Masters of the Universe (1987)

Director:

Gary Goddard

Writer:

David Odell (written by)
(more)

Release Date:

7 August 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy | Music | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

A Battle Fought In The Stars. Now... Comes To Earth.

Plot:

A life-action feature film based on the popular cartoon kids show about a prince turned warrior named He-Man.

Plot Keywords:

He Man | Key | Castle | Sorceress | Evil

Awards:

2 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Dolph Lundgren	...	He-Man
Frank Langella	...	Skeletor
Meg Foster	...	Evil-Lyn
Billy Barty	...	Gwildor
Courteney Cox	...	Julie Winston
Robert Duncan McNeill	...	Kevin Corrigan
Jon Cypher	...	Duncan (Man-at-Arms)
Chelsea Field	...	Teela
James Tolkan	...	Detective Lubic
Christina Pickles	...	Sorceress of Castle Grayskull
Tony Carroll	...	Beastman
Pons Maar	...	Saurod
Anthony De Longis	...	Blade
Robert Towers	...	Karg
Barry Livingston	...	Charlie
Jessica Nelson	...	Monica
Gwynne Gilford	...	Mrs. Winston
Walter Scott	...	Mr. Winston
Walter Robles	...	Carl the Janitor
Cindi Eyman	...	Gloria
Peter Brooks	...	Narrator
Richard Szponder	...	Pigboy

Directed by
Gary Goddard

Writing credits
David Odell		(written by)
Donald F. Glut		characters (uncredited)
Stephen Tolkin		uncredited

Produced by
Michael Flynn	....	associate producer
Yoram Globus	....	producer
Menahem Golan	....	producer
Evzen Kolar	....	associate producer
Edward R. Pressman	....	executive producer
Elliot Schick	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Bill Conti

Cinematography by
Hanania Baer

Film Editing by
Anne V. Coates

Casting by
Victoria Thomas

Production Design by
William Stout

Art Direction by
Robert Howland

Set Decoration by
Daniel Gluck
Mike Johnson
Kathe Klopp

Costume Design by
Julie Weiss

Makeup Department
Robin Beauchesne	....	makeup artist
Lori Benson	....	hair stylist
Angelo Di Biase	....	hair stylist for Mr. Lundgren
Lauren Hartigan	....	body makeup
James Kagel	....	makeup lab sculptor
Todd McIntosh	....	makeup department head
Zandra Platzek	....	hair stylist
Gerald Quist	....	makeup lab foreman
June Westmore	....	makeup artist (as June Haymore-Pipkin)
Michael Westmore	....	makeup designer
Michael Burnett	....	special makeup effects assistant (uncredited)
Lisa Rocco	....	makeup effects lab technician (uncredited)

Production Management
Michael Alden	....	post-production supervisor
Alan Gershenfeld	....	production manager
Alain Jakubowicz	....	post-production supervisor
Leslie M. Levine	....	production supervisor
Joe Morrison	....	production supervisor
Elliot Schick	....	production manager
John Weems	....	production supervisor
Rony Yacov	....	executive in charge of production

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Frederic B. Blankfein	....	first assistant director
Barbara Bruno	....	second second assistant director
John Eyler	....	second assistant director
Gere LaDue	....	second second assistant director

Art Department
Nancy Booth	....	set dresser
Lynn Christopher	....	assistant art director
Sharlene Ciraolo	....	lead scenic painter
Edward Eyth	....	concept designer (as Edward C. Eyth)
Ellen Freund	....	property manager
Jean Giraud	....	special designer (as Jean 'Moebius' Giraud)
Joe Griffith	....	concept designer
Andrew Kennedy	....	set dresser
Douglas E. Maxwell	....	lead man
John Hammer Maxwell	....	set dresser
Claudio Mazzoli	....	concept designer
Jimy Murphy	....	set dresser
David J. Negron	....	storyboard illustrator (as David Negron)
Josh Olson	....	art department production assistant
Mary K. Perko	....	art department coordinator
Michael Reinhart	....	construction foreman
Leo Rijn	....	lead sculptor
Rachel Rosenthal	....	production design coordinator
Benjamin Thompson	....	carpenter
David Touster	....	property assistant
Douglas Turner	....	armour construction coordinator
Ron Woods	....	assistant property master
Curtis Yackel	....	carpenter

