@MeeslyMeeron - So many people, just like in the comments below, are just jumping on the bandwagon and crapping on this movie, but really have no idea what they’re talking about or just haven’t taken the time to find their own opinion. I challenge you to go rewatch the movie, because it IS extremely underrated and the special effects, make up, and costumes are away ahead of their time. Besides the scene where he-man’s flying around on the hover board which is obviously fake, (mind you no stuff like that looked real back then anyways), everything else is done amazingly. I’ve heard people make fun of skeletor and his face and say that it doesn’t look at all real, but I beg to differ. It looks incredibly real and better than most masks in movies to this day. His whole costume was amazing. Same with that lizard man. Sorry, I don’t remember his name. And the dialogue was also amazing. When skeletor is making his speeches and talking to he-man after he’s captured, it’s truly amazing dialogue. And his acting is superb as well. I’ve heard even major fans of he-man make fun of and crap on this movie, but it’s just one of those things that once a popular opinion is formed, a bunch of lemmings will just blindly follow suit. It’s kind of pathetic how people are afraid to have their own opinion even when it’s totally obvious that what they’re saying isn’t true. I commend you MeeslyMeeron for forming your own opinion and telling the truth about this movie.
Movie still holds up pretty well, all things considered. I had no idea the production was this screwed up and cheap. They somehow still managed to mostly pull it off.
Much of the Earth scenes were shot in my hometown. Spend many nights hanging out around the set watching them blow things up. So much fun to watch HeMan skysurf though the streets of Whittier.
Yep i remember my dad telling me as a kid that the scene where there at the music store was in whittier and he would have to drive by there from work man i miss being a kid 😢
personally, i think the soundtrack AND langella saved this movie from being completely nonexistent. the soundtrack was very 'epic' feeling and langella really kept the story going.
I absolutely commend the hell out of this director for working under such conditions. And hearing the true story of that eerie "lights out" battle between He-Man and Skeletor, dude! That entire fight was freaking amazing and so unquie. When Skeletor yelled "Yes! Let this be our final battle!!" Bro, as a kid back in the 80s, you FELT that shit. I know I am not the only one who liked this incredibly undderated movie. The set, art and costume design we're honestly unreal!
Success???? Don't care about that!! Soundtrack! Special effects! Story! Low budget or not, one of my ALL TIME FAVOURITE movies!! SHAME on you Cannon!! There had to be much more support from you for Gary and his team!
This movie is awesome. Wish it could have got put together better because there was potential throughout the entire script to have been gold. Wish they would do a sequel
+KANE HELLZ It is awesome. I know people who don;t like it cuz it's NOT the cartoon...lol hogwash It's great on it's own. If you make a live action property EXACTLY like the source material - then what's the point of interest in that material ever again?
+Bronze Gremlin I'd love a sequel. They could honestly just start the cartoon story from this point. I see he-man walking eternia kung fu style...helping out the little towns, farmers & anyone in trouble...just roaming eternia with battlecat...as skeletor has been rotting in snake mountain, practically powerless still from the battle at grayskull (feeding like a vampire on the life force of his snake men servants to stay 'alive'). He has a plan to take over grayskull and get revenge on he-man and the sorceress by using the other broken cosmic key (being fixed by trapjaw) to sneak into the dragon's land and steal the dragonfire from granamire. Unbeknownst to him though evil lynn has been using the already fixed key to travel to the frightzone, meeting with her sister Shadoweaver... Without going into too much detail - basically dolph turns the mantle of he-man over to prince adam...you use the same story of adora from the cartoon only having evil lynn and shadoweaver being the ones who conspired to steal the baby...regardless she-ra is the sequel film and there you have a trilogy to sell lots of dvds and new toys with and we get a sequel...yay! Otherwise they'll reboot it and it will be lame...
+KANE HELLZ no sequel or reboot....as weve seen alrdy from other movies....it just doesnt work. the time is different, the cast is different... you get 1 chance to get it right...
KANE HELLZ Agree but it still could have used the whole effects crew at ILM and not just Richard Edlund and John Williams doing the score not the guy who scored Rocky
It wasn’t only his monologue but his mannerisms were absolutely perfect. Flawless performance. And remember in the cartoon Skeletor had never become master of the universe. It was an AWE moment!!
I know that Gary Goddard will never hear me, but I just want to thank him so much for making my childhood a happy time. This movie was the defining work of art (and to hell with those who disagree), of the kind of art people call camp because they don't know what accidental sincerety of good fun and kindness is. I never liked the cartoons and toys that much, but I have always loved the film.
FINALLY - it's getting some recognition! i'm so thankful i'm an 80's kid. First saw it Boxing Day 1987, i was 12 and it remains a favourite today! I loved an interview ( on YT actually ) where Frank Langella says that Skeletor was one of his favourite roles. He was absolutely sublime in the film, as was Meg Foster. Can't wait to see the documentary and it's great to see & read so much fondness for a much underrated 80's classic :)
no money, constant pressure and bad reason to make a movie, considering that, this movie is a master piece, it reminds me of my childhood, special effects don't matter to a child, kids have to be amazed and emotionally involved
Great movie, one of my fav as a kid and is one of the most under rated superhero movies of all time. The ending with the universe in her hands always choked me up even as a kid.
