---
title: 'Everything GREAT About Masters of the Universe!'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=u1DSu3slTKs'
video_id: 'u1DSu3slTKs'
date: 2026-07-28
duration_sec: 1216
---

# Everything GREAT About Masters of the Universe!

> Source: [Everything GREAT About Masters of the Universe!](https://youtube.com/watch?v=u1DSu3slTKs)

## Summary

This video is a detailed, humorous commentary on the 1987 film 'Masters of the Universe', exploring its unique blend of fantasy and sci-fi, standout costume and set design, and campy performances, particularly by Frank Langella as Skeletor. It contrasts the film's 80s charm with modern filmmaking, while also pointing out its flaws, like Dolph Lundgren's dubbed dialogue and weak fight choreography.

### Key Points

- **Iconic 80s Studio Logo** [00:00] — The video opens by praising the Canon Films logo and its wild synth score, noting that Gunship even paid homage to it.
- **He-Man's Redesign** [00:12] — The film's version of He-Man is more human-looking than the Filmation cartoon's big-fanged version, with a focus on the teeth arch. The music is by Bill Conti, composer for Rocky and Karate Kid.
- **Skeletor's Theatricality** [01:00] — Frank Langella's Skeletor is iconic for his slow finger roll onto the Havoc Staff and his deliberate, milking delivery. The reveal of his face is framed by the staff's movement, making it a memorable intro.
- **Billy Barty's Orko** [02:07] — Billy Barty's voice performance as Orko is celebrated as legendary, especially for those who grew up on Willow and UHF. The character was originally created for the movie and later added to the lore.
- **Laser Beam Effects** [03:49] — The special effects of the laser beams warping near the door are highlighted as a cool touch, giving the film a unique visual style.
- **80s Teenagers and Synth Music** [05:35] — The video comments on how 80s teens had great synth music, and the visual effects, though dated, work for the film's dreamlike feel.
- **He-Man's Unsettling Sound Design** [06:52] — He-Man's sound design, including a throat-clearing noise, is noted as unsettling and distinctive.
- **Skeletor's Hijack** [08:28] — Skeletor's takeover of Castle Grayskull is executed via a personal theft of the power, leading to a tense standoff. The film's logic is questioned: the key must be cradled like a baby.
- **The Final Battle** [12:21] — The final confrontation between He-Man and Skeletor is noted for its dynamic choreography, with Skeletor using his helmet as a shield and the clash of Havoc Staff and Power Sword sending them to a pocket dimension.
- **The Post-Credits Scene** [18:23] — The film ends with a post-credits scene, which was innovative for its time, showing Julie waking up from the dream/nightmare.

### Conclusion

The video concludes that while 'Masters of the Universe' has many flaws and is a product of its time, it remains a fun, campy movie thanks to Frank Langella's performance and the 80s aesthetic. The creator is not initially excited for the new adaptation but may still see it on the big screen.