Sound Department
Bob Baron	....	adr mixer
Anna Behlmer	....	sound recordist
George Berndt	....	adr supervisor
Steve Borne	....	assistant sound editor
Gary C. Bourgeois	....	sound re-recording mixer
Ed Callahan	....	sound editor
Chris Carpenter	....	sound re-recording mixer
Mick D'Andrea	....	assistant sound editor
Mary Jo Devenney	....	boom operator
John P. Fasal	....	special sound effects
Mark Goodermote	....	boom operator
Tommy Goodwin	....	adr mixer
Tommy Goodwin	....	foley mixer
Doug Kent	....	assistant sound editor (as Douglas Kent)
Elliott Koretz	....	sound editor
John A. Larsen	....	supervising sound editor
Robert Martel	....	foley editor
Marilyn McCoppen	....	adr editor
Harry B. Miller III	....	sound editor
Ed Novick	....	sound designer
Dean Okrand	....	sound re-recording mixer
David Pettijohn	....	sound editor
Barry Rubinow	....	supervising foley editor
Robert R. Rutledge	....	supervising sound editor
Peter Michael Sullivan	....	adr assistant
Jenny Weyman-Cockle	....	adr editor
Jay Wilkinson	....	sound editor (as John S. Wilkinson Jr.)

Special Effects by
Arthur Brewer	....	special effects lead
R.J. Hohman	....	special effects technician
Robert Hohmen	....	special effects crew
Daniel Hutten	....	assistant special effects foreman
Ellen Kitz	....	special effects supervisor
Karl G. Miller	....	special effects crew
Malton Right	....	special effects crew
Larry Roberts	....	special effects crew
Paulette Smook Marshall	....	special effects supervisor
Leo Leoncio Solis	....	special effects assistant
Joe Viskocil	....	pyro technician (as Joseph Viskocil)
Yancy Calzada	....	creature mechanics (uncredited)
Edward J. Franklin	....	prop shop (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Susan Alpert	....	model shop coordinator
Maura Alvarez	....	visual effects animation production assistant
Larz Anderson	....	visual effects project leader: swords
Michael Backauskas	....	visual effects editor
Don Baker	....	visual effects camera
Mat Beck	....	visual effects camera
Brent Boates	....	visual effects art director
Laura Buff	....	visual effects special consultant
Mark Cane	....	visual effects grip
Anjelica Casillas	....	visual effects animation production assistant
Glenn Chaika	....	visual effects animator
Dave Chamberlain	....	model shop production assistant
Charles Cowles	....	visual effects optical camera
Philip Crescenzo	....	visual effects: technical supervisor
Mark Dornfeld	....	visual effects optical line-up
Richard Edlund	....	executive visual effects supervisor: Boss Film Studios
Leslie Ekker	....	model maker
Leslie Ekker	....	visual effects project leader: flying disks
Robert Eyslee	....	visual effects chief lighting technician
Leslie Falkinburg	....	visual effects optical coordinator
Donald Fly	....	visual effects chief financial officer
Meg Freeman	....	visual effects animation production assistant
Deborah Gaydos	....	visual effects animator
Alan Harding	....	visual effects optical camera
Adam Hill	....	moldmaker/caster/fabricator/body impressions: weapons, stunt suit, Boss Films
Robert Hippard	....	visual effects production supervisor
George Jenson	....	visual effects illustrator
Lisa Krepela	....	visual effects animation production assistant
Neil Krepela	....	visual effects matte department supervisor
Mauro Maressa	....	visual effects animator
Mary Mason	....	visual effects production coordinator
Pat McClung	....	visual effects project leader: weapons
Rexford L. Metz	....	visual effects director of photography: second unit
Dennis Michelson	....	visual effects editor
Virgil Mirano	....	visual effects still photographer
Michele Moen	....	visual effects matte artist
Thaine Morris	....	visual effects foreman
Bill Neil	....	visual effects director of photography (as William Neil)
Lisa Neil	....	visual effects animation coordinator
James Nelson	....	visual effects production advisor
Eric Peterson	....	visual effects first assistant photographer
Samuel E. Recinos	....	visual effects technical animator (as Samuel Recinos)
Chris Regan	....	visual effects optical supervisor
Pat Repola	....	visual effects head lab technician (as Patrick Repola)
Eugene P. Rizzardi	....	visual effects project leader: battle station
Jon Screiber	....	visual effects special projects assistant (as Jon Schreiber)
Nick Seldon	....	visual effects project leader: puppets
James Sleeper	....	visual effects optical camera
Mark Stetson	....	visual effects model shop supervisor
Michael Sweeney	....	visual effects optical line-up
Eusebio Torres	....	visual effects animator
George Trimmer	....	model maker
Patrick Van Auken	....	visual effects grip
Paul Van Camp	....	software programmer
Michael Van Himbergen	....	visual effects coordinator
Gary Waller	....	visual effects supervisor (as Garry Waller)
Gene Whiteman	....	visual effects chief engineer
Terry Windell	....	visual effects art director
Stefanie Wiseman	....	visual effects first assistant photographer
Debra Wolff	....	visual effects editorial production assistant
Matthew Yuricich	....	visual effects chief matte artist
Stuart Ziff	....	visual effects project leader: cosmic key
Jon Macht	....	animation camera operator (uncredited)

