Review of Masters of the Universe (1987) by Brent R — 20 Nov 2007

This show had potential but is pretty poor thanks to poor effects and a lack of strong acting. Dolph Lundgren seemed like a solid choice for He-Man in appearance, but might not have proper acting chops for the role.

He also seemed large and clumsy in the fight scenes, which detracted from them. Chelsea Field really didn't seem to be a very good Teela, I thought her acting was cheezy. Jon Cypher was a solid Man-At-Arms, Billy Barty played his comedic role of Gildor well, though he is only a substitute for Orco, who should have been in the movie if not for the poor effects.

In contrast to some of these weaker actors, Frank Langella played a strong Skeletor in the film, though it wasn't strong enough to save it. Surprisingly, I also felt that Courtney Cox did a good job as well.

The story was interesting in that it takes place on Earth instead of Eternia, but the story also offers no backstory for most of the characters, leaving the audience to only assume that it loosely follows the old cartoons (if the audience has happened to see those), and fill in the gaps where the connections don't make sense.

While it's a little fun to imagine, its not what most people want to do when they watch a movie. Overall, fun to watch once in a while just to remind you that they did try to make a He-Man movie, but not a great show on its own.