Over 35 years later and I still enjoy watching this movie from time to time. I’ll never forget the weekend when my Grandma rented it for me to watch while at her place shortly after it was released on VHS. We pigged out on junk food & watched this and a couple others we picked up for the night.
I got a somewhat similar memory. When MOTU hit the Cinema in 1987, my mom wouldn't let me see it, cause it looked too dark. That same year, she let me watch Beverly Hills Cop II, so whatever mom... I digress. My Grandfather took me to the theater to see it, and we loved it so much, we stayed for a second screening. Whenever I watch MOTU now, it's like getting to see my Grandpa again. It was such a warm and spectacular memory.
This movie was awful. I saw it in theaters and went away sad. A year later they ended the toy line. Nothing in this movie was true to the source material
Sylvester Stallone was said to have come on the set while making Over The Top. He noticed Dolph Lundgren as He-Man and asked the director, "You gave him lines?"
The quote from BIlly Barty was the perfect way to cap off this amazing retrospective. The production troubles of the film are almost more entertaining than the finished movie. Frankly, it seems like a miracle that it even got made. GBF always brings us the best!
I was really going to get in your face if you didn't mention Richard Szponder. Can you imagine how exciting it must've been for him to not only be on that set, but to have a small part in a movie based on the toys he loved so much? And those pictures of him with the cast are just beyond heartwarming. I'm glad Cannon and Mattel decided to do the right thing by him and stick to their commitment to put him in the movie, even though it would've been easier to just say, "Look kid, I know we promised, but there's just no way to fit you in. We're really sorry about that. Here's a check for $10,000 and a $200 gift certificate to Toys 'R Us. You can get as many MOTU toys as you want with that." He'll always have fond memories of his time in the spotlight, however brief, and that movie is something he can show his kids and say, "There I am! That's me!" And that's sweet.
They also asked him what He-man toys he had. Before he left to go home they gave him a crate with every MotU toy he didn't have, including the new ones that weren't released yet. Thats how you do positive PR!
This is sort of what happened to the kid who won the Nintendo power contest to get to be in the mask 2. Since it never got made, they gave him money, a bunch of games, some clothes, and a Nintendo 64. He got to meet some of the people who worked on some of the games too I believe. In later years he said Nintendo took very good care of him considering the situation
Damn I choked up on the Billy Barty quote. You always do such good work on these vids and the research. I love GoodBadFlicks and I hope you go on making these for a long time.
I recall an anecdote about Masters of the Universe that was in the "Electric Boogaloo" doc. Sylvester Stallone visited the set one day and noticed Dolph was the lead. He told the director: "You gave him a majority of the lines?"
Oh man, I remember seeing this film with my dad when I was ten and being embarrassed a bunch of younger kids in the audience came dressed up with their power swords hoisted in the air during every action scene. I also remember that Eternia felt underused and being confused why there weren’t any classic supporting villains, and why they had replaced Orko with some giant-eared mac and me reject was beyond me… but overall the action scenes, skeletor performance and plot thrilled me and I remember feeling quite emotional watching country cox’s character saving her parents from having their inevitable plane crash. Also the Cosmic Key was pretty damned magical. Amazing seeing the full story of what went on behind the scenes and what was sacrificed for budget or plain bad decision-making. Would kill to see that swashbuckling finale filmed properly! Thanks GBF for the story and bringing back fun 80s memories. 😊
Thank you! Yeah, if they were able to do the big fight at the end, I think it would be remembered a little differently. Oh well, at least they were able to complete it!
This was my first favorite movie and I've sought out any & all behind the scenes articles, interviews and videos for it for, literally, my entire life (I was 3 when the film came out) and this is the most well edited, informed and presented "Making Of" I've ever seen. Bravo & thank you for putting this together. Side note - before Goddard's horrific history came to light, I met him at an anniversary screening of this at The Egyptian theatre in Hollywood. He was there in attendance then did a Q&A after it. For a fan, it was sensational to applaud and cheer with an audience at various parts of the film (the "I have the power" moment being the best) and I asked Goddard after the screening what it felt like to experience his film with a crowd like this and he said that it brought him to tears and that he'd wished for something like this for 30 years.
I unironically love this movie. It is "campy" in the best way in that the characters do not think it is ridiculous. They are all sincere and it works. Langella is PERFECT as the villain Skeletor. Lundgren works as He Man and is physically the perfect specimen to play the character. I had the biggest crush on Teela growing up. Basically despite what you said I find the film near perfect. And Skeletors entrance into Earth is one moment that cannot be denied as awesome. And the moment for "I have the POWER" is a perfect moment of film.
I was in awe as a 9 year old kid when I saw it on TV the first time. To me it was AWESOME. I totally agree about Lundgren he was perfect for this role.
One of the fatal flaws in this(for me) is they firstly created new characters for the movie whom None of us knew about and secondly He-Man in the movie dressed nothing like the toy line He-man.
@@paulthrutner9114 I am with you on the first point. Having more characters from the show (a few of the classic villains like Tri-Clops and another hero like Mechanek would be cool). For the second point I would disagree myself. I thought he looked a lot like I imagined. Not perfect but a good live action version.
I LOVED this movie as a kid and I've loved every re-watch. Kinda lost a lot of love for Dolph when i heard him trash this movie while I fell madly in love with Langella after his interviews. He was SO enamored with the drama and camp of his role and his complaint was that they didn't let him go shirtless because 'why would anyone want to deprive the audience of his sexy bod.' PRICELESS.
