Oliver I can't thank you enough for this review. Because of you I found the movie that i watched in Cuba as a kid. And the soundtrack... WOW just WOW. do you know where i can download the score? The CD is wayyy too expensive.
Yes. They must be resurrected and their dead and rotten corpse be dragged before the big screen. Similar to what Disney did with Star Wars. It worked great! Everyone loves Star Wars now. I mean the survivors of course. I am not dead, and that’s a good thing...
@@rexremedy1733 why do I think of the movie Cyborg, and we are going threw a Epidemic. I will take you there(Canon Films)to the big screen, I will be a god.
Friday, September 7th, 2007. I showed this film to my best friend, Jon. We were 22. To this day, he idolizes the ambition and drive of Skeletor as played by Frank Langella. He'd just been promoted to a supervisor position at the retail store we worked at, and he'd constantly start his department meetings in "Skeletor Mode".
Favorite moment as a child: Skeletor arriving on Earth on the floaty barge thing. Favourite moment as an adult: Kevin trying to fend off Beastman by throwing a dish towel at him. XD
I've never understood the issue with Dolph's voice. I saw this movie when I was 4 years old and I could understand every word he said. He had an "accent"? I find it annoying that they seem to think an Eternian needs to sound Californian. I think Dolph was perfectly cast.
I also never understood why people say Dolph has an "accent" to begin with. He really doesn't. The problem with Dolph in this film isn't his accent, it's his delivery of the dialogue. It's rather poor for most of the film. I don't think he was mis-cast but I do feel his delivery was poor. It's the same deal with the "fast and furious" movies where anyone who appears in those films deliver some of the worst dialogue in cinema history yet when they do other projects, they don't deliver their lines like that, some of them at least.
Agreed 100%. I never had a problem with Dolph at all. I thought he did well as a kid, and all these years later I still feel that way when I watch it. 95% of playing He-Man is going to be about the look. And coming off the huge success of Rocky 4, Dolph was almost the only choice for the role IMO. Who else could you find that looked like He-Man with some name recognition? You are not going to get someone with real/proven acting chops to play He-Man probably not even today. Even for Thor they got Hemsworth who was pretty unknown at the time. He had only a few acting credits.. Another role that was really about the look more than the acting, but that role exploded his career.. It is a shame for Dolph because had this movie been a big hit like Rocky 4 it would have really skyrocketed his career. But I remember the movie and him fondly. BTW if you have not seen him in Creed 2 watch it. He was great..
@@dbreiden83080 I agree. Dolph looked the part and he has proven that he can deliver excellent dialogue. The problem with this film is the dialogue. It's poorly written therefore, it's poorly delivered. This was still early in Dolph's career but for the time, there weren't many actors who could physically look the part of He-Man.
It seems he had to retry the lines several times to get them right. I'd also be fine with an accent, although it would not make sense for only Heman to have that "Eternian" accent. The other characters would have to speak the same way for it to make sense. And actually, they shouldn't even be speaking English, as long as we're on the topic of language. Now that would have made for a more interesting world-crossing adventure!
All the praise for Langella is legit. He and Meg Foster are doing Shakespeare, while the rest are doing a kid's movie. Thank You for this video. I'm stunned at the amount of research you put into this! Thanks!
Extremely late to this but I just wanted to say on the "Dolph has varied opinions on He-Man" it actually sounds very straightforward - internally he was embarrassed about the role but he is gracious for the fans of it. This shows class, to me.
Mattel really missed the boat on this one. If they'd released this in 1983-4, it would've been huge. Me and millions of other boys would've dragged their parents to see it. By 1987 I was trying to understand the mysteries of girls rather than what would happen if the 2 halves of the Power Sword were combined.
Dean Strickson So, their big mistake was failing to organize the production of the film around your specific age? Because there were no longer any six year olds around in 1987.
In Finland we had this right at a continum. Because the toys werent that available and only people with cable or sky saw the show. So this movie hit just at the right spot and we saw it while still playing with the toys at age seven.
My love for the Masters franchise stemmed mostly from this film. The show was cute and entertaining but I think the design and character portrayal of the film, namely Skeletor and Evil Lynn are far more intriguing. Also Frank Langella is brilliant in this. Great review Oliver!
Its funny how the popularity of Masters was at an end by the time this movie came out in 1987, yet in Ghostbusters 2 (1989) they have the kids at the birthday party chanting for He-Man :\
SengirShowsU I've never understood why we haven't had more movies based on 80s cartoons, you'd think after transformers has made so much money studios would of tried more. Mask, bionic 6, and thundercats I'd love to see.
as much as some people hate and judge this film. The more i discover the story behind the scenes about it (the whole budget being cut in half for it to be used for superman 4 and whatnot) I still have a fondness for this film. Thanks for this, Oliver....amazing work as always
Yeah the special effects were better on this film than on Superman 4. Funnily enough both featuring a tall, tanned, muscle bound, blonde mulleted man with super powers in 1987 with Nuclear Man. A strong look on many levels
"I didn't tune in to see Courtney Cox and the Masters of the Universe. I tuned it to see He-Man, god damnit!" Hahaha. Exactly my feelings on this movie. I grew up with this movie though, probably one of my earliest memories when it comes to movies. Great retrospective as usual :)!