I just..for all the cheesy effects in this picture,I just take this movie to heart and love it so.My personal fav scene is the one early on when Skeletor is addressing the citizens of Eternia by projection.So theatrical.I love it.
He- Man was already played out by 2 years when this came out. Me an my mom went to see it with tongue in cheek, as a kid I knew it was going to be bad. But no one expected Frank to be so awesome. To see him on the big screen opening weekend was so wicked.
I was 6 years old when it came out. My parents didn’t allow to watch it at the cinema. But they recorded it on VHS, when it aired on TV. I loved this movie wholeheartedly ever since, no matter it’s flaws.
Meg foster's eyes are hypnotic and she is perfect for Evil Lyn. Frank Langella is a perfect Skeletor with the best lines in the movie. I wonder who the original actor was that the director mentioned who was going to play He Man before they replaced him with Dolph Lundgren
I used to love this movie when i was a kid, when i watched again I didn't love it that much, "well it's not great but is not that bad" I though. But after watching this, and reading about the really really low budget this movie had (less than half of a quarter that any shitty action film gets these days, including inflation) really puts things into perspective, it's quite an amazing movie if you think it was made literally with two bucks. And of course Frank Langella performance gets better everytime I watch it :)
I really liked this film as a kid. I usually end up watching it anytime its on. I probably assumed when i was younger that it was more successful then it was. Skelator made it tho, he was unforgettable, the soundtrack was pretty good and all the villains were really good too. Sure you can see where they cut a few corners, but it was a bit ahead of its time
This was the first film i saw in the cinema. Watched it again the other day and forgot how good it is! This also has a great performance from Frank Langella. I always could take or leave the story with the Cosmic Key but the He-Man/Skeletor story is brilliant! The film got slated but this video explains the constraints the crew were under. If they had the funds this could have been a new Star Wars.
Wow, very interesting, and insightful. I've always loved this movie, very much. Great childhood memories of me and my grandfather going to see it on opening day, back in 1987. R.I.P. grandpa.
Why do people give Dolph crap about his performance? He did great IMO. 99% of He-Man in any movie is going to be the look. And who had that look of He-Man other than him, come on now? Frank obviously rocked this role and made this movie pretty good IMO. I still enjoy it.
I can tell you why Dolph got crap he may have looked like he man but he sure as shit didn't act like him. but frank rocked it as old bone face man at arms and teela were god oh god just horrible the writing was shit the plot not the greatest.hell the comic adaption of this movie was wayyyy better than this pile of shit. hell I could the making of for this movie in two seconds . ya we made a space movie where people from plant come to earth. what to do call it well we will call flash Gordon . nah kids won't see that we will call it masters of the universe we will rake up the cash
I know that a lot of people hate on this movie. But I love it! There was a movie critic here in Az. the late Bill Rose. He wasn't a Masters of The Universe fan, but he loved this movie! He gave it 5 stars. This movie is excellent! My only regret was Mattel didn't produce an Air Centurian action figure.
+RTG2000 I agree, Universal wouldn't have backed out on paying for half of the movie. And Universal would have made sure it was perfect, they more times than not get their money's worth, which is more than I can say for Cannon. For what it was, it was great, but it could have been a lot better.
I remember this movie when I was a kid, and even as a kid, I realized what a huge departure this was from the cartoon show. And as bad as I think this movie is, I still enjoy it. I love the music, and I love Skelator!
THIS IS AWESOME!!! I have been waiting for a good insightful making of on this movie for so long....to quote the movie "Everything comes to (s)he who waits, and I have waited so very long for this moment"
I have always loved this movie! It seems that from the beginning, due to all of the studio and toy company issues, it was destined to be dismissed by many people. Now that the movie has a cult following and He-Man is somewhat nostalgic, I would love to see it remade into a darker, more adult version of the story - perhaps set years after the events of the original film. My one condition would be that Frank Langella reprise his role as Skeletor. His portrayal made Skeletor, in my opinion, one of the best sci-fi villains of all time.
It's a damn good thing that Mr. Goddard was hired as director, because not many others would have went the extra mile he did to complete this picture in those conditions. I love this film, and I remember watching it CONSTANTLY in the Summer of '97. My 12-year-old self couldn't get enough of it! I can't wait for my son to be old enough so I can show it to him...
Despite all the aforementioned problems, the final nail in the coffin was its release date: AUGUST, 1987. This should've been a MAY release.....before we got out of school. In the summer of 1987, THESE classics preceded "MOTU": "PREDATOR"....."ROBOCOP".....and "THE LOST BOYS". By August, families spent their budgets on camp, previous films, and are getting ready for "Back to School" shopping. Although WE (my brothers, my Aunt and I) saw it in theaters, opening weekend......it should've been a Memorial Day release.