Stunts
Bobby Bell	....	stunts (as Robert N. Bell)
Brad Bovee	....	stunts (as Bradley J. Bovee)
Janet Brady	....	stunts
Tony Brubaker	....	stunts
Brian Burrows	....	stunts
Doc D. Charbonneau	....	stunts
Danny Costa	....	stunts
Charles Croughwell	....	stunts
Anthony De Longis	....	stunt double: Mr. Langella
Loren Janes	....	stunt choreographer
Kent Jordan	....	stunts
Clint Lilley	....	stunts
Ben Scott	....	stunts
John-Clay Scott	....	stunts
Walter Scott	....	stunt coordinator
Brian Smrz	....	stunts
Gregg Smrz	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Mark Buckalew	....	best boy electric
Skip Cook	....	key grip
Rick Davis	....	dolly grip
Dan Elsasser	....	camera operator
Christopher Fenney	....	electrician
Michael Hofstein	....	additional cinematographer
Warren Kroeger	....	best boy
Richard Kuhn	....	best boy grip
Robert W. McCarty	....	grip
Ron McCausland	....	key rigging grip
Bob Myers	....	grip
Vince Onken	....	grip
David M. Rakoczy	....	electrician
Brian H. Reynolds	....	key grip
Mark Roemmich	....	grip
James Rosenthal	....	gaffer
Ken Sax	....	still photographer
David Schmalz	....	videographer
Randy Shanofsky	....	assistant camera
Mark A. Shelton	....	grip
Don Tomich	....	electrician
Ric Urbauer	....	best boy grip
John E. Vohlers	....	electrician (credit only)

Casting Department
Renee Milliken	....	casting assistant
Sally Pearle	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Allan A. Apone	....	co-special costume supervisor
John Franzblau	....	wardrobe production assistant
Carol Kunz	....	costumer
Lisa Lovaas	....	costumer
Marcie Olivi	....	costumer
Maurice Palinski	....	costumer (as Frank Palinski)
Joseph A. Porro	....	costumes
Lawrence Richter	....	wardrobe supervisor
Sharon Swenson	....	costumer
Isabella B. Van Soest	....	assistant wardrobe
Mira Zabadowski	....	assistant wardrobe

Editorial Department
Christopher Cibelli	....	assistant editor
Sam Citron	....	second assistant editor
Helen Hahn	....	negative cutter
James D.R. Hickox	....	apprentice editor
Omneya 'Nini' Mazen	....	post-production coordinator (as Omneya Mazen)
Stephen R. Sheridan	....	color timer

Music Department
Corrie Behrhorst	....	music coordinator
Bill Conti	....	orchestrator
Paula Erickson	....	music supervisor
Ralph Ferraro	....	orchestrator
Stephen A. Hope	....	music editor
William Kidd	....	music supervisor
William Kidd	....	orchestrator
Stephanie Lee	....	music coordinator
Bruce Miller	....	conductor
Bruce Miller	....	music arranger
Harry Rabinowitz	....	conductor
Joel Rosenbaum	....	orchestrator
Dan Wallin	....	score mixer
Rick Winquest	....	music mixer assistant

Transportation Department
John Conte	....	transportation co-captain
Edward Flotard	....	transportation co-captain
Jimmy Jones	....	transportation manager
H. William Miller	....	transportation captain
Joel Renfro	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Stephen Milburn Anderson	....	location manager (as Steve Anderson)
Wenden K. Baldwin	....	title designer
Denise Ballantyne	....	assistant: Mr. Kolar (as Denise Lanzetta)
Fern Baum	....	development assistant
Arthur Borman	....	production assistant
Bea Ellen Cameron	....	intern
Terri Cardinali	....	design maquettes
Craig Caton	....	creature crew
Bundy Chanock	....	set medic
Joe De Reis	....	design maquettes
Edward J. Franklin	....	skeletor armory crew
David Gamburg	....	creative advisor: Mr. Lundgren (as David Gamberg)
Brian Gaughan	....	production assistant
Adrienne Hamalian-Mangine	....	script supervisor
Michael Hood	....	design maquettes
Michael Hosch	....	lead puppet sculptor
Gretchen Iverson	....	assistant production coordinator
Karine Jonet	....	unit publicist
Laine Liska	....	design maquettes
James D. McGeachy	....	armour supervisor
Rick Nathanson	....	production executive
Robert Pederson	....	unit accountant
Joseph Poma	....	trainer: Mr. Lundgren (as Josef Poma)
Brent Scrivener	....	speciality prop builder
Kyle Seidenbaum	....	title designer
Barbara Slifka	....	armour production executive
Joe Straw	....	production accountant
Merie Weismiller Wallace	....	assistant: Mr. Goddard
Claire Wilson	....	assistant: Mr. Edlund
Cynthia R. Woodard	....	location manager