@@OliverHarper this is a masterful film this is canon second-best next to it lifeforce and Cannon shouldn't have cut budgets to Superman 4 for their films and even used it to use for Masters of the Universe even it's very faithful to the He-man Source material there's another way they could have used money to help out with the production of Masters of the Universe instead of cutting the budget for Superman 4 and I love this film !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!❤❤❤🥰🤩🤩🤩🤩🥰🤩!!!
i was born in 1983 and loved he-man growing up. i love this movie. i remember the movie poster when i was a kid. i still watch it at least a couple times a year, with my son now. thanks for the video, nice.
I love this movie, takes me right back to my childhood. The eightiest of 80's movies. Frank Langella is so deliciously over the top, reportedly he had a blast with the performance he took up because of his son. Bill Conti's great score is just iceing on the cake. So many things went wrong, who knows, what could have been if the finances had been in order or the movie had been promoted or recieved well.
I love this. I love all of Oliver's videos but this is one of his best & one of the most informative & textured Masters 87 documentaries I've ever seen
This movie really reminded me of Flash Gordon in many ways. They're both flawed movies but fun as heck! And seriously, Flash Gordon is on of my favorite films of all time. I really need to see this one again, I've seen it such a long time ago. But I do remember enjoying for what it was. Weirdly enough the plot is very similar to the awful awful Beastmaster 2 Through The Portal Of Time.
It’s so wild to me that He-Man, this juggernaut of the 80’s, had only two seasons after which they thought it best to have He-Man become a hype man for his sister She-Ra. It’d be like the Transformers becoming the junior guys and there only to boost the Go-Bots or the Ninja Turtles being pushed aside to just feature in a cartoon about the journalist April. Also, even with all their shenanigans, can we acknowledge how much poorer our world would be without the charming insanity of Cannon Films? What an important 80’s entity.
@@OliverHarper Oliver what's your favorite Superman 4 by Alexander courage or He Man by Bill Conti I thought He-Man was by Alexander courage the whole time yeah yeah yeah yeah
@@OliverHarper He-Man , Superman TO A POINT, and lifeForce are Cannon`s best films as Cannon`s big-budget films are better than their small-budget films
Saw this when it came out.. I was about 11 and loved it! I thought Blade meeting He-Man was the most awesome thing. I didn't care that it was loosely related to the toy line, Lundran did an awesome job. I have been waiting for a sequel for 33 years now!
This movie will always be one of my favorites. It's up there with The Last Starfighter as just a great otherworldly battle of good vs evil in the 80s, with an incredible soundtrack.
I was one of those kids that didn't like this movie because I was a fan of the cartoon. I felt ripped off. Like this was Masters of the Universe in name only. I revisited it in my early 20s when I got my first DVD player. This was one of my first DVDs and I appreciated it more. I absolutely love Frank Langella as Skeletor. You can really tell he had fun with the role.
Fun fact: This movie was R-rated in Sweden (15 yrs). I was a big He-man fan at 12 yrs and couldn't even get in the cinema to see it. This certainly must have hurt the movie's profit from the Swedish market (Dolph Lundgren's home country)
Also restricted at the cinema were Gremlins 1, Ghostbusters 1 and The Empire Strikes Back, even with a parent no one under 15 was admitted. By the early 90's however, things got more lax and Gremlins 2 and Ghostbusters 2 were both given the age rating 11, even though the content was similar (or even more intense).
38:07 Seeing an unarmed He-man fight Skeletor's robot warriors without weapons in that shot in the final fight was almost like watching a wrestling match which a single wrestler takes on multiple opponents.
+Oliver Harper I loved this as a kid. Even now I still reckon the casting and design was very apt. Perhaps if it was set entirely on Eternia it could've been a classic. Who knows? It might've been TOO similar to StarWars - let's face it, it's very much in that vein! Great video as always, Oliver. Cheers :-)
Frank Langella is reason enough to watch this movie. Also the world was a better place WITH Cannon Films than without it. Even though it was mostly shit, it was novel shit. I'd take that over the mockbusters and no-budget fare that constitutes that space where Roger Corman and these films once stood.
I love Frank Langella!! He elevated this movie to a higher level and added class to the proceedings. I have very fond memories of this great movie. I had the bones to be a masterpiece but it fell short but Langella is the man!!
Definitely. He was a true visionary. With an iconic style. I can see the Jack Kirby influence in this movie and it went full circle in a way, as Masters Of The Universe & the often compared Flash Gordon with it's parallels, were both a massive influence on Thor Ragnorok (2017). Jack Kirby style and original artwork is all over that film, as it should be and is a superb fitting tribute to JK.
The location where skeletor marches and captures He Man was shot in a city called Whittier. And it has historic street called "uptown" as a kid it was cool to see my city in the movie. ( plus many other movies that was shot there as well)
I just got to share this movie experience with my 6 yo son and he LOVED IT!!! Such a great action sci fi film and Frank Langella went all out in performance and Skeletor carried this plot! Great review!
My late uncle Jimmy came home from work on a shitty rainy night with the VHS on the day it was released. I was just 7 at the time, for that reason alone this movie stays with me.
Frank’s performance in this movie is nothing short of legendary. And I love it. I love the nostalgia, the 80s feel of the whole movie. I just love it. Once a year at least I revisit this little classic.
Thanks for the review! I love this movie, Meg Foster is my favourite and I feel like Langella, she stole the show! I saw it as a child sometime in 88’ 87’ can’t remember but Evil Lyn, Dolphs amazing physique and the tones from the Cosmic Key were so memorable! 👍🏻
I went to Vasquez Rocks with my girlfriend once to check it out and climb around on the weird formations. This was a mistake. Now, every time I see it on a show or movie, no matter the angle, my mind automatically fills in the rest of the area. The parking area, highway, etc.... I can't unsee it.