Can't help but wonder what this could have been, without all the hiccups. I mean...doesn't matter to me, technically. I was born in 83, so by the time the movie came out, I was READY. I'll always have fond memories of it, and Langella as Skeletor was the archetype for any villain I had made up back in the day. Still one of my top favorites. Nonetheless, my adult self is still interested in what this story could be, if it were handled right and devoid of all the background shenanigans that tore this movie apart.
god i loved this when i was a kid, i watched it the other day for the first time in years.... frank was amazing skeletor!!! still get tingles at the credits when i saw ''i'll be back'' made me watch the end of every films after that thinking others would do the same!!! shame they ran out of money cos the end battle could of been so much better!! cant wait for this!!!!
Frank Langella did for Skeletor in this movie what raul julia did for Bison in the Street Fighter movie. Took what would've been a mediocre to bad movie and at least made it a fun guilty pleasure.
Warners are working on the MOTU film for a release on bluray at the moment. The telecine artist at Warners confirmed the other week. Its getting restored, some of the optical shots are in a bad state.
I had seen one episode of He-man before I stumbled on this movie on UA-cam last year at uni. I found the movie really entertaining and fun in the same way as The Princess Bride. Low budget sure but you can see everyone cares and is putting their all in and so you care and suspend reality.
I've always wished that they could do a special edition of this movie, with a few added FX thrown in to bring the Eternia shots to life. Throw in a couple of Windraiders flying by at the beginning or something. There were windraiders and Talon Fighters designed for the film, that never made it into the picture, so seeing some of those designs realized in a special edition would be amazing.
I suprised as a kid when I heard from my friend that there was a He-Man movie that just came from TV. Couple of years later I saw it and since then Masters of the Universe has been one of my favourite 80s b-action/fantasy movie. Lundgren was perfect He-Man for this type of film and Langela was great as Skeletor. He shoud have got an oscar :) Even that there wasn't Battle Cat (because the lack of budget) it was a fun cheesy 80s flick that had good and bad moments. Good memories.
Many people complain about this movie saying "For a Hee-Man movie, he's hardly in the movie" If they would take time to read the title it's "MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE" Hee-man's name is not mentioned in the title. I loved this movie as a kid.
The problem with a movie like this is that it is not made by the fans, if the studio was smart they would hire a panel of about 10 fanatics to help in developing any type of movie of this caliber
The thing that really killed this movie is it came out too late. He-man was popular in 83-85 this movie came out in 87. The cartoon had already been pulled from the air and there was no cartoon network for syndication back then so when the big networks canned the series it was done, Done. The toys were all gone too so when this movie came out the series was pretty much forgotten about at that point. They had misjudged their target audience that 6 - 9 year olds have short attention spans. If this movie came out in 85 and nothing else changed it would have been a hit. If the studios are going to reboot He-Man like they did Transformers and GI-Joe they need to do it now while 80s retro is still hot. If they wait 5 or 10 more years the generation of adults who grew up in the 80s will be too old to care.
They should have used more familiar characters from the He-man universe. I remembered watching this as a child and was confused...where was the He-man I watched on cartoons who was this dude running around with a cape? Where was battle cat, orco,trap jaw, stratos...prince Adam......The film was fun on VHS but to this day it still has no semblance of heman in its soul. They should have called it Masters of the. Keyboards or something
Nostalgia is a hell of a drug. Because I didnt grow up with Star Wars, *this* is the movie that has the warm and fuzzies for me. All because I loved it as a kid. Make me wonder that my son will feel the same for freaking Lankybox in 30 years
The movie that made me a fan of Frank Langella. Glad he was a professional and stuck with Dolph and the others to get a finished project despite some big wigs said they were done. Hearing this story made me more of a fan. :)
An amazing movie. One of the underrated MASTERPIECES in science fiction. A true CLASSIC with phenomenal acting and storytelling. Are the effects dated? Maybe. Do they look honestly look fantastic? 100% YES. CLASSIC RICHARD EDLUND EFFECTS. GHOSTBUSTERS AND THIS MOVIE HOLD UP VISUALLY BECAUSE OF HIS STUDIO.
THIS IS A MOVIE THAT IS TIMELESS AND CAN BE ENJOYED BY SEVERAL GENERATIONS. Though the special effects are nothing like those today, they work well. Some movies don't need improvement. War or the Worlds (1953), E.T., It's a wonderful Life, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Ben Hur. All these did well, continue to do well, and will do well in the future without special effect "improvements". Masters of the Universe has been and will likewise.
This all sounds more like apologies and excuses, rather than a "making of" documentary. I loved the movie as a kid and thought it was so cool, even though it was different from the cartoon.
i looked for this on dvd recently in HMV & got told it had been discontinued about 5 years ago...cue me balling my eyes out crying & downloading it off torrents..i so want a dvd with documentaries & special features/outtakes/deleted scenes etc of this :-s
I remember exactly why toy sells fell off! Every time I or anyone would go to the store, no one could find any figures they wanted or needed! I remember going for months and only seeing Buzz-Off and another side character. No one could get the main characters anymore so I remember my friends and I just kinda moving on.
