Masters of the Universe

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Masters of the Universe

PG

1987

1h 45m

Fantasy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

21%

Tomatometer

33 Reviews

41%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

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.

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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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Johanna Steinmetz

Chicago Tribune

07/11/2014

2.5/4

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.

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Desmond Ryan

Philadelphia Inquirer

07/11/2014

1/4

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.

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Michael Wilmington

Los Angeles Times

07/11/2014

A misfiring, underdone epic that takes its inspiration not from life or literature, but from a toy line and the cartoon series it inspired.

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Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

5d

3/10

It seems to me an almost textbook example of how to turn a cultural phenomenon of toys and cartoons into a mediocre, erratic and, above all, boring fantasy action product. [Full review in Spanish]

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James Croot

The Post NZ

Jun 28

It’s a mess, albeit a definitely not short on action and rather unintentionally hilarious one.

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Don Shanahan

Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast

Jun 10

It's a mess, but a beloved mess.

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Joaquin U

@Joaquin1 4d

Very entertaining. Plenty of absurdity, but the kind of 80s absurdity that makes it fun to watch. A bit disappointing in terms of how little it resembles the cartoon and toy line. Even for its time, the effects weren’t great, and the acting leaned a bit over the top. The script and direction are mediocre, but the cast is decent, and there’s plenty of action—most of it unfolding in an empty city... Guess there was no budget for extras. Campy, yes, but spirited all the same.

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Kent A

@RT98678750 4d

Man I've been a fan of He-Man over 25 years, and I really got excited when I heard they made a remake. Thing is, this was an embarrassing C movie. Casting, plot, effects and well just EVERYTHING. If it's a thing t9 make a movie too American, this was certainly it. Big American speech, goofy and just plain stupid dialogs. Big thanks to the twonk who directed this for ruining a great movie. This guy needs to find himself a new job, cause he clearly don't know how to do this one.

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Noel L

@RT15930389 4d

Maybe a bit corny, the special effects were dated, and there was too much taken from Star Wars. But overall, a film that is worth a watch

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MC R

@RT91491190 5d

I saw this was on Prime and though why not! I mean the reboot from this year was entertaining. But damn, I really regret watching this. It was so bad! Acting, the look of the characters. It was cringe in a really bad way! Skeletor was horrible and looked really bad! It wasn't menacing, funny or even interesting. I'm not a fan of Jared Leto but he managed to give a great perfomance with his version of Skeletor, wich being intimating, menacing and hilariously funny and goofy in a good way. Wich was impressive. But Frank Langella wasn't that! Monica was there aparantly! 😂. The Police man was annoying AF It was a forgettable and really corny and bad movie. So let's forget this movie so fast possible

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Freddy V

@RT18427309 6d

Dumb, but charming and entertaining!

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Daniel L

@Hotchopeppa Jul 25

Brilliant 80’s classic. Growing up with this movie was great fun. Even with shocking 80’s animation it’s still 800% better than the woke abomination remake of 2026.

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Gary Goddard

Director

Dolph Lundgren

He-Man

Frank Langella

Skeletor

Meg Foster

Evil-Lyn

Courteney Cox

Julie Winston

James Tolkan

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Masters of the Universe (1987): Trailer 1

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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: Yoram Globus, Menahem Golan
Screenwriter: David Odell
Distributor: Warner Home Vídeo, Cannon Films
Production Co: Cannon Group, Edward R. Pressman Film Corp., Golan-Globus
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