Back in the 80s, there was not a single kid who didn’t know who He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was. The cartoon show made its debut in 1983 and ran until 1985, providing kids with hours upon hours of fantastic adventures, and giving parents lists of hundreds of toys they needed to buy.
The story of Masters of the Universe tends to follow the same story, where a young orphan named Adam discovers that he is really a prince who is destined to become the savior of a faraway land. Knowing this he must learn how to use his power so that he can protect his true home from the evil force that is putting it in danger. Two years after the end of the original show, and with the franchise still going strong due to re-runs and the success of She-Ra: Princess of Power, the obvious marketing choice would be to make a Masters of the Universe live-action film. The result is one of the most terribly mesmerizing cinematic disasters of all time.
Right: Costume designs
The original cartoon show was always meant as a long toy commercial. The designs of He-Man and his Eternian friends were always as marketable as possible: bright colours and big weapons were all over the place in this fantasy realm (weapons sold separately.)
However, 1987’s Master of the Universe took a much different approach to set and character designs. Though clearly inspired by Star Wars, some characters like Skeletor received a complete overhaul, making them look more menacing and less cartoony than before.
Wrong: The setting
When kids heard that there was going to be a Masters of the Universe movie, everyone thought about He-Man and his adventures in Eternia. What they got instead was something similar to what many fantasy movies did in the 80s and 90s: taking a fantasy character and placing them into suburban California.
Most of the movie takes place on Earth, which was so far detached from the concept of Masters of the Universe, that it’s baffling to think that the idea was approved by any serious movie studio.
Right: The villains
Among the film’s many controversial changes, Skeletor’s character remains one of the only things that most fans can agree actually improved the movie. The actor who plays him, Frank Langella, was clearly having a blast portraying the character, which only added to the overall great quality of the film’s villain.
Despite some dubious makeover and an obvious latex mask, live-action Skeletor is the most iconic part of the flick by far. Some other characters weren’t as lucky, like Gwildor, a comic relief created solely for the live-action movie that served as the film’s dollar store version of Orko.
Alongside Skeletor, there’s also her trusty counsellor, Evil-Lyn, played by Meg Foster. The actress’ steely gaze and commanding voice made her character feel all the more threatening, especially considering the role she was given.
Wrong: He-Man
Not only is Prince Adam’s backstory botched in this adaptation: the iconic hero is played by Dolph Lundgren who, at the time, was only known for small roles and never as a big name Hollywood lead. Despite his stellar role in Rocky IV, there’s no denying that the actor’s stiff line delivery and stoic composure might not be the best fit to play Prince Adam, let alone the charismatic lead in a fantasy movie for kids.
There’s also the issue regarding the name of the film. Everyone expected the movie to be called “He-Man and The Masters of the Universe.” Removing the “He-Man” part of the title turned out to be a marketing mess, as it was the most emblematic part of the series by far.
Masters of the Universe is still enjoyable in a cheesy 80s movie kind of way: it’s just disappointing to see that there was a much better film hidden under a pile of terrible decisions.
RELATED: Why the Live-Action He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Movie Keeps Failing
Tell us, did you enjoy 1987’s live-action Masters of the Universe film?