The amount of people (in this comment section) who lack listening comprehension skills.....is *ANNOYING* . A sad commentary on our culture. The actual Director (Gary Goddard) gives the average dummy EXACT, BEHIND-THE-SCENES account (revelations I didn't know about, until this documentary) on the events of "Masters of the Universe". Yet, low-comprehension dummies are STILL complaining about "why wasn't this in there?" "They should've done it, like this". Because, of course production had the budget for that (dummies 🙄). Anyway, I'm glad "Masters of the Universe" continued to thrive on VHS, cable and DVD for 30 years. Other films which failed at the box office, yet became successful (due to VHS rentals and cable): "Labyrinth (1986)"...."Half Baked (1998)"...."The WIZ (1978)"....."The Five Heartbeats (1991)".....
I always knew that Golan/Globus were sheisters. When I saw this movie, I had to accept that it wasn't based on the TV show, only because of budgetary restraints. That we got Gwyldor instead of Orko, that the costume designs for some of the characters were way off base, and that instead of an Eternia extravaganza, we got most of the movie set up on earth (cheap). To this day, the only things I can take away from the film that I still like, are; Man At Arms (Duncan) who was great and pretty much the character as he was envisioned from the TV show, Evil-Lyn and Skeletor (because Frank Langella and Meg Foster were PERFECT in performance and design), and Dolph. Dolph may have had his accent but for cripes sake, he knows 11 different languages. Someone learn that many languages, and be pitch perfect at any of them. I thought that pound for pound, he was the right He-Man for the day. I still have trouble looking at anyone else today in the casting rumors for the new film, and NOT think of Dolph, who was awesome in Aquaman, btw.
Who was the perfect actor the director mentioned? Skeleton and He-man were great! Man-at-arms, Tesla, and The sorceress could have been better. Beast-man and Evil Lynn were so-so. Gwildor, Blade, Saurad... all great! It would be cool to imagine how other famous MOTU characters would have looked if they were designed and appeared in this film!
This is an extremely underrated movie. The soundtrack and special effects for it's time was phenomenal as well. Great flick.
You mean the main theme that was taken from SUPERMAN??? 🤣
Nathan Pfahler it’s not the superman theme,it’s got a marching beat buts it’s not the same at all
@MeeslyMeeron - So many people, just like in the comments below, are just jumping on the bandwagon and crapping on this movie, but really have no idea what they’re talking about or just haven’t taken the time to find their own opinion. I challenge you to go rewatch the movie, because it IS extremely underrated and the special effects, make up, and costumes are away ahead of their time. Besides the scene where he-man’s flying around on the hover board which is obviously fake, (mind you no stuff like that looked real back then anyways), everything else is done amazingly. I’ve heard people make fun of skeletor and his face and say that it doesn’t look at all real, but I beg to differ. It looks incredibly real and better than most masks in movies to this day. His whole costume was amazing. Same with that lizard man. Sorry, I don’t remember his name. And the dialogue was also amazing. When skeletor is making his speeches and talking to he-man after he’s captured, it’s truly amazing dialogue. And his acting is superb as well. I’ve heard even major fans of he-man make fun of and crap on this movie, but it’s just one of those things that once a popular opinion is formed, a bunch of lemmings will just blindly follow suit. It’s kind of pathetic how people are afraid to have their own opinion even when it’s totally obvious that what they’re saying isn’t true. I commend you MeeslyMeeron for forming your own opinion and telling the truth about this movie.
It’s all the same chords and progressions. It’s absolutely a rip off
Movie still holds up pretty well, all things considered. I had no idea the production was this screwed up and cheap. They somehow still managed to mostly pull it off.
Much of the Earth scenes were shot in my hometown. Spend many nights hanging out around the set watching them blow things up. So much fun to watch HeMan skysurf though the streets of Whittier.
Yep i remember my dad telling me as a kid that the scene where there at the music store was in whittier and he would have to drive by there from work man i miss being a kid 😢
Cool
@@odee82ify i would be with you as a kid back then mate
That’s awesome!!
I'm from PA, just googled that area, very cool looking n Vasquez Rocks as well
personally, i think the soundtrack AND langella saved this movie from being completely nonexistent. the soundtrack was very 'epic' feeling and langella really kept the story going.
I absolutely commend the hell out of this director for working under such conditions. And hearing the true story of that eerie "lights out" battle between He-Man and Skeletor, dude! That entire fight was freaking amazing and so unquie. When Skeletor yelled "Yes! Let this be our final battle!!" Bro, as a kid back in the 80s, you FELT that shit. I know I am not the only one who liked this incredibly undderated movie. The set, art and costume design we're honestly unreal!
Едиственно что портит впечатление это гримм Скелетора. Он выглядит словно деду намазали лицо сметаной.
Frank Langella turned a funny cartoon character into a Sith Lord. Great acting performance.
He still to this day says he had more fun playing Skeletor than any of his other roles. Just think on that. :)
Best way of describing it
A Sith Lohd?