Production Companies

• Golan-Globus Productions
• Edward R. Pressman Film (in association with) (as Edward R. Pressman Film Corporation)

Distributors

• Cannon Group, The (1987) (USA) (theatrical) (as The Cannon Group, Inc.)
• Cannon France (1987) (France) (theatrical)
• Cineplex-Odeon Films (1987) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Hoyts Distribution (1987) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Italian International Film (1987) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Paris Filmes (1987) (Brazil) (theatrical)
• Scotia-Cannon (1987) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Toho-Towa (1989) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Ízaro Films (1987) (Spain) (theatrical)
• América Vídeo (1988) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Cannon International (1987) (non-USA) (all media)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video
• Editora D+T (2008) (Brazil) (DVD)
• IDA films (2009) (Spain) (DVD)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (20??) (USA) (all media) (except video rights)
• RCA/Columbia-Hoyts Home Video
• Warner Home Video (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (USA) (laserdisc)

Special Effects

• Boss Film Studios (visual effects)
• Robert Short Productions Inc. (Trooper, Warlord and Centurion armor)

Other Companies

• Blue Light Sound  sound post-production
• Colosseum  soundtrack (Germany) (1987)
• Future Fonts Inc.  titles rendered by
• General Cameras West  lenses and Panaflex supplied by
• Keylite Production Services  production services and equipment provided by
• La-La Land Records  soundtrack (remastered version) (complete score) (2008)
• Lorimar Opticals  opticals
• Mark Baron Company, The  marketing
• Silva Screen Records  soundtrack (1992) (extended edition)
• Silva Screen Records  soundtrack (extended edition) (1992)
• Title House  titles
• Todd-AO/Glen Glenn Studios  sound re-recording
• Varèse Sarabande  soundtrack (1987)

Also Known As:

Masters of the Universe: The Motion Picture (USA) (promotional title)
Les maîtres de l'univers (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
He-Man dünyalar hâkimi (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
He-Man universums härskare (Sweden) [sv]
I dominatori dell'universo (Italy) [it]
Los amos del universo (Venezuela) [es]
Masters del universo (Spain) [es]
Masters of the Universe (Finland) [fi]
Masters of the Universe (Greece) [el]

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Netherlands:MG6 | Iceland:10 | Argentina:Atp | Canada:PG | Chile:TE | Finland:K-12/9 | France:U | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | Australia:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Iceland

Company:

Golan-Globus Productions

Trivia:

Many viewers reviewed the motion picture in comparison to the cartoon, when it really was an adaptation of the toys only (which initially depicted He-Man as a barbarian in the first mini-comics (not Prince Adam or Orko). Ed Pressman was interested in the property before the cartoon was even aired and Filmation had no involvement whatsoever in the film.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: At the final battle between He-Man and Skeletor, He-man yells out "I have the power!" as he pulls the sword out of the anvil. You can clearly see that he mouth does not match what he yells.

Quotes:

Skeletor: People of Eternia! I stand before the Great Eye of the galaxy. Chosen by destiny by the powers of Greyskull! This inevitable moment will transpire before your eyes, even as He-Man himself bears witness to it. Now. I, Skeletor, am Master of the Universe! YES! Yes...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Troldspejlet: (#1.2)" (1989)

Soundtrack:

Purple Haze

Awesome fantasy adventure

Just as some movies that should be great turn out to be awful, some movies that should be awful turn out to be great - Masters of the Universe. Unfortunately, for a film that's based on a cartoon that today's 20-somethings used to watch in the 1980's, none of the said 20-somethings are going to admit to liking it now. Few will give it a chance and realize the direction is good, the acting is good, the music is good, that it's exciting, funny, scary, suitably epic and absolutely action-packed and that it looks fantastic. But Superhero Cinema does. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was a hugely successful mid-80's cartoon based on a line of action figures. The success of each fed the other, as well as a popular comicbook and loads of other merchandise. Finally in 1987 came the big one: the motion picture.