## Transcript

Masters
of the Universe
>> They don't make studio logos like this
anymore with the wild synth score.
Gunship even does an homage to this logo
and this was the height of Cannon Films,
the company at least partially
responsible for you knowing what
Electric Boogaloo is. The design in this
film rules. They took the Filmation's
version with the big fangs and made it
more human looking, but I love the way
the teeth turn into the arch.
And no, friends, you're not hearing John
Williams' Superman theme. This is He-Man
or Motu. And you read that right, Rocky
and Karate [music] Kid composer himself,
Bill Conti, is responsible. Perfect
transition, no notes. It's the one
explosion that gave the bad guys control
of Castle Grayskull during the credits.
And no, friends, it's not Darth Vader,
it's Skeletor. Ironically, Cannon
pitched this movie as the '80s Star
Wars. There's so much to say about Frank
Langella's iconic turn as Skeletor, but
I'm going to start with something
inconsequential. He's using the Havoc
Staff like a walking stick and it wraps
around But the heels really tie his
ensemble together.
>> Grayskull
is ours.
>> No!
>> Mine.
>> And this is a perfect introduction for
him because if he's speaking, he's
milking it. I also love that this is the
reveal of Skeletor's face, but all we
can focus on is the slow finger roll
onto the staff.
>> Someone is speaking to me.
>> The three different angles of him look
rad. It's like the school photo I always
wanted but never got. You can attempt
this aesthetic now with varying results,
but back then it just was. He-Man had a
bob with bangs and it rocked, but I
won't fault them for Dolph's mullet with
bangs.
>> Kick!
>> If you're new to He-Man and that sword
confuses you, one of the most fun things
about this universe is the blending of
fantasy and sci-fi. Star Wars laser
blasters and Lord of the Rings swords
and sorcery, called sword and planet for
some weird
I am excited for the new Masters of the
Universe, but if He-Man doesn't block
lasers with his sword, I will walk out
hugging. Also, if Camilla Mendez doesn't
have a shag perm cut with headband, I
will walk out. I kid, it looks like they
went with a more cartoon {slash} comic
accurate Teela in the new one, and I
just
we don't get this look anymore, and
we've lost something along the way.
Speaking of comic accuracy, Mr.
Man-At-Arms.
>> A skeleton's voices were hunting me
down. A million blessings upon you for
saving my life.
>> Billy Barty's voice is so iconic,
especially if you grew up on Willow and
UHF. It takes a magnetic talent to have
created a brand new character for this
movie that stayed a fan favorite and was
added to the primary lore.
>> Now, why are you so important to
Skeletor?
>> Speaking of voices, yes, Dolph
Lundgren's voice is dubbed. However,
it's dubbed with his own voice. The
director wanted to do a Hercules in New
York, but Lundgren's contract wouldn't
allow it, so instead he ADR'd all his
dialogue to the director's liking. The
costume and set design in this movie go
above and beyond. This film gets a lot
of hate for a lot of reasons, but nobody
can argue with how it looks. We The
Norrians are a peaceful race, trusting
in every way. A woman came to see me.
How could I know she was from Snake
Mountain? SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL.
>> That would be Evil-Lyn.
>> Yeah, man.
>> Sheesh, how could you have possibly
known with the name like Evil-Lyn?
Rude.
>> I don't like inventions.
>> And that's why we're finally getting
Orko in the new one. Again, like
everyone else in this movie, Karg's hair
is undeniable, but the face is nightmare
fuel.
>> He-Man, we made it. Look.
>> The more you get to know Gwildor, the
more it makes sense that he didn't clock
Evil-Lyn.
>> He's taking your power.
>> I can withstand him until dawn arrives.
>> I always enjoy a good ticking clock in a
movie, it ups THE STAKES.
>> I DARE ANYTHING.
I AM SKELETOR.
>> Just an ounce of his confidence and
bravado would fix literally all of my
problems. Another thing we lost in the
modern era of movie making are these
scenes where the director must have
said, "Okay, just get some coverage of
the Storm Troopers." I mean, dang,
Skeletor Troopers. Just get some
coverage of them firing. Everyone else
just play along." And so, Skeletor is
just sort of reacting-ish in the
background of the shot.
>> STOP HIM.
>> FLIP. LOVE THE TOUCH of the laser beams
bending near the door since it's like a
wormhole.
>> I must possess all or I possess nothing.
>> Only a Sith deals in absolutes.
Honestly, there's probably a Motu Star
Wars story out there somewhere that
needs to be adapted.