Yes but that's not skeletor
Роль злодея сложнее чем роль героя. Только профессиональный актёр может сыграть злодея.
The truth is this movie is actually ahead of it's time. Imagine if this came out now or at least 10 years ago. Box office success.
Сейчас слишком закормленный зритель. Марвел создают слишком сильную конкуренцию.
Ive always liked this movie. Amazing it got finished.
Success????
Don't care about that!! Soundtrack! Special effects! Story! Low budget or not, one of my ALL TIME FAVOURITE movies!!
SHAME on you Cannon!! There had to be much more support from you for Gary and his team!
Best film ever made.. I have it in all formats and wonderful soundtrack.
It never gets old for me.
Frank Langella as Skeletor: "I WON'T BE BACK!"
This movie is awesome.
Wish it could have got put together better because there was potential throughout the entire script to have been gold. Wish they would do a sequel
+KANE HELLZ It is awesome. I know people who don;t like it cuz it's NOT the cartoon...lol hogwash It's great on it's own. If you make a live action property EXACTLY like the source material - then what's the point of interest in that material ever again?
+Bronze Gremlin I'd love a sequel. They could honestly just start the cartoon story from this point. I see he-man walking eternia kung fu style...helping out the little towns, farmers & anyone in trouble...just roaming eternia with battlecat...as skeletor has been rotting in snake mountain, practically powerless still from the battle at grayskull (feeding like a vampire on the life force of his snake men servants to stay 'alive'). He has a plan to take over grayskull and get revenge on he-man and the sorceress by using the other broken cosmic key (being fixed by trapjaw) to sneak into the dragon's land and steal the dragonfire from granamire. Unbeknownst to him though evil lynn has been using the already fixed key to travel to the frightzone, meeting with her sister Shadoweaver... Without going into too much detail - basically dolph turns the mantle of he-man over to prince adam...you use the same story of adora from the cartoon only having evil lynn and shadoweaver being the ones who conspired to steal the baby...regardless she-ra is the sequel film and there you have a trilogy to sell lots of dvds and new toys with and we get a sequel...yay! Otherwise they'll reboot it and it will be lame...
+KANE HELLZ no sequel or reboot....as weve seen alrdy from other movies....it just doesnt work. the time is different, the cast is different...
you get 1 chance to get it right...
KANE HELLZ Agree but it still could have used the whole effects crew at ILM and not just Richard Edlund and John Williams doing the score not the guy who scored Rocky
Nobody should have the right to remake or reboot Cannon movies :)
It wasn’t only his monologue but his mannerisms were absolutely perfect. Flawless performance. And remember in the cartoon Skeletor had never become master of the universe. It was an AWE moment!!
I know that Gary Goddard will never hear me, but I just want to thank him so much for making my childhood a happy time. This movie was the defining work of art (and to hell with those who disagree), of the kind of art people call camp because they don't know what accidental sincerety of good fun and kindness is. I never liked the cartoons and toys that much, but I have always loved the film.
Contact him - he's very gracious when hearing appreciation from fans!
Uncle Joe & Neon Cherry Those were exactly my feelings about the film.
Saw this in the movies as a kid, and always have loved it. A pure 80's Nostalgic trip down memory lane every time I watch..
Good thing they stuck with Dolph. He was perfect for the role at the time.
FINALLY - it's getting some recognition!
i'm so thankful i'm an 80's kid. First saw it Boxing Day 1987, i was 12 and it remains a favourite today!
I loved an interview ( on YT actually ) where Frank Langella says that Skeletor was one of his favourite roles. He was absolutely sublime in the film, as was Meg Foster.
Can't wait to see the documentary and it's great to see & read so much fondness for a much underrated 80's classic :)
no money, constant pressure and bad reason to make a movie, considering that, this movie is a master piece, it reminds me of my childhood, special effects don't matter to a child, kids have to be amazed and emotionally involved
Great movie, one of my fav as a kid and is one of the most under rated superhero movies of all time. The ending with the universe in her hands always choked me up even as a kid.
Just got this on Blu-Ray.. Pure 80's awesomeness..
As a lifelong fan of Goddard's Masters of the Universe, this is truly a treat! Thank you so much guys for doing this documentary!
Simple fact is if the film had come out two years earlier it would probably of been a hit.
I just..for all the cheesy effects in this picture,I just take this movie to heart and love it so.My personal fav scene is the one early on when Skeletor is addressing the citizens of Eternia by projection.So theatrical.I love it.
He- Man was already played out by 2 years when this came out. Me an my mom went to see it with tongue in cheek, as a kid I knew it was going to be bad. But no one expected Frank to be so awesome. To see him on the big screen opening weekend was so wicked.
I was 6 years old when it came out. My parents didn’t allow to watch it at the cinema. But they recorded it on VHS, when it aired on TV. I loved this movie wholeheartedly ever since, no matter it’s flaws.
