A geeky review: Masters of the Universe

When I was a kid I loved a number of things, none more so than He-Man. I had the curtains, bed spread and as many of the toys as my parents could get their hands on for me. In fact it was my mum who got me into it at a young age by watching it with me. Shes always had a thing for topless men with swords, no matter how bad their haircuts are!
After enjoying all the episodes of the cartoon and by extension the spin off She-Ra, once I found out there was a film of He-Man I couldn’t wait to see it.  I remember watching it with my parents and not really following the story, but I loved every minute of it. Now to my older eyes I can see its many flaws (and follow the story, awesome!) but mainly due to my nostalgia I still love the heck out of it.
The film opens on Eternia which seems to have been at war for a good few years. The war seems to be nearing an end when the evil Skeletor (Frank Langella) manages to catch and imprison the Sorceress within her own castle and will soon use the Great eye of the Galaxy to possess the hidden power of Greyskull when the moon is correctly allinged. Only one thing stands in his way, He-Man (Dolph Lundgren), the holder of the sword of Power and the leader of the rebellion against Skeletor. Needing to get the Sword of Power to complete the transfer of the secrets of Greyskull, Skeletor sends out a ransom to the whole planet addressed to He-Man. He will give back the Sorceress for the capture of He-Man and his sword. Before going to rescue the Sorceress, He-Man meets a small inventor/locksmith named Gwildor who explains how Skeletor managed to take over Castle Greyskull. He stole the latest of Gwildors inventions, a cosmic key, to teleport into the Castle and seizes control. Gwildor reveals he has managed to keep a prototype of the key and shows He-Man and his fellow rebels Man at Arms and Teela a secret passage into the Castle that will help them stage a rescue. When they arrive at the Castle, Skeletors troops surround the group and demands them to surrender. After declairing to the imprisoned Sorceress that he will find a way to rescue her, He-Man and the rebels escape into a portal opened by Gwildor, only to find themselves trapped on Earth. Discovering that the cosmic key has been lost, the group march out to find the key, to get back to Eternia, stop Skeletor and rescue the Sorceress.
Even though the story isn’t very original it does follow some of the rules of the cartoon and seems to be set in the future after the continuity of the series. The highlight of the film has to be Langellas Skeletor. He is both intimidating and powerful. He commands the screen when he is around and steals every scene he is in. He seems to relish the part and is having tons of fun with playing the master of evil, complete with dramatic music whenever he turns his head! The make up is also spot on which makes him both scary and being unable to keep your eyes off of him. Evil Lynn, Skeletors right hand woman, is another excellent character who acts just like her series counterpart should yet only less magical and nastier. The costume design is also excellent, from the updated versions of the heroes’ costumes to the black storm troopers of skeletors men. It all makes the World come alive and seem real. Which is another problem I have with the film, to much of it is set on Earth. Almost three quarters of the movie takes place away from Eternia, the planet where everything major is happening. I can see it being down to a budget issue, trying to get a realistic Eternia for the whole film would no doubt cost a bomb. But it does make the movie feel less like He-Man and more like “What if He-man came to Earth for a trip?”
All the other actors and pretty much hit and miss. Lundgren looks perfect but sadly his very odd accent doesn’t help you believe he is the same character from the cartoon. Also, he uses his sword for about 10 minutes and most of that is in the final battle. Hes more of a gun user in the movie, which again feels a bit wrong! Everyone else looks good but seems a bit wooden, none more so than the two Earth characters. The other lieutenants of Skeletor are also criminally underused and die a bit to easily.
Ok, so its all a bit camp and yeah a lot of people think the film and by extension the series is just a big old gay fest. And I can see what they are picking on/at but its just a hell of a lot of fun. The music, the action and even the actors help to create a fun film that holds a special place in my heart alongside other movies of my childhood. If you haven't seen it make sure you do. Sit back, enjoy and try not to laugh at the gay overtones ;)