Dolph has changed his tune on the movie in more recent years . After he saw the impact it had on people, (and especially kids.) he embraced it. Still love this picture to this day.
That Billy Barty quote was unexpectedly deep and got me right in the feels. Also I wish they had stuck with the idea of making Tom Paris the Adam character and Dolph Lundren the He-Man version. I think that would have been cool and much closer to the original concept of the character in the cartoons/comics. I get why they decided against it, though, and I don't think the story suffers too much from having full time Lundren. He was a good He-Man. All in all, it's not a bad movie IMO. It's fun, and definitely watchable. Parts of it are really clever and memorable. Like so many other movies you cover on your channel, this one has a lot of "what ifs" attached to it. I think my big one is, "what if they'd said yes to Warner Bros right away and not held out for the Cannon disaster?" It definitely would have been a very different movie, but not necessarily a better one. Alas, we shall never know.
People can knock on how many children's properties were toy commercials in the 80s and 90s but the amount of effort put into a lot of the shows and characters is why they are still remembered today.
Remember my first time renting this in the early nineties. Love it then. Thought it was badass as a 6 year old and 30 years later I still love it. This is hands down my rainy day movie. Will watch it anytime anywhere.
I went to see this movie with my father at a mall theater. I remember the sticky floor and being happy to go see a movie. I watch this movie every few years and I think it is underrated. Skeletor is such a good villain in this movie.
Me too it had it all. It was full of action , magic and was pretty scary with beastman tearing apart the school . And the lizard head dude was weird as hell. But as I kid you don't realize how bad some of effects were. I had all the toys too even castle grayskull.
No one was saying this until about 5 years ago. This movie was awful and everybody knew it. It was a joke to even bring it up. I saw it in theaters during the summer and told no one because it was so bad. Nothing has changed
Have always enjoyed this movie. Yes, we were all missing Orko and more direct tie-ins to the cartoon, but I still always had a good time watching it. They got quite a bit out of a too-small budget, and the actors all gave sincere performances. It's an underdog of a Sci-Fi/Fantasy epic and I love them for it.
just gonna say you’ve been the gateway into my love for not only horror but independent movies. thank you for all the creative and well done analysis of these cult classics!
Hey Cecil, another Cannon documentary to check out is 'Electric Boogaloo:The Wild Untold Story of Cannon Films'. Dolph, Goddard and others are interviewed for the MOTU portion of the documentary.
Frank langella was the perfect choice for skeletor and his portrayal of skeletor made this movie legendary easily one of the best acted villian performances of all time
I remember leaving the theater and thinking how his performance elevated Skeletor far beyond what a toy-based movie had any right to expect. Full disclosure: I was more than a few years older than the target market at the time.
While lacking the high pitched voice of the cartoon Skeletor he nailed Skeletor’s narcissism perfectly. His self-loving victory speech when Skeletor transforms into an empowered god remains a legendary moment in cinema
Massive credit to Frank Langella for carrying this film with as much ham and cheese he could bring. Dolph does try, but I can see why he was so embarrassed by the film. But this is such ‘80s product placement it’s hilarious
This was a journey of a film production. I greatly appreciate the work you put into these. The older I get, the most fascinated I get by film production. And the work that goes into it.
I saw Albert Pyun post a pic of the MotU sequel. Always heard it took place on earth again with Skeltor being a CEO of some major corporation. Always wanted to read it. Great video. RIP Albert.
@ 44:25 That's literally my favorite ride ever I went to that when I went to universal I felt like I was in the movie u get sprayed wit mist an feel an hear the shots such a omce in a lifetime experience!
Great video! As a young girl growing up with many male cousins, I had to watch the cartoon and play with the toys. I didn't enjoy that much but this movie blew my mind! Still love it to this day after seeing it on HBO when it came to television for the first time.
I was SOO excited to see this movie as a kid being a big fan of the toys and the cartoon. I still have some! My parents took me to see it and I loved it. As I got older I could see the flaws in the film but it still holds a strong nostalgia feel for me. It's funny looking back seeing young Robert Duncan McNeil and Courtney Cox before they became more well known in the 90s for Star Trek Voyager and Friends. Frank Langella's performance as Skeletor is still one of the movie's highlights for me. Great job on this one Cecil!
31:40-31:50 A really fantastic impression there Cecil LOL! 37:11 OMG That would've been lackluster. 43:32 YES! I look forward to that ''Exploring'' episode Cecil''COME ON!!!''-Van Damme voice 46:28-46:44 I agreed with him may he Rest In Peace. A very wonderful job this was the very first film my grandmother took me to see at the movie theater it was playing at local theater in my neighborhood that one movie ticket would get you 2 films to watch back to back in a double feature so the film they was showing before this film was ''Invaders From Mars'' remake which me&my grandmother hated but then when we saw ''Masters of The Universe'' we both enjoyed it for what it was I watched the cartoons at the time no it's not the god honest ''He Man'' film but still it was a very fun fast paced action/fantasy film that I never ever hated yes I will admit Dolph his gone on to do a lot better films over the years hell my #1 favorite films of his is ''Showdown In Little Toyko'' #2''I Come In Peace'' #3''The Punisher''(I never give 2 F's that he doesn't wear the Skull because from 2000 to 2017 in the films Logan/Wolverine never ever wear his custom that he wears in the comics or 90's cartoon nobody ever says jack or shit about it) #4 ''Men Of War'' #5''Red Scorpion'' that's my top 5 right there what's yours Cecil? BTW May you&your family have a HAPPY NEW YEAR!