Meg foster's eyes are hypnotic and she is perfect for Evil Lyn. Frank Langella is a perfect Skeletor with the best lines in the movie. I wonder who the original actor was that the director mentioned who was going to play He Man before they replaced him with Dolph Lundgren
I read that ex-NFL player Howie Long was also in the running.
Mathew Modine was Goddards choice for He-Man!
This was such a dark movie when I was a kid. I watched it again last night and I still loved it. Literally typed in "making of" cause I was curious.
I used to love this movie when i was a kid, when i watched again I didn't love it that much, "well it's not great but is not that bad" I though. But after watching this, and reading about the really really low budget this movie had (less than half of a quarter that any shitty action film gets these days, including inflation) really puts things into perspective, it's quite an amazing movie if you think it was made literally with two bucks. And of course Frank Langella performance gets better everytime I watch it :)
Not low budget at the time.
I really liked this film as a kid. I usually end up watching it anytime its on. I probably assumed when i was younger that it was more successful then it was. Skelator made it tho, he was unforgettable, the soundtrack was pretty good and all the villains were really good too. Sure you can see where they cut a few corners, but it was a bit ahead of its time
В детстве все впечатления самые яркие чем у взрослых. В детстве мы не прикапываемся к мелочам и шерховатостям фильма.
This was the first film i saw in the cinema. Watched it again the other day and forgot how good it is! This also has a great performance from Frank Langella. I always could take or leave the story with the Cosmic Key but the He-Man/Skeletor story is brilliant! The film got slated but this video explains the constraints the crew were under. If they had the funds this could have been a new Star Wars.
One of my all time favorite movies.
One of my fav 80s movies. Great memories seeing this at the cinema.
I always thought they should of made a part 2
Love hearing these behind the scenes stories.
"It doesn't really matter . . They'll fight . . And then we'll 'fade out'!!" ??? really?? hahahahhaha thats just hilarious.
Wow, very interesting, and insightful. I've always loved this movie, very much. Great childhood memories of me and my grandfather going to see it on opening day, back in 1987. R.I.P. grandpa.
Why do people give Dolph crap about his performance? He did great IMO. 99% of He-Man in any movie is going to be the look. And who had that look of He-Man other than him, come on now? Frank obviously rocked this role and made this movie pretty good IMO. I still enjoy it.
I can tell you why Dolph got crap he may have looked like he man but he sure as shit didn't act like him. but frank rocked it as old bone face man at arms and teela were god oh god just horrible the writing was shit the plot not the greatest.hell the comic adaption of this movie was wayyyy better than this pile of shit. hell I could the making of for this movie in two seconds . ya we made a space movie where people from plant come to earth. what to do call it well we will call flash Gordon . nah kids won't see that we will call it masters of the universe we will rake up the cash
So he needed to act like a gay guy wearing Pink?? Should have had him riding that tiger.
this movie was shit looking forward to the new one
Well for me it was not, was a different perspective about the franchise
Damn this is pretty sweet. Thanks for uploading this!
Even uploaded 3 years ago....thank you so much for uploading it.
This was the first movie I watched at the cinema. My father took me. I was only 6 years old. Found memories.
Movie Deserves a decent high budget remake!
I know that a lot of people hate on this movie. But I love it! There was a movie critic here in Az. the late Bill Rose. He wasn't a Masters of The Universe fan, but he loved this movie! He gave it 5 stars. This movie is excellent! My only regret was Mattel didn't produce an Air Centurian action figure.
The soundtrack is awesome and epic!
They should have gone to Universal
+jeremy hunt A shitty movie like Masters of the Universe from 1987? No thanks. Only because something is cult - doesn`t mean its good.
+RTG2000 I agree, Universal wouldn't have backed out on paying for half of the movie. And Universal would have made sure it was perfect, they more times than not get their money's worth, which is more than I can say for Cannon. For what it was, it was great, but it could have been a lot better.
it's this cannon company still around never heard of them ever
Andoc Don't forget Superman 4
I remember this movie when I was a kid, and even as a kid, I realized what a huge departure this was from the cartoon show. And as bad as I think this movie is, I still enjoy it. I love the music, and I love Skelator!
THIS IS AWESOME!!! I have been waiting for a good insightful making of on this movie for so long....to quote the movie "Everything comes to (s)he who waits, and I have waited so very long for this moment"
I have always loved this movie! It seems that from the beginning, due to all of the studio and toy company issues, it was destined to be dismissed by many people. Now that the movie has a cult following and He-Man is somewhat nostalgic, I would love to see it remade into a darker, more adult version of the story - perhaps set years after the events of the original film. My one condition would be that Frank Langella reprise his role as Skeletor. His portrayal made Skeletor, in my opinion, one of the best sci-fi villains of all time.
It's a damn good thing that Mr. Goddard was hired as director, because not many others would have went the extra mile he did to complete this picture in those conditions. I love this film, and I remember watching it CONSTANTLY in the Summer of '97. My 12-year-old self couldn't get enough of it! I can't wait for my son to be old enough so I can show it to him...
