I know that the movie doesn't stay true to the cartoon series, but you have to think of it as a seperate entity of a central idea. The makers of this film were trying to appeal to hardcore fans of the series, and also to attract new viewers to the series. In one review by Access Hollywood in the 80's this movie was hailed as "The Star Wars of the 80's" I believe that this movie is as good as Star Wars when you compare them as fantasy films. The special effects are great in this movie, when you consider the time that this movie was made. And they make a stunning transfer to DVD! This movie looks as gorgeous as it did when I first saw it in the theatre as a kid. I also love the acting in this movie. Frank Langella as Skeletor is simply fantastic. He gives a very theatrical quality to the character, and has just the right amount of sinister evil, and operatic intensity that he captures the character perfectly, without going over the top. In my opinion Langella deserved an Oscar nomination for his role, he was brilliant. As far as casting He-Man, the film makers had a quite a task on their hands, because He-Man is the ultimate super hero. Dolph Lundgren was a great choice. He had the ripped, muscular body, but could also do the fight scenes, and act as well. Other great casting was Courtney Cox, now Courtney Cox-Arquette from "Friends" where her character Monica Gellar is my favorite! Cox plays the Earth girl Julie, who becomes entangled in this battle of the cosmos. Also Meg Foster was brilliant as the evil warrior goddess Evil-Lyn. She was absolutely spellbinding. She captured the icy wickedness, and also sultry, seductive, evil beauty of the character. If I were a member of the Academy, I would have also given Cox and Foster nominations for Best Supporting Actress. Unfortunately until the recent 11 Oscar wins for the most deserving "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" the Academy did not honor fantasy films. "Masters of the Universe" was just a little ahead of its time. Don't pay attention to the negative reviews on this sight, this is truly one of the greatest fantasy films of our time!

32 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dolph Lundrin Has the Power?, December 3, 2004

By 

Leo "Katphish" (Norwich, NY, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Masters of the Universe (DVD)

Masters of the Universe is a sort of "lost classic" of the 80's. Almost anyone who lived through the 80's heard something about "He-Man" and "Skeletor"... and likely heard the phrase "I have the powwwweeeer!". That's Masters of the Universe for those not in the know.

This is the motion picture version of the franchise that brought us a hot selling line of toys, a hit cartoon series, and practically invented the modern notion of using a series franchise to sell toys and other offshot products. "Masters of the Universe has a simple enough plot. The Evil Skeletor has used a device called the cosmic key to teleport his forces into, and subsequenlty capture Castle Greyskull - and the vast cosmic powers which it somehow holds (why it has this sort of significance is unexplained). his arch enemy, the heroic He-man, has been teleported with his friends to the far off world of earth during the fighting and Skeletors forces now pursue them to capture the key and seal once and for all, skeletors place as supreme ruler of the land of Eternia.

But this is not a movie you will watch for the story of course. Even those who were fans of He-man may be dismayed to know that the movie doesnt hold firm AT ALL to the sorce material. Heman's famous tiger is missing. And his powerful sword is just a sword in the movie. Much of it indeed was thrown together and altered. You'll see bits and pieces of everything that was sucessful in 80's cinema throughout this movie. Many times it feels like you're watching a really bad version of Star Wars. Skeletor is made to resebmle the emperor from that more sucsessful franchise, and anyone who doesnt think gwildor looks like yoda is kidding themselves. The end scene of the movie practically mirrors the end of Return of the Jedi! Skeletor shooting lighting from his fingers telling heman to kneel, and finally being tossed down some sort of shaft to a firey demise... Im surprised the dont get sued! Not to mention the hover boards are certainly inspired from back to the future 2!

No you wont be intellectually or emotionally involved. What you WILL watch this movie for, is 1) Nastalgia, and 2) fun. The movie is full of fairly effective comedy and decent action. As far as cheesy 80's movies I loved as a kid go, this one doesnt make me ask myself how stupid I must have been to enjoyed it. The acting is also quite decent, although lundrin is no oscar winner. The character of Skeletor is given a very powerful voice and performance for a movie of this type (which was obviously aimed at young teen boys).

of course the problem is you cant take this movie serious... any movie with charcters named "he-man" and "man-at-arms" and has bad costumed man-creatures running around wearing plastic looking armor and fake looking weapons is bound to have problems keeping an adult audience from chuckling. This is compounded by the fact that Lundrin, while he at times puts forth a noble effort, cant deliver a very effective presence in a lead role. Not to mention everything seems a lot sillier when seen in the context of a subburban USA battleground.

But if you can let go of that and just watch this movie with a light heart for fun and for nostalgia, you'll probably enjoy it and find it to be a lot of fun and find a basic tale of good and evil, action, comedy and a half-way-decent attempt to make it a sort of "almost epic".

35 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars By the power of grayskull!, July 5, 2001

By 

J. Kallis "filmation" (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Masters of the Universe (DVD)

Ok, so the movie did not stay true to the cartoon. This is still a kickin' movie. He-Man, the strongest man in the universe, and hero to all who live on the mystical planet of Eternia, comes to the big screen. He-Man comes from one of Mattel Toys biggest sellers in their history, and toy history. The line was called 'Masters of the Universe'. Mattel spun off the line into a cartoon for the small screen that was produced by animation group, Filmation. The cartoon and toys was so popular amoung youngsters and even adults, that a live action movie came about.

Now, I have read the original script for the movie. Much better than what actually made it to screen. The only fault of the movie is too much Earth. People want to see it on Eternia. But, the movie is still cool, with great effects and a nice score by Bill Conti.

The true highlight of the movie is Frank Langella as Skeletor. He was made to play the role. He is very scarey and at most very evil in the movie.

Also, Friends fans of Courtney Cox will love the movie too, she is in it as Earth girl Julie who finds the Cosmic Key and aids the Eternians on Earth.

I give the movie 5 stars because that is what it should get. I am a huge He-Man and She-Ra fan and this movie is part of He-Man's history.

By the power of grayskull.... YOU have the power!