Masters of the Universe Blu-ray delivers great video and solid audio in this enjoyable Blu-ray release
The world of Eternia in the aftermath of Skeletor's war on Castle Grayskull, which he has won after seizing Grayskull and the surrounding city using a cosmic key developed by the Thenorian locksmith Gwildor. The Sorceress is now Skeletor's prisoner and he begins to drain her life-force as he waits for the moon of Eternia to align with the Great Eye of the Universe that will bestow god-like power upon him.
Masters of the Universe was a critical and box office failure, but its reputation has grown in the
past twenty-five years among a discriminating and increasingly influential base, namely, comic
book fans. First-time feature director Gary Goddard admired the work of legendary Marvel artist
Jack Kirby, and he intended Masters as a tribute to the great illustrator, even including a dedication
to Kirby in the credits (though it was removed by the film's production company). At the time,
devoted fans of the Masters comics criticized Goddard and screenwriter David Odell (Supergirl,
The Dark Crystal) for various departures from the original stories, but as Goddard explains in the
accompanying commentary, he had neither the budget nor the technology to realize a live-action
version of many of the comics' signature elements, such as the levitating character Orko (who
today would be CGI). Instead, Goddard looked to Kirby for inspiration. Even though Kirby never
drew Masters, he has long been regarded as one of the most cinematic among comic book artists.
Goddard even tried to get the studio, Cannon Films, to let him hire Kirby as a conceptual artist,
but Cannon refused.
The standard explanation for the film's failure is that the popularity of both the toys and the
comics had peaked by the time of its release in 1987. If that's the case, then the film prolonged
and even revived the franchise's popularity through the staying power that has us today marking
the twenty-fifth anniversary of the film's release. Goddard may have been a first-time director,
but his vision was strong enough to get everyone on the same page, which is a director's essential
job. The result was a unique mixture of comic book pulp and live action cheese, anchored by a
memorable portrait of villainy in Frank Langella's Skeletor. Dolph Lundgren, who must have
relished the opportunity to play the hero after his role as the Russian boxer in Rocky IV, balanced
Langella's theatrical turn by obeying the classic command of "less is more". It's an especially
useful approach when one is still struggling with a thick Swedish accent.
The peaceful planet of Eternia lies in ruins, victim of a sneak attack by the forces of the evil
Skeletor (Langella, delivering his ripely intense performance from within a full skull mask
designed by Michael Westmore, future creator of Star Trek's many aliens). The secret of
Skeletor's attack is a cosmic "key" invented by Gwildor (Billy Barty, the accomplished little
person who would be instantly recognizable from his many roles if not for the immense
prosthetic appliances). Gwildor's key is capable of opening doorways to any place or time, and it
allowed Skeletor's forces to infiltrate Eternia's fortress, Castle Grayskull, undetected, after
Gwildor was tricked into building it by Skeletor's henchwoman, Evil-Lyn (Meg Foster,
channeling Lady Macbeth).
Skeletor has imprisoned Eternia's protector, a Sorceress (Christina Pickles), within Castle
Grayskull and is draining her power. Eternia's only hope is the people's champion, He-Man
(Lundgren), aided by a trusty man-at-arms, Duncan (Jon Cypher), and his battle-hardened
daughter, Teela (Chelsea Field). But first they have to rescue Gwildor, whose prototype of the
cosmic key is the only way they can gain access to Castle Grayskull in time.
That's the basic setup, but what fun would it be if earthlings weren't involved? Ambushed during
their attempt to rescue the Sorceress, the rebel band flees through a door that Gwildor randomly
opens, and they land in small-town America, where they become entangled with future stars of
Friends and Star Trek: Voyager. If for no other reason, one should see Masters of the Universe to
watch Courtney Cox, fresh off her famous "Dancing in the Dark" video with Bruce Springsteen,
and Robert Duncan McNeill, eight years before he became Starfleet Lt. Tom Paris, play troubled
young lovers Julie and Kevin. (On the commentary track, Goddard is thankful for his casting
luck.)
Recently orphaned after losing her parents in a plane crash, Julie is moving east to start over,
even though she's still in love with Kevin, who plays keyboards in a local band. As they visit her
parents' graves so that Julie can say goodbye, they find Gwildor's "key", which he dropped while
falling to earth. Kevin is fascinated by its synthesizer-like tones, but little does he realize that
activating the key has given Skeletor a fix on its position. Soon, all manner of creatures are
arriving to attack them: first, animal-like assassins, followed by Evil-Lyn and eventually the
vicious Skeletor himself with a full contingent of troops. Meanwhile, He-Man, Duncan, Teela
and Gwildor rush to defend the locals, and a town cop named Lubic (the reliable James Tolkan)
supplies comic relief by trying to take everyone down to the station house.