YES!!!!!!! Cecil! This is awesome. Masters of the Universe is a favorite of mine, from a different time, when movies were allowed to be fun. I love this movie. I especially love the score. Conti could have phoned it in but he didn't. He turned in something awesome. Not afraid to say, the Billy Barty quote got me a little misty eyed. Right on, Mister Barty, Right on. May you rest in peace.
This movie hold a huge place in my heart growing up and wacthing it on tv as a kid. Despite it's flaws I love this film. Always love learning behind the scenes of filmmaking.
When MOTU hit the Cinema in 1987, my mom wouldn't let me see it, cause it looked too dark. That same year, she let me watch Beverly Hills Cop II, so I have trouble with the logic of all that. Then again, my mom resented me for being born, so that's probably why... I digress. My Grandfather took me to the theater to see it, and we loved it so much, we stayed for a second screening. Whenever I watch MOTU now, it's like getting to see my Grandpa again. It was such a warm and spectacular memory. RIP Harvey Bagley (Grandpa) - 1935-2012.
I loved the franchise as a kid. It was heroic and crossed fantasy with scifi. Liked the movie a lot but was disappointed it was set and earth and lacked iconic figures like Trapjaw and Triclops.
In the toys that made us, The guys in charge of the He-Man toy line said that part of the reason why they start to lose sales was that they had expanded the line without keeping stock of the primary cast. It made it harder for kids to start the collection when they can't get the main hero or villain
Want to know the best part? The masters of the universe toys are still played with, there is a bin of them among other toys still getting action! Playsets, toys still work are great! My mom said it wouldn't be a tv room without that green skull base on it! Great video
they never did Karg figure in vintage line, that was a very well done custom. About the Movie they did indeed Saurod, Gwildor, Blade and 2 special deluxe things Laser Power He man and Laser Light Skeletor non movie related at 100% but very inspired (laser He man had Dolph face for example, skeletor laser was the "dad" of the new adventures one)
What are you talking about? Why is everyone on this movies hog? Everyone hated this movie for decades until about 5 years ago. It was a complete joke. I saw it in theaters and told no one because it was so bad and I was so disappointed. Maybe you weren’t a he-man fan so you didn’t know any different but this was one of the crappiest movies ever made and nothing like the source material. It was trash then and it’s still trash now
@Firefly I had over 50 He-Man action figures. I had multiple episodes of the show taped off the TV on VHS, including the Christmas special. Don't tell me what I liked or what I knew or liked as a kid. To me, the movie was larger than life. It was my cartoon come to life. I remember losing my mind over He-Man vs Blade. HE'S GOT TWO SWORDS! HE-MAN ONLY HAS ONE! WHAT'S HE-MAN GONNA DO??? Yeah some of the characters were new but the cartoon introduced new people all the time. There's Beast Man and Evillyn. That was enough for me. Crap I even had the Official Sticker Book for the movie. Remember those? Where you'd get a book with numbered rectangles that you'd have to put stickers in? And you got those stickers in packs like baseball cards? So you'd never know what stickers you'd get and you'd have to buy a ton of packs to complete your book. Man they were big back then. Maybe some of us just enjoyed the movie because it was our cartoon blown up to larger than real life and we weren't little Gene and Rogers.
This is easily the interesting dive into MOTU I've seen. Excellent, quality content. This is one of many classic 80s/90s films I saw in the theater as a youngin'. Batman 89, Roger Rabbit, Dick Tracy, what an era, even if MOTU isn't perfect.
That Trap Jaw cosplay hurts me to see. It's amazing. I always knew it was very much possible to do the character in live action with only costuming, maybe some CG if you have him talk.
It just shows what you can do practically. I think studios are so hellbent on making everything CG that they are missing what can be done for a fraction of the cost and will look 10x better.
actually remembered like watching it when I was a kid, just sad to think it did poorly due the mixture of budget, producer interference, and being mad just a few years to late and still hundred times better than that Adventures of Teela netflix series
YES!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR 🎉🥳🎉🎈 I HAVE THE POWER! The props that were going to be used in the cancelled Masters Of The Universe Sequel were used in Cyborg in 1989.
That live action Conan show at Universal Studios was great. I went there around 1989 or so and back then the original Universal Studios was not nearly as impressive as the new ones are today. Most of the attractions were just looking at things like Kitt from Night Rider or one of the A team vans or seeing the Psycho house from a distance. But the Conan show went all out and you could feel the heat from the dragons fire breath. Saw it twice that day.
I was born around the time MOTU debuted on TV so I never had an attachment to the cartoon, but I watched the film countless times on Showtime (or was it Cinemax), so the differences or omissions from the source material didn't phase me. I'm a huge fan of this movie's production design, look at those awesome figures (43:57). It's too bad it couldn't get more money for more costumes, characters and props. Even one matte painting showing populated Eternia would have sufficed
Thank you so much for doing this. I saw you posted it and waited to watch it with my full attention. Heman and Shera are some of my most fav things still to this day at 40 years old. Heman got me through a really tough childhood. I loved this movie as a kid and I still love it as an adult. Seeing how difficult it truly was for them to make this actually makes me love it even more.