I was subscribed to Masters of Universe magazine that normally featured topics about the cartoon, but they had a special issue devoted to the live action movie and also mentioned it in previous issues, so I knew the movie was coming before anyone else did, and this was in the 1980s, and I was a kid, back then you found out what movie were playing by looking in the Entertainment section of the Newspaper, and on Fridays they would print movie reviews for new movies, the movie section of that section had movie posters shrunken down and sometimes in color or black and white with the names of the theaters that were locally showing it below that picture
Damn it man. You edit the beginning of this like Masters of The Universe was so badass!!! It sounded so cool and the way it was cut wish the movie was as cool as the beginning. So glad this was reviewed.
Thanks so much Oliver. You got nailed the intro. You hit the high points. The first words spoken from the great Frank Langella, Dolph says, "Let her go!" in all it's cheesy glory and you end with the Skeletor/He-Man final battle. Perfection. I agree with everything you said in your final thoughts. I was a much bigger fan of the live action over the cartoon and I always wanted to cut most of the earth footage out. Thank you.
The most memorable part of this film for me was the bit where the dwarf gobbles a bucket of fried chicken. I grew up in Jersey where there was no mcdonalds or kfc or any other fast food chain and 5 year old me was in gluttonous awe.
I just love this review! This is one of my favorite movies and I am so glad that you covered it with such beautiful detail and a fondness for the film.
When I was a kid I didn't own the toys but I loved the cartoon. I wasn't deterred from the movie at all. In fact, I have always loved this movie! Everything about it!
The remake has been in development hell for years and has been passed around so many directors. It'll be a garbage fire of massive proportions, and papped off to a first time director who will undoubtedly not give a shit about the source material and want to put their own "stamp" on it. Stick with the 1987 film. No matter what anyone says, it's a good film.
I didn't really mind the lack of scenery shown in Eternia because Castle Grayskull is located in the barren wastelands. The Sorceress had traveled there as a human seeking it out for sanctuary and for help against tyrants, and it appeared before her.
I will always love this movie. Watch it once every 2 years or so. Has it flaws but all in all just a great trip down 80's nostalgic lane. A ton of fun.
I love the original theatrical poster with Dolph and Frank front and center. But, I also understand why they predominantly use the alternate poster these days. Courteney and Robert are almost co-leads in the film. But I would have used more of a group collage, referencing many heroes and villains.
Well I'm always quick to compliment you when you tackle the films I love and really nail them, but I guess this is a far better achievement because you are taking a film I literally laugh at and you are making me see it in a better light. In fact, I almost respect it now... not enough to watch it again, but enough to not let there mere mention of it distress me.
Even though as a child I found the differences between the movie and cartoon a shock to the system I'm now far more accepting of alternate takes and reboots of franchise I grew up with and really enjoy the MOTU film. The villains especially are all well portrayed and I love the practical and make up effects.
I think it's pretty clear that Skeletor's golden armor and crown for the climax are directly lifted for the designs made for Salvador Dali's projected role as the Emperor Shaddam IV in Jodorowsky's insane but doomed adaptation of 'Dune'. Bit os that film ended up in a hundred other sci-fi and fantasy productions.
I recently watched this for the first time last. Its one of those films thats bad, but you can't help but love it for its campiness and silliness. Its so innocent and sincere that it makes me smile. Frank Langella was boss as Skeletor, quite intimidating while also being cheesy. I also think the effects stand up very nicely, and the soundtrack was great. I miss films like this, where they are unaware of their silliness, and thus makes it funnier than if it were to wink to the audience.
Like you, when I saw MotU in the cinema, I was blown away by Frank Langella's Skeletor! Great retrospective. Really loved the map paintings. Could have been so much better but as Darren Aronofsky once said, "Filmmaking is barely an art. 99% is bureaucracy". Great stuff again big-O!
This is the first video I've seen from this channel and I have to say, I'm very impressed. I am a massive fan of MOTU and pretty much all of the views put forward here mirrored my own. Great work, I very much look forward to more and I will be subscribing.
It was a pity about Dolph's voice because he bulked up his already impressive physique to a fine standard for the role. It's only when you realize how tall he is that you see how much weight he put on. He looks almost gangly in 'Rocky' by comparison.
I love how Harper said "Masters of the Universe exploded on the screen". Yeah and fizzled out three days later! Dolph Lundgren, who's great, had to much of an accent to play Adam (He Man) and Chelsea Field, although a fine actress, hardly embodied Teela! Frank Langella actually looked great and menacing as Skeleltor though and the movie seemed to have a good look production wise! It will be interesting to see if the long awaited remake will work and actually be more faithful to the original mythology.
Great review, Oliver. You seem to find ways in getting me to watch these again. I thought Meg Foster was a perfect Evil Lynn. it's the eyes that always get me about her.
Really enjoyed the longer retrospective on this movie, and I'm excited to see more updated retrospectives. BTW, do you plan on reviewing The Fugitive (1993)?
Fantastic retrospective Oliver! When this popped up in my feed, it really made my day. Absolutely love this film, and not even ironically. Yep, flawed; but still brings the biggest smile to my face. It seems like we must have had such similar movie tastes and exposure as kids... So many of these were mainstays of my youth. Especially the action movies of the late 80s/early 90s. Keep them coming good sir!