Despite all the aforementioned problems, the final nail in the coffin was its release date: AUGUST, 1987. This should've been a MAY release.....before we got out of school. In the summer of 1987, THESE classics preceded "MOTU": "PREDATOR"....."ROBOCOP".....and "THE LOST BOYS". By August, families spent their budgets on camp, previous films, and are getting ready for "Back to School" shopping. Although WE (my brothers, my Aunt and I) saw it in theaters, opening weekend......it should've been a Memorial Day release.
Can't help but wonder what this could have been, without all the hiccups. I mean...doesn't matter to me, technically. I was born in 83, so by the time the movie came out, I was READY. I'll always have fond memories of it, and Langella as Skeletor was the archetype for any villain I had made up back in the day. Still one of my top favorites.
Nonetheless, my adult self is still interested in what this story could be, if it were handled right and devoid of all the background shenanigans that tore this movie apart.
A truely excellent film for it's time. Chrysalismovie, thanks very much for the show.
Love this Movie. Epic and so underated.
It has everything that a classical movie has, but without success.
god i loved this when i was a kid, i watched it the other day for the first time in years.... frank was amazing skeletor!!! still get tingles at the credits when i saw ''i'll be back'' made me watch the end of every films after that thinking others would do the same!!!
shame they ran out of money cos the end battle could of been so much better!! cant wait for this!!!!
MY FAVE FILM OF ALL TIME REMINDS ME OF BEEN A KID AT CHRISTMAS
Love hearing gary talk about tne film. Wish there. Was more behind the scenes footage. Thanks for uploading.
Frank Langella did for Skeletor in this movie what raul julia did for Bison in the Street Fighter movie. Took what would've been a mediocre to bad movie and at least made it a fun guilty pleasure.
Warners are working on the MOTU film for a release on bluray at the moment. The telecine artist at Warners confirmed the other week. Its getting restored, some of the optical shots are in a bad state.
I had seen one episode of He-man before I stumbled on this movie on UA-cam last year at uni. I found the movie really entertaining and fun in the same way as The Princess Bride. Low budget sure but you can see everyone cares and is putting their all in and so you care and suspend reality.
THE DIRECTOR: "And I try. Oh my god do I try."
Don’t care what anyone says absolutely loved this film growing up watched it so many times
Best villian goes to the guy who act as skeletor
Great documentary. Very well done!
Classic.Wholesome and fun to watch.
I've always wished that they could do a special edition of this movie, with a few added FX thrown in to bring the Eternia shots to life. Throw in a couple of Windraiders flying by at the beginning or something. There were windraiders and Talon Fighters designed for the film, that never made it into the picture, so seeing some of those designs realized in a special edition would be amazing.
Toy Masters..you people rock. You 'get' it. Thanks for this.
I suprised as a kid when I heard from my friend that there was a He-Man movie that just came from TV. Couple of years later I saw it and since then Masters of the Universe has been one of my favourite 80s b-action/fantasy movie.
Lundgren was perfect He-Man for this type of film and Langela was great as Skeletor. He shoud have got an oscar :) Even that there wasn't Battle Cat (because the lack of budget) it was a fun cheesy 80s flick that had good and bad moments. Good memories.
Many people complain about this movie saying "For a Hee-Man movie, he's hardly in the movie" If they would take time to read the title it's "MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE" Hee-man's name is not mentioned in the title. I loved this movie as a kid.
i love this 70s scifi/ star wars inspired art direction. and frank langella is incredible
The problem with a movie like this is that it is not made by the fans, if the studio was smart they would hire a panel of about 10 fanatics to help in developing any type of movie of this caliber
The thing that really killed this movie is it came out too late. He-man was popular in 83-85 this movie came out in 87. The cartoon had already been pulled from the air and there was no cartoon network for syndication back then so when the big networks canned the series it was done, Done. The toys were all gone too so when this movie came out the series was pretty much forgotten about at that point. They had misjudged their target audience that 6 - 9 year olds have short attention spans. If this movie came out in 85 and nothing else changed it would have been a hit.
If the studios are going to reboot He-Man like they did Transformers and GI-Joe they need to do it now while 80s retro is still hot. If they wait 5 or 10 more years the generation of adults who grew up in the 80s will be too old to care.
I was still watching this and was still a thing for me in 1987 to 1990
They should have used more familiar characters from the He-man universe. I remembered watching this as a child and was confused...where was the He-man I watched on cartoons who was this dude running around with a cape? Where was battle cat, orco,trap jaw, stratos...prince Adam......The film was fun on VHS but to this day it still has no semblance of heman in its soul.
They should have called it Masters of the. Keyboards or something
I hate that people give Dolph such a backlash on this movie. I thought he did a great job.
Paul Widner he wasn’t spectacular but in some scenes he was pretty impressive
I wanna see this doc considering I was a huge fan of the toys, cartoon(s), and the 1987 film!
Dolph's underrated.. but the director stated there was someone who was flawless for the part he couldnt choose.
There are a lot of aspects of the movie I really like. My main issue was them coming to Earth. I still watch it for the parts I like.