Honestly, I have to say, I really think the cut to black ending could have worked. It's a hell of a cliffhanger. In an alternate universe where the film did well and got a sequel
Thanks very much for a great Exploring episode, Cecil. I knew you would cover a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff on what was clearly a troubled production. I was in college when Masters Of The Universe was released and therefore, I was "too cool" to watch a "kid's movie". Years later, I saw it on VHS rental, and it was way better than its reputation. I knew the filmmakers couldn't recreate the TV show, but I am impressed with what they were able to work with. It's too bad we never got a sequel.
Great video Cecil! I remember going to the theater to watch Masters of the Universe when it premiered with a friend. We had both been big MotU fans, but we both were getting older. If it had come out a year or two earlier, I think I would've loved it.
Well yes, the toy line and the cartoon are intermixed but it wasn't one big commercial. There were so many characters appearing in the cartoon that never appeared in the toys and the other way around. Even now 20 something years later I still am confused and how people think it's a commercial. If Laura commercial, everything that appeared in the show would be because of toys, but it just wasn't.
@ 37:11 That wouldn't be a horrible ending cus then it would leave people on a cliff hanger wanting a sequel just thinking from like a marketing an franchise perspective!
Frank Langella actually enjoyed playing Skeletor as his son said it was his favorite character and villain from the toyline and animated series
Very true, he even said it was one of his favorite films to work on.
He did a legendary job of making Skeletor a great villain in this movie.
@@robertnguyen9493 yeh Frank I think even kept his suit but in.glas container he I think hopes to.givsnto.gis gramdchildrem
@@zacharyjochumsen9677 that would be a cool gift from a grandparent
Yeah he literally says that in this video.
Might not be said enough, but we appreciate all the time and effort you put into each episode. This show is by far one of my favorites.
Thank you! I gained a few grey hairs making this one but glad to finally have it out. :)
Over 35 years later and I still enjoy watching this movie from time to time. I’ll never forget the weekend when my Grandma rented it for me to watch while at her place shortly after it was released on VHS. We pigged out on junk food & watched this and a couple others we picked up for the night.
It wasn't perfect, but it was good enough.
Sounds like MY weekends as a kid too! (only replace "rented" with "watched it late-night on cable.") XD
I actually do have masters of the universe from 1987
I got a somewhat similar memory. When MOTU hit the Cinema in 1987, my mom wouldn't let me see it, cause it looked too dark. That same year, she let me watch Beverly Hills Cop II, so whatever mom... I digress. My Grandfather took me to the theater to see it, and we loved it so much, we stayed for a second screening. Whenever I watch MOTU now, it's like getting to see my Grandpa again. It was such a warm and spectacular memory.
This movie was awful. I saw it in theaters and went away sad. A year later they ended the toy line. Nothing in this movie was true to the source material
Sylvester Stallone was said to have come on the set while making Over The Top. He noticed Dolph Lundgren as He-Man and asked the director, "You gave him lines?"
Coming from the guy who mumbles every line. ;) That's just great. 🤩
Dolph is a foot taller than sly and sly still can't let it go
Langella in this film is my absolute all time fav villain.
The quote from BIlly Barty was the perfect way to cap off this amazing retrospective. The production troubles of the film are almost more entertaining than the finished movie. Frankly, it seems like a miracle that it even got made. GBF always brings us the best!
Thank you!
@@GoodBadFlicks You are very welcome! Here is to another great year of GBF! Thank you for replying😃
I was really going to get in your face if you didn't mention Richard Szponder. Can you imagine how exciting it must've been for him to not only be on that set, but to have a small part in a movie based on the toys he loved so much? And those pictures of him with the cast are just beyond heartwarming. I'm glad Cannon and Mattel decided to do the right thing by him and stick to their commitment to put him in the movie, even though it would've been easier to just say, "Look kid, I know we promised, but there's just no way to fit you in. We're really sorry about that. Here's a check for $10,000 and a $200 gift certificate to Toys 'R Us. You can get as many MOTU toys as you want with that." He'll always have fond memories of his time in the spotlight, however brief, and that movie is something he can show his kids and say, "There I am! That's me!" And that's sweet.
Completely agree… and the extra class of sending him the actual outfit he wore in the movie after the film wrapped *chef’s kiss*
They also asked him what He-man toys he had. Before he left to go home they gave him a crate with every MotU toy he didn't have, including the new ones that weren't released yet. Thats how you do positive PR!
This is sort of what happened to the kid who won the Nintendo power contest to get to be in the mask 2. Since it never got made, they gave him money, a bunch of games, some clothes, and a Nintendo 64. He got to meet some of the people who worked on some of the games too I believe. In later years he said Nintendo took very good care of him considering the situation
@@GoodBadFlicksyou have this fom kn blu ray
Damn I choked up on the Billy Barty quote. You always do such good work on these vids and the research. I love GoodBadFlicks and I hope you go on making these for a long time.
Thank you!
Yes please do
this movie has a HUGE place in my childhood memories. And seeing videos like this, just make those special reveries THAT MUCH MORE. Thank you.
Thank you!