You did an awesome job onthis. I've just watch it for the second time after many years and it's the best I see on the net. I love this moving and the nostalgia reminds me Flash Gordon that I also love. I'm a Motu fan since the beginning and was a bit disturb by the movie not meing the "Filmation" ones or Alcala but I had time to prepare myself before seing it on cinema because I already had bought magazines that were telling the organisation stories and the cast behind. Pictures, posters, cards etc... totally 80ies. Thank you again from France.
You put a lot of heart in this review. I can tell you cherish it as much as I. Tragic those who will never appreciate the thrill of walking into a toy store and seeing walls of He Mans. Thanks, man!
Same here, i watched this movie as a child, and still love it and keep watching it 😂. Never cared about He mans voice, i actually liked it. If i ever get to be a multi millionär, i will do a remake! Amazing to see that people commenting here, view it exactly like me. It will probably always be my favourite movie :) much love from switzerland 🥰♥️ to everybody in here!
It would be so cool if you made a retrospective of Deep Rising & The Changeling (1980). The Changeling deserves more attention since it's such an amazing haunted house movie that so many seem to have forgotten about, and Deep Rising is such a dumb fun movie that i also whish got more attention.
Get the Masters of the Universe Blu-ray here goo.gl/Z20k6b
Oliver I can't thank you enough for this review. Because of you I found the movie that i watched in Cuba as a kid. And the soundtrack... WOW just WOW. do you know where i can download the score? The CD is wayyy too expensive.
Oliver, you touched on "Over the top". Any chance of a review?
It's a guilty pleasure of mine.(except for the kid, he was really annoying).
I love this film =) I absolutely agree with your assessment of the whole thing. =)
Oliver Harper i have it on vhs
David S Goyer is writing and directing the film which it could be filming in April.
The world is a sadder place without canon films.
Yes. They must be resurrected and their dead and rotten corpse be dragged before the big screen. Similar to what Disney did with Star Wars. It worked great! Everyone loves Star Wars now. I mean the survivors of course. I am not dead, and that’s a good thing...
Judah Earl Cannon was a company that did things on the cheap which is why most of the movies bombed
I heard in a documentary they once had 84 films in production at once. That is absolutely asking to go bankrupt. But still...LOVED this movie.
@@elvisleeboy I think he was being sarcastic.
@@rexremedy1733 why do I think of the movie Cyborg, and we are going threw a Epidemic. I will take you there(Canon Films)to the big screen, I will be a god.
Friday, September 7th, 2007. I showed this film to my best friend, Jon. We were 22. To this day, he idolizes the ambition and drive of Skeletor as played by Frank Langella. He'd just been promoted to a supervisor position at the retail store we worked at, and he'd constantly start his department meetings in "Skeletor Mode".
Favorite moment as a child: Skeletor arriving on Earth on the floaty barge thing.
Favourite moment as an adult: Kevin trying to fend off Beastman by throwing a dish towel at him. XD
So many great moments, hard to pick one.
I've never understood the issue with Dolph's voice. I saw this movie when I was 4 years old and I could understand every word he said.
He had an "accent"? I find it annoying that they seem to think an Eternian needs to sound Californian.
I think Dolph was perfectly cast.
I also never understood why people say Dolph has an "accent" to begin with. He really doesn't. The problem with Dolph in this film isn't his accent, it's his delivery of the dialogue. It's rather poor for most of the film. I don't think he was mis-cast but I do feel his delivery was poor. It's the same deal with the "fast and furious" movies where anyone who appears in those films deliver some of the worst dialogue in cinema history yet when they do other projects, they don't deliver their lines like that, some of them at least.
Agreed 100%. I never had a problem with Dolph at all. I thought he did well as a kid, and all these years later I still feel that way when I watch it. 95% of playing He-Man is going to be about the look. And coming off the huge success of Rocky 4, Dolph was almost the only choice for the role IMO. Who else could you find that looked like He-Man with some name recognition? You are not going to get someone with real/proven acting chops to play He-Man probably not even today. Even for Thor they got Hemsworth who was pretty unknown at the time. He had only a few acting credits.. Another role that was really about the look more than the acting, but that role exploded his career.. It is a shame for Dolph because had this movie been a big hit like Rocky 4 it would have really skyrocketed his career. But I remember the movie and him fondly. BTW if you have not seen him in Creed 2 watch it. He was great..
@@dbreiden83080 I agree. Dolph looked the part and he has proven that he can deliver excellent dialogue. The problem with this film is the dialogue. It's poorly written therefore, it's poorly delivered. This was still early in Dolph's career but for the time, there weren't many actors who could physically look the part of He-Man.
As a kid I never even noticed or knew he had an accent. He sounded normal to me.
It seems he had to retry the lines several times to get them right. I'd also be fine with an accent, although it would not make sense for only Heman to have that "Eternian" accent. The other characters would have to speak the same way for it to make sense. And actually, they shouldn't even be speaking English, as long as we're on the topic of language. Now that would have made for a more interesting world-crossing adventure!
All the praise for Langella is legit. He and Meg Foster are doing Shakespeare, while the rest are doing a kid's movie. Thank You for this video. I'm stunned at the amount of research you put into this! Thanks!