Eventually, of course, everyone has to return to Eternia for the final battle, and I'm sure no one
needs to be told who ultimately prevails. But getting there is a lot of fun, unless you happen to be
Charlie (Barry Livingston), proprietor of the local music store to whom Kevin takes the key for
his evaluation. I'd love to be a fly on the wall for Charlie's report to his insurance agent.
Israeli cinematographer Hanania Baer, who is now Henry Jaglom's regular DP, shot Masters of
the Universe. As director Goddard repeatedly notes in his commentary, he and Baer took several
weeks to find common ground on the look of the film, with Baer pushing for a flatter, more
naturalistic look and Goddard insisting on something glossier and more stylized. Goddard's view
prevailed, but he points out a few sequences that reflect Baer's preference. Regardless of which
photographic style is on display, Warner's 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray does a fine job of
presenting this effects-laden comic book translation in an accurate fashion, which isn't to say that
eyes accustomed to CGI, digital post production and digital cinema will necessarily be pleased
with the result. Masters of the Universe was an FX-heavy film, but the effects were done by
optical compositing, which produces a softer image than we're used to now, even when the FX
plates are shot on 65mm, as they were here by ILM alumnus Richard Edlund. Also, much of the
film was shot at night on the streets of Whittier, California, and the entire film was finished
photochemically. "Grain" wasn't yet a dirty word, and the film's grain is generally visible, often
obviously so, because it's been left intact by the technical crew that created this Blu-ray. Viewers
should applaud their efforts, but we know from experience that some will not.
Colors are varied and nicely saturated. In the scenes on Eternia, they never create a sense of a
fully realized environment, but I think that was a deliberate effect of Goddard's effort to evoke
the graphic world of Jack Kirby's art. Blacks, which are essential for Skeletor's face and
costume, are mostly dark and solid; they waver somewhat in multi-layered composites like
Skeletor's "holosphere" addresses to the people of Eternia, where everything is fainter and
weaker (including detail), due to the compositing process. In general, though, the film's
transition to hi-def reveals levels of detail in costumes, make-up and production design that
haven't been seen since the film played in theaters.
The film's original stereo soundtrack is presented as DTS-HD MA 2.0. It's solid and serviceable
and has very good fidelity, but little in the way of surround activity, even when played through an
advanced matrix decoder. The dialogue is always clear, which is hardly surprising when you
consider that most of the characters are Eternians, nearly all of whom speak in a ripely theatrical
style that seems to be standard issue for all non-terrestrial life forms speaking English. Composer
Bill Conti wrote a truly fine score that manages to evoke the spirit of an otherworldly conflict as
effectively as John Williams in Star Wars and Jerry Goldsmith in the pre-Abrams Star Trek
films, but without sounding like either one. On the Blu-ray's lossless track, the score sounds as
good as I've ever heard it.
Commentary with Director Gary Goddard: Goddard is an energetic commentator, but
it had been almost fifteen years since he'd directed the film, and he hadn't directed
another one since. (He moved from film directing into producing and directing major
theme park attractions such as Jurassic Park: The Ride and Six Flags' Monster Mansion,
though his company, Landmark Productions.) Rewatching the film is like revisiting an
old scrapbook for him, and Goddard shares many memories from the shoot, but one can
sense the distance and the shift in perspective that comes with a career change. Many of
Goddard's items have been excerpted and listed in the film's "trivia" section at IMDb.
Trailer (SD; 1.78:1, enhanced; 1:42): The narration is almost laughably solemn.
It says something about the quality of Masters of the Universe that the film holds up even after
the endless parodies of He-Man and Skeletor perpetrated by the creators of Robot Chicken, who
seem to have almost as much fondness for this series as for Star Wars. And why shouldn't they?
In cost, profit and influence, Goddard's film may be a small stone compared to the giant quarry
that is George Lucas' starry franchise, but they have much in common. Both deal with elemental
and operatic themes; both are massive costume dramas set in space; and both draw inspiration
from cheesy B movies and Saturday morning serials, the most obvious being the Buster Krabbe
Flash Gordon adventures. Given some changes in timing and a few lucky breaks, it might have
been Skeletor's skull, rather than Darth Vader's helmet, that became the universal symbol of evil
ambition. Highly recommended.
Warner Home Entertainment will bring Masters of the Universe to Blu-ray in the fall. This live-action adaptation of the popular children's cartoon stars Dolph Lundgren (The Expendables) as He-Man, a warrior prince who must combat the evil Skeletor (Frank Langella, ...
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