I recall an anecdote about Masters of the Universe that was in the "Electric Boogaloo" doc. Sylvester Stallone visited the set one day and noticed Dolph was the lead. He told the director: "You gave him a majority of the lines?"
Great documentary, BTW, because it came off like an AA meeting.
lol
One of my favorite Cannon Films ever! 1987. I'm six years old....saw this movie in the theatres so many times!
Oh man, I remember seeing this film with my dad when I was ten and being embarrassed a bunch of younger kids in the audience came dressed up with their power swords hoisted in the air during every action scene.
I also remember that Eternia felt underused and being confused why there weren’t any classic supporting villains, and why they had replaced Orko with some giant-eared mac and me reject was beyond me… but overall the action scenes, skeletor performance and plot thrilled me and I remember feeling quite emotional watching country cox’s character saving her parents from having their inevitable plane crash. Also the Cosmic Key was pretty damned magical.
Amazing seeing the full story of what went on behind the scenes and what was sacrificed for budget or plain bad decision-making. Would kill to see that swashbuckling finale filmed properly! Thanks GBF for the story and bringing back fun 80s memories. 😊
Thank you! Yeah, if they were able to do the big fight at the end, I think it would be remembered a little differently. Oh well, at least they were able to complete it!
This was my first favorite movie and I've sought out any & all behind the scenes articles, interviews and videos for it for, literally, my entire life (I was 3 when the film came out) and this is the most well edited, informed and presented "Making Of" I've ever seen. Bravo & thank you for putting this together.
Side note - before Goddard's horrific history came to light, I met him at an anniversary screening of this at The Egyptian theatre in Hollywood. He was there in attendance then did a Q&A after it. For a fan, it was sensational to applaud and cheer with an audience at various parts of the film (the "I have the power" moment being the best) and I asked Goddard after the screening what it felt like to experience his film with a crowd like this and he said that it brought him to tears and that he'd wished for something like this for 30 years.
Thanks for watching! Also, thanks for the story. I do think the film found its audience, it just took 30 years.
43:52 they made figures of Saurod, Blade and Gwildor in 87. That Karg figure came out 20+ years later.
I unironically love this movie. It is "campy" in the best way in that the characters do not think it is ridiculous. They are all sincere and it works. Langella is PERFECT as the villain Skeletor. Lundgren works as He Man and is physically the perfect specimen to play the character. I had the biggest crush on Teela growing up. Basically despite what you said I find the film near perfect.
And Skeletors entrance into Earth is one moment that cannot be denied as awesome. And the moment for "I have the POWER" is a perfect moment of film.
Finally a brother-in-arms!
I was in awe as a 9 year old kid when I saw it on TV the first time. To me it was AWESOME. I totally agree about Lundgren he was perfect for this role.
@@RandoLePerson agreed. Plus the guy has high iq and a masters in chemistry or something. Crazy huh?
One of the fatal flaws in this(for me) is they firstly created new characters for the movie whom
None of us knew about and secondly He-Man in the movie dressed nothing like the toy line He-man.
@@paulthrutner9114 I am with you on the first point. Having more characters from the show (a few of the classic villains like Tri-Clops and another hero like Mechanek would be cool).
For the second point I would disagree myself. I thought he looked a lot like I imagined. Not perfect but a good live action version.
Billy Barty was 63 in 1987, likely 62 when filming, not 73.
He died at 76 in 2000.
I LOVED this movie as a kid and I've loved every re-watch. Kinda lost a lot of love for Dolph when i heard him trash this movie while I fell madly in love with Langella after his interviews. He was SO enamored with the drama and camp of his role and his complaint was that they didn't let him go shirtless because 'why would anyone want to deprive the audience of his sexy bod.' PRICELESS.
Dolph has changed his tune on the movie in more recent years . After he saw the impact it had on people, (and especially kids.) he embraced it. Still love this picture to this day.
That Billy Barty quote was unexpectedly deep and got me right in the feels.
Also I wish they had stuck with the idea of making Tom Paris the Adam character and Dolph Lundren the He-Man version. I think that would have been cool and much closer to the original concept of the character in the cartoons/comics. I get why they decided against it, though, and I don't think the story suffers too much from having full time Lundren. He was a good He-Man.
All in all, it's not a bad movie IMO. It's fun, and definitely watchable. Parts of it are really clever and memorable. Like so many other movies you cover on your channel, this one has a lot of "what ifs" attached to it. I think my big one is, "what if they'd said yes to Warner Bros right away and not held out for the Cannon disaster?" It definitely would have been a very different movie, but not necessarily a better one. Alas, we shall never know.
Thank you!
People can knock on how many children's properties were toy commercials in the 80s and 90s but the amount of effort put into a lot of the shows and characters is why they are still remembered today.
Even the actual toy commercials have more effort put into them than 90% of todays cartoons
@@GoodBadFlicks That is very true as well.
The thundercats soundtrack was masterpiece
Remember my first time renting this in the early nineties. Love it then. Thought it was badass as a 6 year old and 30 years later I still love it. This is hands down my rainy day movie. Will watch it anytime anywhere.
I Certainly Agree With Billy Barty R.I.P❤️. Imagination and Dreams are Important to The World ❤️.
I went to see this movie with my father at a mall theater. I remember the sticky floor and being happy to go see a movie. I watch this movie every few years and I think it is underrated. Skeletor is such a good villain in this movie.
