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      Masters of the Universe

      PG Released Aug 7, 1987 1h 45m Fantasy List
      21% 28 Reviews Tomatometer 41% 25,000+ Ratings Audience Score When the evil Skeletor (Frank Langella) finds a mysterious power called the Cosmic Key, he becomes nearly invincible. However, courageous warrior He-Man (Dolph Lundgren) locates inventor Gwildor (Billy Barty), who created the Key and has another version of it. During a battle, one of the Keys is transported to Earth, where it is found by teenagers Julie (Courteney Cox) and Kevin (Robert Duncan McNeill). Now both He-Man and Skeletor's forces arrive on Earth searching for the potent weapon. Read More Read Less
      Masters of the Universe

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      Critics Consensus

      Masters of the Universe is a slapdash adaptation of the He-Man mythos that can't overcome its cynical lack of raison d'etre, no matter how admirably Frank Langella throws himself into the role of Skeletor.

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      Audience Reviews

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      Salvatore C It's a bad movie that I liked as a kid. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/19/24 Full Review Allan C It's so bad, it's almost good. I enjoy it purely for the nostalgia. Frank Langella nails it as Skeletor. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/30/24 Full Review Saint M Better Than MOTU: Revelations Eternia is a world where science and magic are infused. The evil forces of Skeletor have captured Castle Greyskull and are close to harnessing its power to conquer the world. Only one thing stands in Skeletor's way: a man...a He-Man. The creative team swung for the fences on this one. Unfortunately, it's a miss. What kills this movie for me is that most if it is spent on Earth. Instead of a fantasy/sci-fi epic that could have explored more of Eterina than the show did, we got a family drama with monsters and Principal Strickland. Where was Battlecat? Why replace Orco? Why did Skeletor choose the worst villains to pursue He-Man? Why couldn't the writers have trusted the audience to invest in Prince Adam's ability to transform into He-Man? Masters of the Universe is a good bad movie and worth watching if only to laugh at, or to dream about what it could have been. Prop I Want: Skeletor's powered up helmet Most Punchable Face: Blade Favorite Quote: "I have the powerrrrrrrrr!" - He-Man Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/20/24 Full Review Rinaldo M Para a epoca o filme foi muito bom, o que pecou é que faltou o mago gorpo, o gato guerreiro e a transformação de Adam em He Man, o ambiente deveria ter sido em Eternia, ok ter vindo para a terra, mas as lutas foram bastante chatas, a prisão de He Man foi muito ruim, mas mesmo assim ainda merece uma nota 3 Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/05/24 Full Review Daniel S For 1987 this was a really great movie if you liked He-Man. The best part of the movie is there's no empty boring dialogue every moment of the movie is pretty much essential. There's no emo moments for someone as staring into a lake for 9 minutes sobbing about what could have been. Very good good versus evil movie. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/23/23 Full Review William D This was a bad movie. I would recommend watching it once but never again. The tv show was a whole lot better than this could have ever been. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 12/11/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Critics Reviews

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      Johanna Steinmetz Chicago Tribune Everyone knows how the battles will turn out. It`s what's between them that raises Masters Of The Universe ever so slightly above the mediocre. Rated: 2.5/4 Jul 11, 2014 Full Review Desmond Ryan Philadelphia Inquirer With Masters of the Universe -- the latest numbskull entertainment from the creators of Castle Greyskull -- He-Man makes the transition from animation to live action. Taking a live actor along for the ride might have helped. Rated: 1/4 Jul 11, 2014 Full Review Michael Wilmington Los Angeles Times A misfiring, underdone epic that takes its inspiration not from life or literature, but from a toy line and the cartoon series it inspired. Jul 11, 2014 Full Review Eddie Harrison film-authority.com …a derivative, mad splice of Back to the Future prom anxiety and Terminator’s time-jumps, with added 80’s garnish… Rated: 1/5 Dec 13, 2023 Full Review Betsy Pisik Washington Blade Sure, Masters of the Universe is a movie based on a TV series that was developed to sell war toys to children, but it's a whole lot more: This is pyro-technical submerged sexuality at its intergalactic best. May 24, 2022 Full Review Josh Winning Radio Times Sitting somewhere tonally between Star Wars and Flash Gordon, Masters of the Universe demands to be taken on its own terms and remains an enjoyably kitschy lark throughout. Rated: 3/5 May 6, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis When the evil Skeletor (Frank Langella) finds a mysterious power called the Cosmic Key, he becomes nearly invincible. However, courageous warrior He-Man (Dolph Lundgren) locates inventor Gwildor (Billy Barty), who created the Key and has another version of it. During a battle, one of the Keys is transported to Earth, where it is found by teenagers Julie (Courteney Cox) and Kevin (Robert Duncan McNeill). Now both He-Man and Skeletor's forces arrive on Earth searching for the potent weapon.
      Director
      Gary Goddard
      Producer
      Edward R. Pressman
      Screenwriter
      David Odell
      Distributor
      Warner Home Vídeo, Cannon Films
      Production Co
      Edward R. Pressman Film Corp., Golan-Globus, Cannon Group
      Rating
      PG
      Genre
      Fantasy
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Aug 7, 1987, Original
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Aug 10, 2016
      Box Office (Gross USA)
      $16.3M
      Runtime
      1h 45m
      Sound Mix
      Surround