It's a funny thing; when I watch "Masters of the Universe" I tend to view the movie as a straight sword-n-sorcery adventure, very much of its '80s time and place. And on those terms, I think it's a pretty cool flick. It's got its share of cheese, don't get me wrong (pretty much all of Courtney Cox's subplot), but that's not enough to kill it. Dolph Lundgren makes for a solid hero and he's great for the role's physicality. But it's clearly Frank Langella who steals this thing, buried under makeup but still owning his scenes.
It's interesting to see what came out of Cannon in 1987. "Superman IV" was a disaster, and yet "Masters of the Universe" somehow works. Chock full of swords, lasers, ships, otherworldly heroes and still grounded in a contemporary setting. Were I a more devoted He-Man fan, this might leave a sour taste in my mouth. But comparing it to others of its type ("Conan the Barbarian", "Krull", "Willow") it ain't bad at all.
7/10
It's interesting to see what came out of Cannon in 1987. "Superman IV" was a disaster, and yet "Masters of the Universe" somehow works. Chock full of swords, lasers, ships, otherworldly heroes and still grounded in a contemporary setting. Were I a more devoted He-Man fan, this might leave a sour taste in my mouth. But comparing it to others of its type ("Conan the Barbarian", "Krull", "Willow") it ain't bad at all.
7/10