I watched Masters of the Universe maybe a hundred times when I was a kid. Still one of my all time favorites, great video as always; HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Me too it had it all. It was full of action , magic and was pretty scary with beastman tearing apart the school . And the lizard head dude was weird as hell. But as I kid you don't realize how bad some of effects were. I had all the toys too even castle grayskull.
@@coreyhamby2989 if you had all the toys, even Castle Greyskull, than you were the kid I’d wanna hang out with
No one was saying this until about 5 years ago. This movie was awful and everybody knew it. It was a joke to even bring it up. I saw it in theaters during the summer and told no one because it was so bad. Nothing has changed
Thank you!
@@GoodBadFlicks you are most welcome, I love your channel
Have always enjoyed this movie. Yes, we were all missing Orko and more direct tie-ins to the cartoon, but I still always had a good time watching it. They got quite a bit out of a too-small budget, and the actors all gave sincere performances. It's an underdog of a Sci-Fi/Fantasy epic and I love them for it.
just gonna say you’ve been the gateway into my love for not only horror but independent movies. thank you for all the creative and well done analysis of these cult classics!
Awesome!
Hey Cecil, another Cannon documentary to check out is 'Electric Boogaloo:The Wild Untold Story of Cannon Films'.
Dolph, Goddard and others are interviewed for the MOTU portion of the documentary.
Saw that and the other Cannon doc The Gogo Boys.
This is without a doubt the very best explanation I've seen about the mess we call Masters Of The Universe. Thanks so much for your efforts.
Frank langella was the perfect choice for skeletor and his portrayal of skeletor made this movie legendary easily one of the best acted villian performances of all time
I remember leaving the theater and thinking how his performance elevated Skeletor far beyond what a toy-based movie had any right to expect. Full disclosure: I was more than a few years older than the target market at the time.
He is such a great actor.
While lacking the high pitched voice of the cartoon Skeletor he nailed Skeletor’s narcissism perfectly.
His self-loving victory speech when Skeletor transforms into an empowered god remains a legendary moment in cinema
Massive credit to Frank Langella for carrying this film with as much ham and cheese he could bring. Dolph does try, but I can see why he was so embarrassed by the film. But this is such ‘80s product placement it’s hilarious
Animated Skeletor is one of my favorite villains of all time.
This was a journey of a film production.
I greatly appreciate the work you put into these.
The older I get, the most fascinated I get by film production.
And the work that goes into it.
Thank you very much!
I saw Albert Pyun post a pic of the MotU sequel. Always heard it took place on earth again with Skeltor being a CEO of some major corporation. Always wanted to read it.
Great video.
RIP Albert.
In a fun coincidence, the actress playing The Sorceress later played the mother of Courtney Cox's character on "Friends".
@ 44:25 That's literally my favorite ride ever I went to that when I went to universal I felt like I was in the movie u get sprayed wit mist an feel an hear the shots such a omce in a lifetime experience!
This film awakened things in young me and I'm forever grateful.
Great video! As a young girl growing up with many male cousins, I had to watch the cartoon and play with the toys. I didn't enjoy that much but this movie blew my mind! Still love it to this day after seeing it on HBO when it came to television for the first time.
Thank you!
I didn't know the story of Pigboy! That is really cool that they sent him the costume.
I'm glad you brought up the allegations against Goddard, your honesty as a creator is why you're one of the best
Thank you!
I was SOO excited to see this movie as a kid being a big fan of the toys and the cartoon. I still have some! My parents took me to see it and I loved it. As I got older I could see the flaws in the film but it still holds a strong nostalgia feel for me. It's funny looking back seeing young Robert Duncan McNeil and Courtney Cox before they became more well known in the 90s for Star Trek Voyager and Friends. Frank Langella's performance as Skeletor is still one of the movie's highlights for me. Great job on this one Cecil!
Thank you!
31:40-31:50 A really fantastic impression there Cecil LOL!
37:11 OMG That would've been lackluster.
43:32 YES! I look forward to that ''Exploring'' episode Cecil''COME ON!!!''-Van Damme voice
46:28-46:44 I agreed with him may he Rest In Peace.
A very wonderful job this was the very first film my grandmother took me to see at the movie theater it was playing at local theater in my neighborhood that one movie ticket would get you 2 films to watch back to back in a double feature so the film they was showing before this film was ''Invaders From Mars'' remake which me&my grandmother hated but then when we saw ''Masters of The Universe'' we both enjoyed it for what it was I watched the cartoons at the time no it's not the god honest ''He Man'' film but still it was a very fun fast paced action/fantasy film that I never ever hated yes I will admit Dolph his gone on to do a lot better films over the years hell my #1 favorite films of his is ''Showdown In Little Toyko'' #2''I Come In Peace'' #3''The Punisher''(I never give 2 F's that he doesn't wear the Skull because from 2000 to 2017 in the films Logan/Wolverine never ever wear his custom that he wears in the comics or 90's cartoon nobody ever says jack or shit about it) #4 ''Men Of War'' #5''Red Scorpion'' that's my top 5 right there what's yours Cecil? BTW May you&your family have a HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Thank you!
YES!!!!!!! Cecil! This is awesome. Masters of the Universe is a favorite of mine, from a different time, when movies were allowed to be fun. I love this movie. I especially love the score. Conti could have phoned it in but he didn't. He turned in something awesome.