Extremely late to this but I just wanted to say on the "Dolph has varied opinions on He-Man" it actually sounds very straightforward - internally he was embarrassed about the role but he is gracious for the fans of it. This shows class, to me.
The film has a lot of problems. I consider Dolph to be among the least of them. 😊
Well said.
Big fan of this channel. Love the look at these classic movies of my youth.First class job buddy!
Nobody does it better BABY! ; )
Old movies are better
Mattel really missed the boat on this one. If they'd released this in 1983-4, it would've been huge. Me and millions of other boys would've dragged their parents to see it. By 1987 I was trying to understand the mysteries of girls rather than what would happen if the 2 halves of the Power Sword were combined.
Dean Strickson Same her.
Actually the mysteries of girls and combining the two halves of the power sword had a lot in common.
Dean Strickson So, their big mistake was failing to organize the production of the film around your specific age? Because there were no longer any six year olds around in 1987.
In Finland we had this right at a continum. Because the toys werent that available and only people with cable or sky saw the show. So this movie hit just at the right spot and we saw it while still playing with the toys at age seven.
elvisleeboy think harder
Frank Langella as Skeletor was my Darth Vader.
Stefan Wejda no, but Darth Sidious.
there hasn't been any real villains after Vader and Skeletor
More like a cross between Vader and Palpatine
His costume is utter shit though.
My love for the Masters franchise stemmed mostly from this film. The show was cute and entertaining but I think the design and character portrayal of the film, namely Skeletor and Evil Lynn are far more intriguing. Also Frank Langella is brilliant in this. Great review Oliver!
Brilliant is an understatement.
Its funny how the popularity of Masters was at an end by the time this movie came out in 1987, yet in Ghostbusters 2 (1989) they have the kids at the birthday party chanting for He-Man :\
Yeah! I don't think Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd got the memo that He-Man wasn't popular anymore.
I do not think the movie came to late. More like too early. Now is the time. Like transformers for vastly more nostalgia income
SengirShowsU I've never understood why we haven't had more movies based on 80s cartoons, you'd think after transformers has made so much money studios would of tried more. Mask, bionic 6, and thundercats I'd love to see.
maybe after G.I. Joe movies were not the big success, film companies became a bit more careful
Cinema Voice He-Man toys made $400 million in 1986, all in.
This is probably my number one guilty pleasure movie.
Zero to feel guilty about with this movie. It's magnificent!
Frank Langella did in this movie what Raul Julia did in the 1994 Street Fighter movie starring Van Damme and completely stole the show.
Martin Sexton he's turning in his grave at the thought of that horrible street fighter film... it was embarrassingly dogshit
His costume is utter shit though.
Martin Sexton one of cinema’s great villains. And Conti’s score still kicks arse... even if it was a facsimile of Williams’ Star Wars and Superman
Raul Will always be gomez Adams to me
OF COURSE!!!
as much as some people hate and judge this film. The more i discover the story behind the scenes about it (the whole budget being cut in half for it to be used for superman 4 and whatnot) I still have a fondness for this film.
Thanks for this, Oliver....amazing work as always
I believe it was the other way around. Superman 4 had the budget cut in half so Cannon could use the money for Heman and pre-production of Spiderman.
Superman IV is the one that had its budget cut in half thanks to the money being funneled into Masters of the Universe.
Yeah the special effects were better on this film than on Superman 4. Funnily enough both featuring a tall, tanned, muscle bound, blonde mulleted man with super powers in 1987 with Nuclear Man. A strong look on many levels
"I didn't tune in to see Courtney Cox and the Masters of the Universe. I tuned it to see He-Man, god damnit!" Hahaha. Exactly my feelings on this movie. I grew up with this movie though, probably one of my earliest memories when it comes to movies. Great retrospective as usual :)!
I definitely watched it because of Courteney
@@kjdempsey what about meg foster
@@zacharyjochumsen9677 mostly Courteney
The Cosmic Key is the most beautiful movie prop ever made
Yeah its fantastic. I want it but only if it makes those sweet synth sounds!
@@OliverHarper this is a masterful film this is canon second-best next to it lifeforce and Cannon shouldn't have cut budgets to Superman 4 for their films and even used it to use for Masters of the Universe even it's very faithful to the He-man Source material there's another way they could have used money to help out with the production of Masters of the Universe instead of cutting the budget for Superman 4 and I love this film !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!❤❤❤🥰🤩🤩🤩🤩🥰🤩!!!
@@OliverHarper "The Star Wars of the 80s" Star Wars came OUT IN THE 80S!!!! 🤣😆😆🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 EMPIRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! gosH😄😄😄😄😄😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁
i was born in 1983 and loved he-man growing up. i love this movie. i remember the movie poster when i was a kid. i still watch it at least a couple times a year, with my son now. thanks for the video, nice.
45 minutes on Master of the Universe, now that is some love
I saw this in theaters back in 88! My dad took me to go see it and I must admit I like the film regardless of its MANY flaws.
This was a bas ass movie only people who dont like this movie played with barbies
"HE-MAN and the Raiders of the Kentucky Fried Chicken."
"HE-MAN and the Masters of Courteney Cox's Hotness."
I love this movie, takes me right back to my childhood. The eightiest of 80's movies. Frank Langella is so deliciously over the top, reportedly he had a blast with the performance he took up because of his son. Bill Conti's great score is just iceing on the cake. So many things went wrong, who knows, what could have been if the finances had been in order or the movie had been promoted or recieved well.