>> [laughter]
>> God, the '80s were weird and kind OF
MEAN.
>> OH, NO.
>> OH, AND HE GOT HIM BACK. I've been
waiting for a moment where we see more
of him, but it simply cannot wait. Dolph
Lundgren's workout routine.
>> Good journey.
>> Good journey.
>> Good journey.
>> Goodbye, sad, implies endings played
out. Good journey, happy, mysterious,
implies a continuation. I'm in. Maybe a
new Courteney Cox was in this, but the
real question is did you recognize her
best friend Rachel Geller's mother
immediately or do you have a normal
brain?
>> If you break up with Kevin Corbin, you
will regret it for the rest of your
life.
>> Can confirm. Grounded for Life never
should have been canceled.
>> Best thing for you to do right now is to
get 3,000 miles away from Kevin, my
house, this town, and everything, and
just start out fresh.
>> I do love what an absolute 180 this
whole scene is from the rest of the
film, and I think it actually fails the
Bedel test since they're talking about
Kevin the entire time.
Remember, this song I'm not going to do
the whole thing. This song is called
Living in a Box by a band called Living
in a Box. Somehow they have a Wikipedia
page and I don't. Until we meet again.
>> We were all supposed to go to the beach
that day, but I said I had [music] to
study cuz I wanted to spend the day with
you. So, we did complain and kept
meeting instead.
>> Lesson learned. They should have taken
the ferry.
>> I wish I could change things.
>> Yeah, we all do, but that's just not
possible no matter how much McGuffin
synthesizer magic you stumble upon.
>> Kim, look at this thing.
>> Woah, that is incredible. What is it?
>> I'd like to spend a day being this
enthralled about finding trash in a
cemetery, but when I saw this film as a
kid, I was so jealous they found it.
Now, as a dad, I cannot believe Julie
picked up a smoking, blinking, beeping
object of unknown origin. Where are her
pair Oh, right.
>> This is one of those new Japanese
synthesizers.
>> Amazing conclusion. Japan, where science
and magic are one. I also remember
thinking, "How does he know how to play
the portal gun?" But it ends up being a
main plot point, so I allowed it. The
cape swoop just so he can sit is so
wonderfully extra.
>> How accurate?
>> Within a parsec, Eon.
>> Now we're really sticking out our tongue
at Star Wars because that could make
sense. She's listing space and time.
Granted, from our point of view, that
could be on Earth before any life had
formed or somewhere near Proxima
Centauri.
>> Oh, faith, sorcerers.
You won't be lonely long.
>> He's such a sassy bee.
Dang, '80s teens just didn't know how
good they had it, at least with regard
to synth music. The visual effects are
certainly of their time, but they do
genuinely work for the feel of the film.
The whole thing feels like a weird
dream. That actually is Venice High
School. Looks the same on Google Maps.
>> Blade.
>> That trill. I do remember being
disappointed that Beast Man was the only
henchman from the original cartoon to
make it into the movie. That said,
Blade, Saurod, and Karg are all solid
substitutions, knowing full well that
Saurod will be the first to go out.
>> Yes, sorcerers.
Good.
>> With all that makeup, Frank really has
to sell his acting with his eyes, and
dang it, does he ever. This is a classic
action movie trope, but it's definitely
why they call him Blades.
Beast Man sound design is something
special. Like, maybe he just needs to
clear his throat, which is really the
most unsettling thing. And that's why
they call him Darks. Just an absolute
cake of beef.
And that's why they call him Doors.
>> GET AWAY FROM ME!
>> TOTALLY FAIR. As heroic as we know
He-Man to be, he's dressed like a
weirdo, and I ain't trusting anyone
while being chased. But once you see the
hair for long enough, you just
involuntarily calm down. And then you
get picked up like a tiny little girl.
Also, I'm like 85% certain I went to
youth group with someone whose mom had
this haircut. Considering most of us
would be pooping our pants at this
point, this is absolutely badass. Badass
good girl. It's not even a full second
long, but this shot of Karg behind Julia
is so creepy. I think it's that he's out
of focus and also turns toward the
camera, but because the focus is on
Julia, it takes a second for the
audience to realize what we're seeing.
This is the type of stuff that would
absolutely keep me up at night as a kid.
As an adult, I obviously know better.
You just don't go to sleep.
Fabulous. Happy Pride Month everybody. I
mean, she's basically single, but we all
become single when blunt beefy steaks
hug us. I love the way they're sitting