Not afraid to say, the Billy Barty quote got me a little misty eyed. Right on, Mister Barty, Right on. May you rest in peace.
Thank you!
This movie hold a huge place in my heart growing up and wacthing it on tv as a kid. Despite it's flaws I love this film.
Always love learning behind the scenes of filmmaking.
When MOTU hit the Cinema in 1987, my mom wouldn't let me see it, cause it looked too dark. That same year, she let me watch Beverly Hills Cop II, so I have trouble with the logic of all that. Then again, my mom resented me for being born, so that's probably why... I digress. My Grandfather took me to the theater to see it, and we loved it so much, we stayed for a second screening. Whenever I watch MOTU now, it's like getting to see my Grandpa again. It was such a warm and spectacular memory. RIP Harvey Bagley (Grandpa) - 1935-2012.
Skeletor - it’s over. Yyeeeaassss - for you!
I loved the franchise as a kid. It was heroic and crossed fantasy with scifi. Liked the movie a lot but was disappointed it was set and earth and lacked iconic figures like Trapjaw and Triclops.
Childhood guilty pleasure amplified in regards to this movie!
Need to find it and watch for nostalgia’s sake!
Merry Christmas fellas
You too!
@@GoodBadFlicks thank you
In the toys that made us, The guys in charge of the He-Man toy line said that part of the reason why they start to lose sales was that they had expanded the line without keeping stock of the primary cast. It made it harder for kids to start the collection when they can't get the main hero or villain
Want to know the best part? The masters of the universe toys are still played with, there is a bin of them among other toys still getting action! Playsets, toys still work are great! My mom said it wouldn't be a tv room without that green skull base on it! Great video
Thanks!
I loved this!
I was disappointed with the film when I saw it, as a kid in 87, but I appreciate it now. Cheers boys!
Meg Foster as Evil Lynn is a major influence on why I have had some really weird relationships in my life.
That metal thing with all the blinking buttons, can you go get it for me?
I always love the depth you have in the "exploring " series!
Thanks!
I read Richard Sponder's autobiography "I Was Pigboy", fascinating, riveting, will make you laugh and cry bestseller material.
This video was a tour de force! Good job.
Thank you!
Frank Langella was fantastic as Skeletor. He was even allowed to change his lines to make them more epic.
lol ok buddy gad i can't stand hipsters
Too bad he got the secondary villain role in destiny two as the cabal consort to main villain Dominus Gaul .
they never did Karg figure in vintage line, that was a very well done custom. About the Movie they did indeed Saurod, Gwildor, Blade and 2 special deluxe things Laser Power He man and Laser Light Skeletor non movie related at 100% but very inspired (laser He man had Dolph face for example, skeletor laser was the "dad" of the new adventures one)
I love this movie. Saw it in the theaters as a kid and loved it then, and still love it now.
What are you talking about? Why is everyone on this movies hog? Everyone hated this movie for decades until about 5 years ago. It was a complete joke. I saw it in theaters and told no one because it was so bad and I was so disappointed. Maybe you weren’t a he-man fan so you didn’t know any different but this was one of the crappiest movies ever made and nothing like the source material. It was trash then and it’s still trash now
@Firefly I had over 50 He-Man action figures. I had multiple episodes of the show taped off the TV on VHS, including the Christmas special. Don't tell me what I liked or what I knew or liked as a kid. To me, the movie was larger than life. It was my cartoon come to life. I remember losing my mind over He-Man vs Blade. HE'S GOT TWO SWORDS! HE-MAN ONLY HAS ONE! WHAT'S HE-MAN GONNA DO??? Yeah some of the characters were new but the cartoon introduced new people all the time. There's Beast Man and Evillyn. That was enough for me. Crap I even had the Official Sticker Book for the movie. Remember those? Where you'd get a book with numbered rectangles that you'd have to put stickers in? And you got those stickers in packs like baseball cards? So you'd never know what stickers you'd get and you'd have to buy a ton of packs to complete your book. Man they were big back then. Maybe some of us just enjoyed the movie because it was our cartoon blown up to larger than real life and we weren't little Gene and Rogers.
Looking forward to this , top class youtube creator , wish you & all your family the best for 2023 , love from Ireland 🇮🇪
Thank you! You too!
We just watched this movie by chance for New Years, introducing the kids to it, and then I log on TH-cam and see THIS in my feed?!?! Good journey!
Thank you!
Thank you for putting in so much work to do justice to my #1 favorite movie of all time. My cat is named Gwildor after Barty's character.
Awesome!
This is easily the interesting dive into MOTU I've seen. Excellent, quality content. This is one of many classic 80s/90s films I saw in the theater as a youngin'. Batman 89, Roger Rabbit, Dick Tracy, what an era, even if MOTU isn't perfect.
Thank you!
That Trap Jaw cosplay hurts me to see.
It's amazing. I always knew it was very much possible to do the character in live action with only costuming, maybe some CG if you have him talk.
It just shows what you can do practically. I think studios are so hellbent on making everything CG that they are missing what can be done for a fraction of the cost and will look 10x better.
Oh wow. 47 minutes? Cecil really putting in the work, y'all. Respect.
Love it, man. keep up the great work!
Thank you!
actually remembered like watching it when I was a kid, just sad to think it did poorly due the mixture of budget, producer interference, and being mad just a few years to late
and still hundred times better than that Adventures of Teela netflix series
The links between Masters and Captain Power are really interesting, especially with characters/costuming.