Nostalgia is a hell of a drug. Because I didnt grow up with Star Wars, *this* is the movie that has the warm and fuzzies for me. All because I loved it as a kid.
Make me wonder that my son will feel the same for freaking Lankybox in 30 years
I was 7 when this came out childhood classic dam I miss the 80s ❤
The movie that made me a fan of Frank Langella. Glad he was a professional and stuck with Dolph and the others to get a finished project despite some big wigs said they were done. Hearing this story made me more of a fan. :)
thank GOD they finished this movie.... had to be a nightmare to work in such circumstances
7:39 Young Courtney Cox was beautiful,
Still is
An amazing movie. One of the underrated MASTERPIECES in science fiction. A true CLASSIC with phenomenal acting and storytelling. Are the effects dated? Maybe. Do they look honestly look fantastic? 100% YES. CLASSIC RICHARD EDLUND EFFECTS. GHOSTBUSTERS AND THIS MOVIE HOLD UP VISUALLY BECAUSE OF HIS STUDIO.
THIS IS A MOVIE THAT IS TIMELESS AND CAN BE ENJOYED BY SEVERAL GENERATIONS. Though the special effects are nothing like those today, they work well. Some movies don't need improvement. War or the Worlds (1953), E.T., It's a wonderful Life, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Ben Hur. All these did well, continue to do well, and will do well in the future without special effect "improvements". Masters of the Universe has been and will likewise.
This all sounds more like apologies and excuses, rather than a "making of" documentary. I loved the movie as a kid and thought it was so cool, even though it was different from the cartoon.
In hindsight they should have shot the ending first.
I understood it as there was someone who did a flawless dub over Dolph's voice, but they weren't allowed to use it.
i looked for this on dvd recently in HMV & got told it had been discontinued about 5 years ago...cue me balling my eyes out crying & downloading it off torrents..i so want a dvd with documentaries & special features/outtakes/deleted scenes etc of this :-s
I remember exactly why toy sells fell off! Every time I or anyone would go to the store, no one could find any figures they wanted or needed! I remember going for months and only seeing Buzz-Off and another side character. No one could get the main characters anymore so I remember my friends and I just kinda moving on.
I was always a He-Man fan but when I saw this movie I went like WTF? Then I guess I fell asleep while watching it
I wished they would make a new movie or trilogy. He-Man has so much potential for a real great movie!
If they do a live action he-man sometime in the future they should have courtney cox make a small brief cameo appearance in the movie.
Honestly, I think Gary Goddard did an impressive job with all the restrictions that was put on him during filming.
That was interesting. Of course they don't talk to Bill Conti who composed a rather awesome and epic score for the film.
*"Frank Langellas favorite Movie"
The amount of people (in this comment section) who lack listening comprehension skills.....is *ANNOYING* . A sad commentary on our culture. The actual Director (Gary Goddard) gives the average dummy EXACT, BEHIND-THE-SCENES account (revelations I didn't know about, until this documentary) on the events of "Masters of the Universe". Yet, low-comprehension dummies are STILL complaining about "why wasn't this in there?" "They should've done it, like this". Because, of course production had the budget for that (dummies 🙄).
Anyway, I'm glad "Masters of the Universe" continued to thrive on VHS, cable and DVD for 30 years. Other films which failed at the box office, yet became successful (due to VHS rentals and cable): "Labyrinth (1986)"...."Half Baked (1998)"...."The WIZ (1978)"....."The Five Heartbeats (1991)".....
Wow. The battle behind the battle.
Even though the film is not faithful, it was still the most entertaining movie from that time era and still is...
Probably better than Superman IV
love you director 💛
This film is special.
I always knew that Golan/Globus were sheisters. When I saw this movie, I had to accept that it wasn't based on the TV show, only because of budgetary restraints. That we got Gwyldor instead of Orko, that the costume designs for some of the characters were way off base, and that instead of an Eternia extravaganza, we got most of the movie set up on earth (cheap). To this day, the only things I can take away from the film that I still like, are; Man At Arms (Duncan) who was great and pretty much the character as he was envisioned from the TV show, Evil-Lyn and Skeletor (because Frank Langella and Meg Foster were PERFECT in performance and design), and Dolph. Dolph may have had his accent but for cripes sake, he knows 11 different languages. Someone learn that many languages, and be pitch perfect at any of them. I thought that pound for pound, he was the right He-Man for the day. I still have trouble looking at anyone else today in the casting rumors for the new film, and NOT think of Dolph, who was awesome in Aquaman, btw.
The guy with the swords actually played skeletor in the final fight scene
Who was the perfect actor the director mentioned? Skeleton and He-man were great! Man-at-arms, Tesla, and The sorceress could have been better. Beast-man and Evil Lynn were so-so. Gwildor, Blade, Saurad... all great!
It would be cool to imagine how other famous MOTU characters would have looked if they were designed and appeared in this film!
Damn right Frank/Skeletor carried that movie!
If this movie had come out in 1985, it would have been a decent hit. With Marc Singer as He-Man.