I love this. I love all of Oliver's videos but this is one of his best & one of the most informative & textured Masters 87 documentaries I've ever seen
This movie really reminded me of Flash Gordon in many ways. They're both flawed movies but fun as heck! And seriously, Flash Gordon is on of my favorite films of all time.
I really need to see this one again, I've seen it such a long time ago. But I do remember enjoying for what it was.
Weirdly enough the plot is very similar to the awful awful Beastmaster 2 Through The Portal Of Time.
Hairy Cornflake Totally agree. Many similarities and both were used as inspiration and sizzle reel clip footage for Thor Ragnorock (2017)
I think the biggest rip off of Masters 87 is Thor (2010)
It’s so wild to me that He-Man, this juggernaut of the 80’s, had only two seasons after which they thought it best to have He-Man become a hype man for his sister She-Ra. It’d be like the Transformers becoming the junior guys and there only to boost the Go-Bots or the Ninja Turtles being pushed aside to just feature in a cartoon about the journalist April.
Also, even with all their shenanigans, can we acknowledge how much poorer our world would be without the charming insanity of Cannon Films? What an important 80’s entity.
I agree with your review almost 100%, especially with Langella's Skeletor.
Cheers Geoffrey!
@@OliverHarper Oliver what's your favorite Superman 4 by Alexander courage or He Man by Bill Conti I thought He-Man was by Alexander courage the whole time yeah yeah yeah yeah
@@OliverHarper He-Man , Superman TO A POINT, and lifeForce are Cannon`s best films as Cannon`s big-budget films are better than their small-budget films
I still watch ths movie!!! can nvr gt bored of it!!!
Saw this when it came out.. I was about 11 and loved it! I thought Blade meeting He-Man was the most awesome thing. I didn't care that it was loosely related to the toy line, Lundran did an awesome job. I have been waiting for a sequel for 33 years now!
Oliver Harper- Your video reviews are so comprehensive and so well crafted... your work is amazing. I appreciate what you do so much. Thank you!
This movie will always be one of my favorites. It's up there with The Last Starfighter as just a great otherworldly battle of good vs evil in the 80s, with an incredible soundtrack.
Last Starfighter was awesome.
I was one of those kids that didn't like this movie because I was a fan of the cartoon. I felt ripped off. Like this was Masters of the Universe in name only. I revisited it in my early 20s when I got my first DVD player. This was one of my first DVDs and I appreciated it more. I absolutely love Frank Langella as Skeletor. You can really tell he had fun with the role.
Fun fact: This movie was R-rated in Sweden (15 yrs). I was a big He-man fan at 12 yrs and couldn't even get in the cinema to see it. This certainly must have hurt the movie's profit from the Swedish market (Dolph Lundgren's home country)
Rated R in Sweden? Damn your censors were very strict!
Also restricted at the cinema were Gremlins 1, Ghostbusters 1 and The Empire Strikes Back, even with a parent no one under 15 was admitted. By the early 90's however, things got more lax and Gremlins 2 and Ghostbusters 2 were both given the age rating 11, even though the content was similar (or even more intense).
wow that's crazy!
When Jurassic Park came out in Norway some 10 yr olds got scared and some parents felt 10 rating was too low.......cant win em all ;)
38:07 Seeing an unarmed He-man fight Skeletor's robot warriors without weapons in that shot in the final fight was almost like watching a wrestling match which a single wrestler takes on multiple opponents.
"flesh out the character" [of Skeletor]. Take a bow. :)
haha!
+Oliver Harper I loved this as a kid. Even now I still reckon the casting and design was very apt. Perhaps if it was set entirely on Eternia it could've been a classic. Who knows? It might've been TOO similar to StarWars - let's face it, it's very much in that vein! Great video as always, Oliver.
Cheers :-)
They have since made some official MOTU movie figures.
16:40
Kirsty Cotton: I think I swallowed a rib bones. I hope it wasn't an lose a appetite.
Frank Langella is reason enough to watch this movie.
Also the world was a better place WITH Cannon Films than without it. Even though it was mostly shit, it was novel shit. I'd take that over the mockbusters and no-budget fare that constitutes that space where Roger Corman and these films once stood.
HitchensImmortal Right on. Same here.
HitchensImmortal Agreed on all points.
Amen.
Your right about that! Frank Langella's villain monologue near the end of the movie is one of the absolute best ever.
There is a FB page dedicated to Frank Langella's performance as Skeletor.
I love Frank Langella!! He elevated this movie to a higher level and added class to the proceedings. I have very fond memories of this great movie. I had the bones to be a masterpiece but it fell short but Langella is the man!!
Jack Kirby should have been much more loved when he was alive.
Definitely. He was a true visionary. With an iconic style. I can see the Jack Kirby influence in this movie and it went full circle in a way, as Masters Of The Universe & the often compared Flash Gordon with it's parallels, were both a massive influence on Thor Ragnorok (2017). Jack Kirby style and original artwork is all over that film, as it should be and is a superb fitting tribute to JK.
This is one of those movies that when I see it available to watch anywhere, I’ll stop and watch it.
This film has a rating of 17% on rotten tomatoes. What a joke as Frank langella alone is worth 50%
paul mcgettigan ..well said*
Frank Lagella was so compelling as Skeletor I could listen to him for the whole movie.
paul mcgettigan unbelievable I freakin love this film!
It deserves it honestly.
Deserve 1%
Man Oliver this is your best work yet, and I have been watching your videos for like 4 years now..