An incredibly in depth look. Thanks for the hard work.
Thanks for watching!
YES!!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR 🎉🥳🎉🎈
I
HAVE
THE
POWER!
The props that were going to be used in the cancelled Masters Of The Universe Sequel were used in Cyborg in 1989.
Thank you!
Not letting He-Man fight Skeletor is like not letting Matt Hunter blow up Rostov with a rocket launcher.
Great vid mate, nobody does it better.
Thank you!
What a great way to end 2022 😚 I was 9 years old and LOVED my He-Man toys but this film never landed with me 😬
Thank you!
Happy new year and thank you for the amazing videos.
Thank you!
(31:31) The recreation of the meeting is great! 🤣
That live action Conan show at Universal Studios was great. I went there around 1989 or so and back then the original Universal Studios was not nearly as impressive as the new ones are today. Most of the attractions were just looking at things like Kitt from Night Rider or one of the A team vans or seeing the Psycho house from a distance. But the Conan show went all out and you could feel the heat from the dragons fire breath. Saw it twice that day.
Absolutely fascinating nearly 50 minutes, talking about 1987's Masters of the Universe film. Cecil. I loved it, thank you. have a happy new year. :)
Thank you!
Good journey!
lol yes!
Such nostalgia! I loved this movie as a youngster when it came out to theaters and still love it as an adult 💯👏👍😀
Dude I am with family and can't even watch this now bit I know it's gonna be awesome, HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU MR!!!!
Thank you!
I was born around the time MOTU debuted on TV so I never had an attachment to the cartoon, but I watched the film countless times on Showtime (or was it Cinemax), so the differences or omissions from the source material didn't phase me. I'm a huge fan of this movie's production design, look at those awesome figures (43:57). It's too bad it couldn't get more money for more costumes, characters and props. Even one matte painting showing populated Eternia would have sufficed
What a great birthday gift, thank you.
Thank you so much for doing this. I saw you posted it and waited to watch it with my full attention. Heman and Shera are some of my most fav things still to this day at 40 years old. Heman got me through a really tough childhood. I loved this movie as a kid and I still love it as an adult. Seeing how difficult it truly was for them to make this actually makes me love it even more.
Thank you for watching!
every year since i was a child this was my traditional new years eve movie
im so glad you glad you made an episode on it
Honestly, I have to say, I really think the cut to black ending could have worked. It's a hell of a cliffhanger. In an alternate universe where the film did well and got a sequel
Nice way to end the year!
Thank you!
Thanks very much for a great Exploring episode, Cecil. I knew you would cover a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff on what was clearly a troubled production. I was in college when Masters Of The Universe was released and therefore, I was "too cool" to watch a "kid's movie". Years later, I saw it on VHS rental, and it was way better than its reputation. I knew the filmmakers couldn't recreate the TV show, but I am impressed with what they were able to work with. It's too bad we never got a sequel.
His name is Cecil???
@@DoorNumber3Films That's the name we know him by.
Thank you!
Yep, thats me
What a great way to end the year!! Happy New Year, Cecil!
Thank you! You too!
Great video Cecil! I remember going to the theater to watch Masters of the Universe when it premiered with a friend. We had both been big MotU fans, but we both were getting older. If it had come out a year or two earlier, I think I would've loved it.
Thank you!
Well yes, the toy line and the cartoon are intermixed but it wasn't one big commercial. There were so many characters appearing in the cartoon that never appeared in the toys and the other way around. Even now 20 something years later I still am confused and how people think it's a commercial. If Laura commercial, everything that appeared in the show would be because of toys, but it just wasn't.
Exploring Cyborg on the way? Fuck yes, one of my favourite production histories. RIP Albert Pyun, a true filmmaker.
Also exploring nemesis or radioactive dreams it will be good
Albert Pyun died? This breaks my heart. He really made good films despite the low budget. Such an underrated gem.
Absolutely need cyborg and nemesis.
Sometime later in the year :)
@@GoodBadFlicks cant wait!
Well happy new year to you too nice drop after the mini hiatus.
Frank Langella is fantastic as he doesn't play it camp, makes Skeletor a terrifying force and that makeup job is stunning.
Great video to end 2022 on! Thanks so much for this one, Cecil, and looking forward to more episodes of Exploring in 2023!
Thank you!
Nice way to cap off 2022. Have a Happy New Year, good sir. 🎉🎉🎉
Thank you!
Thank you, for an informative and entertaining voyage back to childhood. Thank you, for the trip back.
Thanks for watching!
Loved this movie when i was a child
Thanks for making this video
Feliz año nuevo señor goodbad flicks
Thank you!
Happy New Year Cecil and everybody.
Thank you!
Love this movie. Saw it in a theater near my home, with mom and dad in 1988. Very good memories!!!
Excellent exploring video on the making of Masters of the Universe Cecil I found it very fascinating.
Thank you!
@@GoodBadFlicks You’re welcome.
@ 37:11 That wouldn't be a horrible ending cus then it would leave people on a cliff hanger wanting a sequel just thinking from like a marketing an franchise perspective!
Point blank....these long form videos are absolutely awesome!! Keep em coming!
Thank you!
Love this movie, have thanked Gary Goddard for making it several times over the years!