New Boutique Label Toy Robot releases the cult classic Masters of the Universe, loaded with special features and a newly discovered cut of the film – all on 4K UHD!
The Film
I HAVE THE POWER!!!
Every person of a certain age knows that line of dialog. For better or worse. It evokes specific memories. Weekday Afternoons. Snacks. CRT TVs. Action Figures. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was a cultural nuclear weapon detonated to every kid that grew up in the 1980s. Along with Transformers, GI Joe (the relaunch), and Care Bears, they were toys that had shows that were designed to sell the toys. Like those others, kids did not see the crass catering to their impulses… they saw grand stories told for them and only them. Masters of the Universe was an extension of the sword and sorcery that many (the lucky ones) saw in the R-Rated John Milius Conan: The Barbarian.
It was only a matter of time before they took Masters of the Universe’s rich, dense, and ridiculous mythology and turned it into a live-action film. Unfortunately, the film carries none of that into the mix other than some names and the barest resemblance to the mythos of Eternia. Director Gary Goddard and writer David Odell have essentially turned the film into The Wizard of Oz by way of Star Wars with a Back to the Future remix in for good measure.
The film is crass in its aim to be those things for some sort of box office supremacy without the heart that made those films such generational touchstones. So much so, it lifts scenes whole from those films. The speeder chase in Return of the Jedi is now a hoverboard chase on the empty streets of Whittier, CA (where the film takes place or at least was shot). The time travel element is taken from Back to the Future, among other things. Skeletor and He-Man’s final mano-a-mano is basically a Vader vs. Luke duel. Its protracted final (new in this preview cut edition) goodbye scene straight from The Wizard of Oz.
That gross miscalculation does fall on Goddard and Odell but also on Cannon Films, which produced the film. The Frankenstein monster that is Masters of the Universe has Menahem Golan fingerprints all over it. Like a kid hopped up on too many pixie sticks, Masters of the Universe is all over the map tonally, going from earnest coming-of-age story to goofy fantasy adventure to teen romance. Never once is it a rousing action adventure that the animated series was.
For all its deficiencies, it’s a highly entertaining, rockingly good time. As cheesy and smooth as Velveeta fresh from the stove. Dolph Lundgren plays He-Man as the dopey, confused, well-intentioned meathead hero of 1980s dreams. Frank Langella looks like Henry Silva’s skull as Skeletor, chewing scenery like he was playing Richard III at a Saturday Night dinner theater in Tallahassee. Meg Foster acts with her eyes so much they should get top billing over her as Evil-Lyn. You expect James Tolkan at any second to call the kids “SLACKERS”; he’s so much like his character from Back to the Future.
All of that and it’s wrapped in a package that’s kitschy and 1980s in a way that only could have been made in the 1980s. It’s sincere in a way that they’re sincere about making a hit movie and wanted it so bad you can hear it in the Bill Conti score. For the 110 minutes (in the preview cut form), Masters of the Universe is on screen; it does just that … it yearns to be that big boy/girl blockbuster that Wizard of Oz, Star Wars, and Back to the Future were, but not having the slightest clue how to get there. But it’s damn entertaining watching it go for that finish line even if it never gets close to it.
The Transfers
The transfers provided to Toy Robot by Amazon/MGM are nothing short of spectacular. Cannon Films have never looked particularly great on home video, but the love and care that Toy Robot has taken with bringing this to 4K UHD speaks to what we can look forward to from the company. The original 2012 Blu-ray release from Warner Bros. was a solid transfer; this upgrade shows just how great a 4K physical release with Dolby Vision encoding can be. The transfer shows no signs of aging or any issues like artifacts or scratches just a flawless, razor-sharp image. The way that disc gets everything right, from the grain structure to the color reproduction to the contrast level, gives it the feel of a newly struck beautiful 35mm archival print. The work is so good that one can now see the flaws and details in the costuming, set design, and makeup effects. That is both films. In fact, one cannot see a dip in quality when it comes to the “preview cut” of the film, which looks as beautiful as the theatrical cut. Toy Robot has come into the ring swinging, showing they mean business as a heavyweight contender amongst Boutique Labels.