I run a Frank Langella as Skeletor Facebook page.
Your attention to details in these reviews is second to none. Thanks Oliver!
Love this film. Still holds up quite well 34 years later. Bring back Cannon films! Just needs a boutique blu ray release now!
The location where skeletor marches and captures He Man was shot in a city called Whittier. And it has historic street called "uptown" as a kid it was cool to see my city in the movie. ( plus many other movies that was shot there as well)
That was probably my favorite end note sequence by you ever, Olly. "And that's why I love it" evoked cheers from the inner child in me!
I just got to share this movie experience with my 6 yo son and he LOVED IT!!! Such a great action sci fi film and Frank Langella went all out in performance and Skeletor carried this plot! Great review!
I actually love this movie--mostly because of Frank Langella/Skeletor and Meg Foster/Evilyn.
My late uncle Jimmy came home from work on a shitty rainy night with the VHS on the day it was released. I was just 7 at the time, for that reason alone this movie stays with me.
Frank’s performance in this movie is nothing short of legendary. And I love it. I love the nostalgia, the 80s feel of the whole movie. I just love it. Once a year at least I revisit this little classic.
Thanks for the review! I love this movie, Meg Foster is my favourite and I feel like Langella, she stole the show! I saw it as a child sometime in 88’ 87’ can’t remember but Evil Lyn, Dolphs amazing physique and the tones from the Cosmic Key were so memorable! 👍🏻
Another awesome retrospective! Thanks so much for doing these. I look forward to all of them!!!
Thanks Jesse!
I went to Vasquez Rocks with my girlfriend once to check it out and climb around on the weird formations. This was a mistake. Now, every time I see it on a show or movie, no matter the angle, my mind automatically fills in the rest of the area. The parking area, highway, etc.... I can't unsee it.
Favorite character: Skeletor
Favorite scene: when Skeletor was turning godlike. Even today I still love his speech.
I was subscribed to Masters of Universe magazine that normally featured topics about the cartoon, but they had a special issue devoted to the live action movie and also mentioned it in previous issues, so I knew the movie was coming before anyone else did, and this was in the 1980s, and I was a kid, back then you found out what movie were playing by looking in the Entertainment section of the Newspaper, and on Fridays they would print movie reviews for new movies, the movie section of that section had movie posters shrunken down and sometimes in color or black and white with the names of the theaters that were locally showing it below that picture
Skelletor "a lot was done to FLESH out the character" 😂 was that pun intended?
Damn it man. You edit the beginning of this like Masters of The Universe was so badass!!! It sounded so cool and the way it was cut wish the movie was as cool as the beginning. So glad this was reviewed.
Thanks so much Oliver. You got nailed the intro. You hit the high points. The first words spoken from the great Frank Langella, Dolph says, "Let her go!" in all it's cheesy glory and you end with the Skeletor/He-Man final battle. Perfection. I agree with everything you said in your final thoughts. I was a much bigger fan of the live action over the cartoon and I always wanted to cut most of the earth footage out.
Thank you.
The most memorable part of this film for me was the bit where the dwarf gobbles a bucket of fried chicken. I grew up in Jersey where there was no mcdonalds or kfc or any other fast food chain and 5 year old me was in gluttonous awe.
I just love this review! This is one of my favorite movies and I am so glad that you covered it with such beautiful detail and a fondness for the film.
When I was a kid I didn't own the toys but I loved the cartoon. I wasn't deterred from the movie at all. In fact, I have always loved this movie! Everything about it!
If they ever remake Masters Of The Universe, i hope they toss on some easterEggs from this movie haha
they are (sony) apparently...but theyre making adam and keldor/skeletor brothers so its gonna be reminescent of thor garbage XD
The remake has been in development hell for years and has been passed around so many directors. It'll be a garbage fire of massive proportions, and papped off to a first time director who will undoubtedly not give a shit about the source material and want to put their own "stamp" on it. Stick with the 1987 film. No matter what anyone says, it's a good film.
"Being He-Man sucks more than you think. Falling backwards onto an axe now the way I always talked about doing. Love, He-Man."
yes i love this movie, i said it
My child hood movie I grew upto and will never get sick of it.
OLIVER HARPER HAS THE POWER!
I didn't really mind the lack of scenery shown in Eternia because Castle Grayskull is located in the barren wastelands. The Sorceress had traveled there as a human seeking it out for sanctuary and for help against tyrants, and it appeared before her.
I will always love this movie. Watch it once every 2 years or so. Has it flaws but all in all just a great trip down 80's nostalgic lane. A ton of fun.
Robert Duncan McNeil currently works behind the scenes on Disney Plus’s original series “Turner & Hooch.”
Oliver once again you knocked it out of the park ! Liked your initial review but this is just quality !! Nice one mate
I love the original theatrical poster with Dolph and Frank front and center. But, I also understand why they predominantly use the alternate poster these days. Courteney and Robert are almost co-leads in the film. But I would have used more of a group collage, referencing many heroes and villains.
Well I'm always quick to compliment you when you tackle the films I love and really nail them, but I guess this is a far better achievement because you are taking a film I literally laugh at and you are making me see it in a better light. In fact, I almost respect it now... not enough to watch it again, but enough to not let there mere mention of it distress me.
Even though as a child I found the differences between the movie and cartoon a shock to the system I'm now far more accepting of alternate takes and reboots of franchise I grew up with and really enjoy the MOTU film. The villains especially are all well portrayed and I love the practical and make up effects.
