Among the first releases from the exciting new Boutique Label, Toy Robot, Masters of the Universe (1987) arrives with double-disc 4K and Blu-ray sets. Containing two versions of the film, along with archival and new extras, Toy Robot has delivered the definitive version of many Gen-X children’s favorite fantasy films.
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Occasionally I wonder if I had a childhood? Seriously, why are there so many kids’ favorites from the eighties that I have just never seen? Add Masters of the Universe to the list. I was an early teen when this thing hit theaters in 1987, but I was nowhere to be seen. I was vaguely aware of the toy line and the cartoon, but Masters of the Universe has essentially eluded me all of my life. That certainly wasn’t the case for other kids, and all these years later Masters of the Universe is still a pretty cool kids’ film, despite the critical jabs. I get why people who saw this when they were young are attached to this film and property in general.
Nostalgia for the eighties seems to never diminish. This is perhaps especially true of eighties cinema, which generates a nostalgia so strong that even people who weren’t alive still feel this sense of yearning. It’s been a strange phenomenon to watch, and I wonder what’ll happen when it ends.
There’s a behind-the-scenes story about Masters of the Universe shared on this new 4K release that crystalizes everything wrong with the film and nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake. Story goes that the toy company behind this property, Mattel, agreed to fork over the front-half of the film’s budget so long as the production company, Cannon, chipped in the second. Well guess what the most ridiculous production company of the period does?
Yeah, Cannon goes AWOL with that cash, leaving yet another promising film feeling unfinished. The most important thing about Masters of the Universe is that its failure ended Cannon’s infamous Golan-Globus era. While they’d tanked many a great film in the making with shady behind-the-scenes practices, the Mattel betrayal finally closed this aggravating chapter.
Considering half its budget was yanked mid-production, Masters of the Universe is still a decent film. Like so many other Cannon Productions, it is clear that something is wrong. The pieces are in place, but not everything fits. Novice director Gary Goddard does the best he can; the film seems to fight against him.
There are major positives to Masters of the Universe. Despite the lack of financing, the film’s pivotal special effects are mostly pretty awesome and sometimes outstanding. The film never shakes Cannon’s general shabbiness, but the visual-effects team does remarkable work considering the obstacles.
Masters of the Universe is also blessed with a good cast, with special mention going to Frank Langella’s Skeletor. Langella is honestly quite exceptional throughout Goddard’s film, delivering an iconic performance that is easily the best part of the picture. There are quite a few familiar faces here, from a young Courtney Cox to a post-Ivan Drago Dolph Lundgren. Like the effects the cast do much of the heavy lifting, ensuring Masters of the Universe‘s at times convoluted script stays watchable.
Poor David Odell. Imagine being the writer behind the 1984 Supergirl bomb and then just a few years later you are back at it again. The very poorly-received Masters of the Universe ended Odell’s screenwriting career, although he’d try his hand at directing a few years after with Martians Go Home (1989). While Odell’s script for Masters of the Universe does come across as a bit of a mess, it is hard to blame Ordell (or anyone else) other than Cannon for the movie’s failures.
Much like many might-have-been classics Cannon released in the eighties, Masters of the Universe received both a critical thrashing and mostly disdain from an uninterested public. Losing money, the film still charmed children who saw it theatrically and especially in the years since on home video.
Toy Robot’s presentation of Masters of the Universe is pretty perfect. This is true of both the theatrical and bonus preview cut. Toy Robot is following the lead of parent company Arrow with the exceptional-looking and sounding Masters of the Universe. Extras include a vintage featurette, a director’s commentary, and some new cast/crew interviews. Watched decades later, it is still easy to see why critics had such a problem with this film, but its many fans have ensured it stays alive. It is hard to imagine a better introduction to it than this Toy Robot collection.
-Jeremy Richey, September 2026-
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