The Extras
They include the following;
Disc 1/Theatrical Cut (4K UHD):
- Audio Commentary with the director
- Behind The Legend, archival featurette
- Teaser Trailer
- Theatrical Trailer
- Stills Gallery
- Production Design Gallery
Disc 2/Preview Cut (4K UHD):
- Preview Cut of Masters of the Universe
- New Audio Commentary with production designer William Stout
- New interview with actor Robert Duncan McNeill
- New interview with actor Anthony De Longis
- New interview with production designer William Stout
Disc 1/Theatrical Cut (4K UHD):
The archival Audio Commentary with the director Gary Goddard begins with how he was hired on as director by producer Edward R. Pressman. Some of the other details included where they wanted to film Enterina originally; how Castle Grayskull was the largest set built in Hollywood at the time; the lack of the character Orko and how Glydor took his place because of how difficult it would have been to pull off Orko as a character in a live-action film at the time; the design of Skeletor and choices made to create the makeup effects; the casting of Courteney Cox who had only done the Dancing in the Dark music video at the time; the reason why there was no second unit on the film; the work and collaboration of production designer William Stout and costume designer Julie Weiss; a larger discussion of the work done by Richard Edlund and Boss Films with their optical/visual effects using 65mm cameras; a larger discussion of how the crunched production schedule caused original plans for the film and certain things were dropped; and much more.
Behind The Legend (4:23) – this EPK-style featurette, which was made at the time of release in 1987, goes behind the scenes and was made specifically for those who have never seen an episode of the animated series. The focus of the featurette is the characters (both new and old), the story, and the world in which the film takes place. Featuring scenes, interviews, and production art. Featuring interviews with director Gary Goddan and star Dolph Lundgren.
Theatrical Trailer (1:48)
Teaser Trailer (1:18)
Stills Gallery (11:29) – this gallery consists of 137 production stills, poster art, and behind-the-scenes photos. The Gallery runs automatically but can be paused and navigated by using the next and back chapter stop buttons on your remote.
Production Design Gallery (2:04) – this gallery consists of 24 pieces of preproduction and concept art. The Gallery runs automatically but can be paused and navigated by using the next and back chapter stop buttons on your remote.
Disc 2/Preview Cut (4K UHD):
The all-new Audio Commentary with production designer William Stout opens with how he began as the storyboard artist and how he eventually became the production designer. Some of the details include Stout and director Goddard’s shared love of Jack Kirby; the reasons why Goddard was chosen to direct the film; the design and fight over the cosmic key with Boss Films; his collaboration with makeup effects supervisor Tony Gardener; Mobius’s involvement in the film and his contributions; how he got into art direction/production design from ad art; various stories from the set and from other films like Theodore Rex, Invaders From Mars, Sword and the Sorcerer; a discussion of the various locations they used around Los Angeles; and much more.
Becoming Kevin with Robert Duncan McNeill (16:00) – the all-new interview with the actor begins with his awareness of the He-Man animated series and how he got into acting at an early age. McNeill goes on to discuss his career before Masters of the Universe; the casting in the role of Kevin and how that eventually conflicted with his work on a Soap Opera he was on; how Eric Stoltz was almost cast in the role of Kevin; working and his friendship with Courteney Cox; working with Dolph Lundgren; a great story about Billy Barty; working with the various props; the troubles behind the scenes; the failure of the film and its rise in its cult classic status; and much more.
They Call Me Blade with Anthony De Longis (14:06) – the all-new interview with actor/stunt double begins with his love of classic Hollywood. De Longis goes on to discuss how he got his start in the theater and eventually transitioned over to TV and Movies; his awareness of the He-Man animated series; working with Goddard before on the Conan Stunt Spectacular at Universal Studios Hollywood; sword and fight training he had before the film and his approach to fight scenes; his collaboration with Dolph Lundgren; the storm behind the scenes that was ongoing during the production; his doubling Skeletor for the final fight with He-Man; and much more.
Designing the Universe with William Stout (16:56) – the all-new interview with the production designer begins with how he was friends with Donald Glut, one of the creators of Masters of the Universe, and his thoughts on the toys and series. Stout goes on to discuss his early life and how he chose the arts and going to CalArts; his work in Ads for films; his transition to the art department on Conan: The Barbarian; being hired for Masters of the Universe; the issues that arose between Mattel and the production; and much more.
The Final Thought
What a way to start a label… Toy Robot is off to a great start. Highest Possible Recommendations!!