I didn't have any of the toys when I was a kid. My mom and dad used the old "We don't want to spoil you" excuse so they could screw me out of toys....
I think it's pretty clear that Skeletor's golden armor and crown for the climax are directly lifted for the designs made for Salvador Dali's projected role as the Emperor Shaddam IV in Jodorowsky's insane but doomed adaptation of 'Dune'.
Bit os that film ended up in a hundred other sci-fi and fantasy productions.
How in the Jean Claude VanDamme He'll did this not completely sweep the '87 Oscars?!? And I'm even talking about Best Short Foreign Film too lol
Thanks for the spanish subtitles Oliver. I'm a fan of your videos from Argentina. Now I can share your work with friends that don't speak english
Awesome, thank you!
I recently watched this for the first time last. Its one of those films thats bad, but you can't help but love it for its campiness and silliness. Its so innocent and sincere that it makes me smile. Frank Langella was boss as Skeletor, quite intimidating while also being cheesy. I also think the effects stand up very nicely, and the soundtrack was great. I miss films like this, where they are unaware of their silliness, and thus makes it funnier than if it were to wink to the audience.
Klonoa7H Frank Langella really hams it up, he's the best part of this movie.
This movie wasn't funny back when it released. Now majority of the fantasy films of the time are just laughable lol
Love the retro style rei
Like you, when I saw MotU in the cinema, I was blown away by Frank Langella's Skeletor!
Great retrospective. Really loved the map paintings. Could have been so much better but as Darren Aronofsky once said, "Filmmaking is barely an art. 99% is bureaucracy".
Great stuff again big-O!
Oliver, for some reason this video popped up in my recommendations. As a result you now have a new subscriber.
Marvellous thank you!
This is the first video I've seen from this channel and I have to say, I'm very impressed.
I am a massive fan of MOTU and pretty much all of the views put forward here mirrored my own.
Great work, I very much look forward to more and I will be subscribing.
Thank you very much!
7:30: “Who wrote The Dark Crystal”
Me: YAY!
“And in 1984, Supergirl the Movie”
Me: Aww poop.
Almost 30 years later and I only just noticed that when skeletor kills saurod with the "force lightning" saurod is reaching for his blaster!
i am so tired on people shitting on this film i loved since 1987 saw it twice in the theater
It was a pity about Dolph's voice because he bulked up his already impressive physique to a fine standard for the role. It's only when you realize how tall he is that you see how much weight he put on. He looks almost gangly in 'Rocky' by comparison.
There's just something about this film that makes me love it.
I love how Harper said "Masters of the Universe exploded on the screen". Yeah and fizzled out three days later! Dolph Lundgren, who's great, had to much of an accent to play Adam (He Man) and Chelsea Field, although a fine actress, hardly embodied Teela! Frank Langella actually looked great and menacing as Skeleltor though and the movie seemed to have a good look production wise! It will be interesting to see if the long awaited remake will work and actually be more faithful to the original mythology.
Great review, Oliver. You seem to find ways in getting me to watch these again. I thought Meg Foster was a perfect Evil Lynn. it's the eyes that always get me about her.
"Kevin spends most of the film being short tempered. Not surprised Juilie is leaving him" This had me creasing! Lol
Really enjoyed the longer retrospective on this movie, and I'm excited to see more updated retrospectives. BTW, do you plan on reviewing The Fugitive (1993)?
Fantastic retrospective Oliver! When this popped up in my feed, it really made my day. Absolutely love this film, and not even ironically. Yep, flawed; but still brings the biggest smile to my face.
It seems like we must have had such similar movie tastes and exposure as kids... So many of these were mainstays of my youth. Especially the action movies of the late 80s/early 90s.
Keep them coming good sir!
I love this movie. Thank you Oli, one of your best, you can really tell your admiration for it.
You did an awesome job onthis. I've just watch it for the second time after many years and it's the best I see on the net. I love this moving and the nostalgia reminds me Flash Gordon that I also love. I'm a Motu fan since the beginning and was a bit disturb by the movie not meing the "Filmation" ones or Alcala but I had time to prepare myself before seing it on cinema because I already had bought magazines that were telling the organisation stories and the cast behind. Pictures, posters, cards etc... totally 80ies. Thank you again from France.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. Love this film. Loved the the first retrospective and this one is even better. Great work.
Thanks very much Chris!
You put a lot of heart in this review. I can tell you cherish it as much as I. Tragic those who will never appreciate the thrill of walking into a toy store and seeing walls of He Mans. Thanks, man!
Same here, i watched this movie as a child, and still love it and keep watching it 😂. Never cared about He mans voice, i actually liked it. If i ever get to be a multi millionär, i will do a remake! Amazing to see that people commenting here, view it exactly like me. It will probably always be my favourite movie :) much love from switzerland 🥰♥️ to everybody in here!
Loved the Gold Skeletor outfit and the Lazer eyes.
It would be so cool if you made a retrospective of Deep Rising & The Changeling (1980). The Changeling deserves more attention since it's such an amazing haunted house movie that so many seem to have forgotten about, and Deep Rising is such a dumb fun movie that i also whish got more attention.
I got to See The Skeletor Makeup at The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History in the 1990's... It was So Cool...
Honestly I'm Surprised that no studio haven't thought about doing a live action ThunderCats film. I think it would have been possible back then.