If you grew up in the eighties, the smell of plastic action figures stuck to your childhood. When Cannon Films decided to bring He-Man to the big screen in 1987, they were left making a ton of weird choices fueled by a shoestring budget, and an insane ambition. The result, Masters of the Universe, became an endearing, hilarious, and oddly charming hybrid of Star Wars, Jack Kirby comics, and eighties high school soap opera. Masters of the Universe was a box office disaster upon initial release, but it's since acquired a devoted cult following, and this 4K Blu-ray debut finally gives the film the physical media attention it needs. Packed with surprising special features, this disc gives the film the proper respect it's due for almost bankrupting the studio that released it.
For first time viewers, or those that somehow missed it the first time around, Masters of the Universe jumps right into the action with the mad villain Skeletor (played with Shakespearean flair by Frank Langella) having finally conquered Castle Grayskull and imprisoned the Sorceress until the moment the cosmic moon aligns to grant him ultimate power. He-Man (a ludicrously muscled Dolph Lundgren) and his sidekicks Teela (Courtney Cox) and Man-At-Arms must use the synthesizer key created by a short, squat, and peculiar dwarf named Gwildor (Billy Barty) to open the portal to Grayskull.
Instead of arriving on a mythical realm, He-Man and the gang find themselves in the middle of suburban California, due to a lack of funds forcing the production to use existing sets. On their quest to return to the magical world of Eternia, the heroes stumble upon earth-based teenagers (Courteney Cox and Robert Duncan McNeill), inadvertently finding the key when they mistake it for a new, hi-tech Japanese synthesizer. Skelator sends mercenary henchmen after the teens including the sinister Blade and the feral Karg. The film's preposterous tone carries on with characters taking everything too seriously, making for a hilarious mix that somehow works.
Frank Langella is a revelation, churning out lines worthy of a Bard play, despite layers of fake bone makeup. Lundgren makes for a likeable hero, swinging a giant broadsword, and the energetic Billy Barty brings heart to the role of the misfit dwarf. Masters of the Universe is messy, grimy, and struggles against its budget constraints, but has a charm that most modern CGI-driven blockbusters wish they had.
Turning to the disc, and it's a wealth of video and audio extras, Masters of the Universe certainly delivers when it comes to the technical features and video content. Half the fun of physical media for cult classics is getting to see behind the curtain how these types of projects are constructed, and this disc certainly gets into that.
First, we get a Preview Cut which serves as a healthy treat for series completists as well as casual viewers. Featuring rougher takes on some scenes, mixed in with more refined takes, the Preview Cut is a fun look at alternate takes, and is reminiscent of watching a VHS-style workprint. It's also a good look at how fussy the editing process can be for even the shlocktest of action movies, and the various takes it takes to get to the final edit.
The disc is also loaded with new interviews that lend well to the project's legacy, and give an interesting look at the production process. First, new interview with Robert Duncan McNeill who plays Kevin Corrigan, who gives an interesting look at what being in this kind of production was like for him as a rising star. McNeill has a very folksy charm, and speaks well about his experience on the film, as a young man caught up in a whirlwind of Hollywood hustle, surrounded by other young actors, strange monsters, and an onslaught of explosives in the middle of California suburbia.
Another fresh interview is with Anthony De Longis, who played the villainous Blade, and served as the movie's swords master and fight coordinator. De Longis has a wealth of knowledge about the craft of stunt performing, and he opens up about his work on Masters of the Universe. De Longis speaks knowledgeably about training Dolph Lundgren to swing a broadsword without decapitating someone on the first take, and he has some great stories about the hazards of fighting in heavy costuming under the hot stage lights.
Finally, we get a new interview with production designer William Stout who helped to realize the look of Eternia. Listening to Stout speak about his influences, and the way he drew from Jack Kirby's work to realize this version of magic-imbued world was fascinating. Stout has a genuine enthusiasm for his work, and it's obvious he got into the headspace of creating this kind of adventure for young and old.
If you're a fan of audio commentaries, this disc has two of them, featuring the director and production designer. First, we get the audio commentary with director Gary Goddard, who speaks about his experiences filming Masters of the Universe . Goddard speaks about the challenges of working within the film's budget, and how close the production came to going bankrupt multiple times. He describes the moment the Cannon Films executives turned off the power to the location they were filming in, as they ran out of money to finish the film, and Goddard and his team were still trying to film the final duel between He-Man and Skeletor. Goddard's commentary is a look at the bare-knuckled realities of low budget filmmaking, and how the production kept on chugging in order to finish.
The second commentary is a brand-new track with production designer William Stout, who talks about his work on the film. If Goddard's commentary was all about the struggles of getting the production to the end, Stout's talk is dedicated to realizing this version of Eternia on a tight budget. He shares interesting tidbits about the production, such as the subtle touches he used in the background of the set to make it feel more lived in, or the ways he built Gwildor's laboratory. Hearing from both the director and the production designer is a great way to get a thirty-sixty degree perspective on the film's production.
As a look at the era the film came from, the disc includes the featurette, Behind the Legend, a look at the film's production from the time of its original release. It's a fun mix of historical tidbits, and cast members giving quick soundbites in between shooting. It's a look into the industry past, where companies were trying to create shared universes for both cinema and comics.
Finishing off the video elements, we have the original Teaser Trailer and Theatrical Trailer which highlight the film's mix of mystery, mythological creatures, and action. Watching them back-to-back shows how much the marketing campaign leaned into the intrigue of the script before revealing the film was mostly set on Earth.
The disc also provides two different galleries with stills and photos from the production. These two image galleries, the Stills Gallery and the Production Design Gallery, are the perfect way to browse through behind-the-scenes photos, and see the kinds of publicity stills and promotional photos that accompanied the film's initial release. Looking through the Production Design Gallery is a special treat, as it presents concept art from William Stout, side-by-side with the sets and costumes he designed for the production.
All-in-all, it's a wonderful disc for a film that could've easily been lost to the bargain bin of eighties cinema. Maintaining the film's rich colors and deep film grain, the disc's technical presentation is stellar, but the true treat lies in the disc's deep dive into the production, with practical effects and behind-the-scenes stories that any fan of eighties cinema should enjoy. Having a disc that has this much love and attention poured into it is a special experience, and one any fan of eighties fantasy, Cannon Films history, and practical creature effects will want to add to their collection.
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