Masters of the Universe

1987
PG
1h 46m

IMDb RATING

5.4/10

46K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

Play trailer1:39

Dark Fantasy Superhero Sword & Sorcery Action Adventure Fantasy Sci-Fi

The heroic warrior He-Man battles against the evil lord Skeletor and his armies of darkness for control of Castle Grayskull.The heroic warrior He-Man battles against the evil lord Skeletor and his armies of darkness for control of Castle Grayskull.The heroic warrior He-Man battles against the evil lord Skeletor and his armies of darkness for control of Castle Grayskull.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

5.4/10

46K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

2,693

225

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 2 wins & 5 nominations

Trivia
Frank Langella went on record in an interview stating that playing Skeletor was one of his favorite roles. His young son was a huge fan and was running around the house shouting "By the power of Grayskull," so he took the role for him. He wrote some of his own lines, like: "Tell me about the loneliness of good, He-Man. Is it equal to the loneliness of evil?"

Goofs
When Karg leads Skeletor's troops charge into Gwildor's home, he tells his men to "find the key". It is impossible for him to have known about a second cosmic key as his superiors did not even know until shortly later on.

Quotes
Skeletor: Where are they? Where are your friends now? Tell me about the loneliness of good, He-Man. Is it equal to the loneliness of evil?

Crazy credits
There is a scene after the closing credits have ended: Skeletor pops up from the waters of the pit he was thrown in, and says "I'll be back!"

Alternate versions
Some syndicated prints of the film omit the post-credits scene.

Connections
Edited into The Adventures of Huck Finn (1993)

Soundtracks
Purple Haze
Written and Performed by Jimi Hendrix
Published by Bella Godiva Music
Courtesy of Are You Experienced, Ltd. and A.R.M., Ltd.

User reviews260

Review

Featured review

6/10

Don't expect too much and you'll be pleasantly surprised

I gave a groan when I saw the Golan-Globus name in the opening credits, but this movie actually turned out to be much better than I would have expected.

This movie may not appeal to die-hard fans of the animated series because of the liberties it takes with the established characters, but as a stand-alone work it's decent enough for what it's supposed to be. It thankfully doesn't take itself too seriously, allowing us to just enjoy it as the light bit of entertainment that it is.

Frank Langella is unexpectedly excellent as Skeletor under all that make-up, and it was fun to see Star Trek Voyager's "Mr. Paris" at a very young age here.(His first major role perhaps?) Dolph Lundgren is as unexpressive as usual, but at least he looks the part. And Beast-Man makes a good contribution to the cast of villains.

All in all, don't set your expectations too high and you will probably enjoy this fun piece of 80s pop culture.

Now if it would just come out on DVD!