What looks like suicide at first glance - converting a cartoon based on action figures into a full-length feature - gets more appealing when you look at thes ource material closer. The cartoon is a epic hybrid of fantasy and sci-fi, with ancient castles and sorcerers mixing with laser guns and cyborgs. It also has a very mythic feel, mixing Ancient Greece-era monsters and challenges with fairy tale locations.

There are also hordes of exotic characters - warriors, mutants, monsters, magicians of every description, so the film makers could pick the coolest ones to bring to the screen. The ones they've chosen are He-Man and his arch enemy Skeletor (obviously), amazon-type female warrior Teela and her dad Man-At -Arms, the Sorceress of Grayskull, Skeletor's second in command Evil Lyn (which is always pronounced 'Evil-In'), and Beastman. Added to these are four characters that were created for the film - Gwildor, a dwarf-like inventor, Karg, a cross between Captain Hook and a bat, snake-like Sauron, and Blade, a sword and knife-obsessed slaphead. So that's eleven fantasy characters running about, which is a pretty good total.

Masters of the Universe succeeds because it takes the cartoon and adapts not it's superficial qualities, but it's essence into a movie, turning it into a mature sci-fi/fantasy adventure. This is where so many comic and cartoon based movies fail. They don't adapt their source material properly to make a successful feature film. You need to make the movie a natural progression from what it's based on, altering the look enough so it looks acceptable in real action, altering the characters into real people, choosing actors who can give real performances. It's not simply dressing superstars up as characters from a comic or cartoon, it's re-imagining the ideas as a movie. MotU does this perfectly. You can fault it as a film itself, of course, but you can't fault it as an adaption.

The production design is superb, with some superbly realized sets and costumes. Everything has been adapted to look more realistic on the big screen. The cast give uniformly decent performances. Nobody lets the side down - these are all 3D characters, not cartoons. Dolph Lungren proves he's one of the European bodybuilder brigade who can act. Frank Langella gives an outstanding performance as Skeletor, his powerful presence almost bursting out of the TV and into your living room. Langella gives a shining example to all actors portraying comicbook and cartoon characters in live action. There is a pervading sense of dread whenever he appears, especially during Castle Grayskull sequences, and the script gives him some awesome lines which he delivers with pure evil dripping from his voice.

The monsters are pretty bloody scary, especially for a family film, especially the Beastman (who's had a 'the' added to his name). The sequence where they invade a school gym and chase Julie around it is excellent, far more exciting and scary than similar chases in many horror films (including some of those Courtney Cox has been in). It's also, like the rest of the film, surprisingly violent, as the bad guys attack Julie with swords, claws, laser guns and high velocity darts. That she manages to escape is not unbelievable at all, because of the way the chase is staged - it's just a relief she gets out of there, the goal of any such chase scene. The sheer ammount of bad guys that the small band of heroes has to face adds greatly to the drama.

Setting half of the movie on Earth has it's advantages and disadvantages. It does give the film a human component, and two ordinary teenagers to be pulled into the adventure with. It also makes the monsters scarier - rather than being in a distant galaxy, they are in the neighbourhood, viciously attacking people and destroying whatever they come across. On the other hand, it would have been cool to see some more of the war torn Eternia and the planet's weird inhabitants and locations, but MotU had a relatively small budget, so that sort of stuff was off limit anyway. A little too much time is spent on the almost soap-opera angle of Julie and Kevin, but it helps flesh out their characters to make them believable.

MotU is also packed with action, and we do mean packed. There is an outbreak of violence every 15 minutes or so, usually even less, and there is variety and imagination among the content, unlike many action films, which consist of repetetive shoot outs and nothing more. It could possibly be said that it's quantity over quality, as some of it, particularly the shoot-outs, are badly filmed, and none of the action ever reaches adrenalin pumping. However, it's good enough, in-yer-face and quite exciting to watch, with He-Man taking out hordes of bad guys with his sword, laser beams everywhere, mass destruction and some good old rough and tumble. And all the action grows organically from the story - none of it seems put in simply because the movie needed an action scene at a certain point.

One of MotU's greatet assets is it's atmosphere. The sense of an intergalactic civil war is tangible, as is the sheer menace of the villains, the desperation of the good guys, the growing sense of doom as Skeletor captures the Cosmic Key. There is a cower-behind-the-sofa scariness similar to that of TV's Doctor Who.

If Masters of the Universe was re-released at cinemas this summer, people would realize how good it is compared to the blockbuster summer fare we get these days. And all for $17m, which was hardly anything, even in 1987.