like two gal pals having a chat. All
right, I'll do something. I'll take you
for a little ride. Let's go. I said it
in my Top Gun video and I'll say it
again. If you need someone to tell a
young punk he's had enough of their
guff, you get James Tolkan.
>> Did you have any luck?
>> Not as much as you, apparently.
>> Teela being jealous is amazing. She
won't even shake Julia's hand. Feels
like a good time as any to point out the
80s-ness of Teela's fit. It's a bodysuit
that has a thong detail.
But the most skin we see is actually
Lundgren's bungerens.
>> The people must know that I am
Grayskull.
>> Again, if you're new to He-Man, the guy
sporting a Grayskull as a face saying he
wants to be known as Grayskull might be
confusing because his name is actually
Skeletor. Well, technically it's Keldor,
but that's for another day. But
Grayskull is Well, we don't we don't
really know. It's a castle that grants
you the power if you control it. It was
a king at one time, the name of a rebel
group. Like finding money in an old
winter coat, the smell of old books on
rainy days, but I think we can all agree
that the true Grayskull is the friends
we made along the way.
>> We We fought with the Eternians, but
we're outnumbered.
>> To be fair, they did finally retreat
because they were Well, evenly numbered
if you count Julie. But Beast Man gives
Karg a look because not only were they
not outnumbered, Beast Man got wrecked
by an emo high schooler.
>> [screaming]
>> Called it. I did not, however, see simp
man coming.
>> We We live only to serve you.
>> So, Skeletor called them mercenaries,
which implies they're free agents like
Vader's bounty hunters, but when you
want to make your big bad team even
scarier, you have guns for hire gravel.
>> Oh, oh, careful. Careful.
>> [laughter]
>> It really is the little things, you
know? That was the most 80s laugh I've
ever heard. Now you understand why we
were deathly afraid of microwaves as
kids.
>> Hey, woah. You can't just take that.
>> Oh, yeah? You just watch me.
>> Can you imagine if a cop IRL could do
that? Like some kind of crazy asset
forfeiture. 7 seconds of Burger King.
But okay, I've seen this in a few
movies. Are people still putting trash
in the sink? Is that a thing people do?
Also, he put seemingly still good fruit
in there. I have questions.
>> GET OUT OF HERE! GET OUT OF HERE!
>> TOM PARIS is obviously not surprised at
all to see an alien monster.
>> Have you seen
this [music] object?
>> Seriously though, Evil-Lyn has some
insane tech all based around getting the
truth.
>> I see only He-Man.
Where are the forces that you spoke of?
>> Also, just noticing Blade's Shredder
shoulder pads and I've decided he's what
a committee would come up with tasked
with combining Shredder, Deacon from
Waterworld, and Lord Humungus, which is
why he's so rad.
>> This is the native girl who is helping
He-Man.
>> This may prove useful.
>> Back when Chekov's family photo needed
to be spelled out. And we'll take it.
Sick practical transport. Love the
detail of the red glow from its engine
on the ground.
Speaking of transports, it's fantastic
that Gwildor's conversion of the ice car
to neutrinos makes it sound like a jet
engine.
>> It runs on neutrinos now.
>> Any other subtitles say lucrinos or
ayucrinos? But that's clearly not what
he says, and we know time travel is part
of his skillset.
>> If we dress like this, no one will
recognize us.
>> What the hell is that?
>> See?
>> I'll be honest, [laughter] that one got
me. Good stuff, Gwildor. Dolph
Lundgren's workout routine. We've
finally found the answer to where's the
beef?
>> He-Man, someone's following us.
>> What the hell is that?
>> The disguise worked again. I love when a
production is so proud of the stuff they
built. Fun shot.
>> You think they don't like us? No,
they're just lonely. They miss us.
>> It wouldn't be an 80s action scene
without calm, snarky banter. We used to
make movies in this country.
I'm starting to think Skeletor's goons
really just hate musical instruments.
Woman at arms.
>> If you're not making bad jokes mid life
threatening situations, I'm not
interested.
>> I'm going to put you away for 850 years.
>> Gwildor has a lot of quirky looks in
this movie, but I like to imagine that
one is just surprised that humans can
live to 850. See, she's wearing the same
outfit as the picture, so keen eyed
viewers knew that Julie's mom didn't
miraculously resurrect. Dang, high
school Julie, right in the middle of
your future ex-boyfriend probably
getting shot. Moms, am I right?
>> you so much.
>> Evil hug again.
>> I don't believe it.
>> That's good, you shouldn't.
>> You won't believe this.
>> HE SHOULDN'T.
>> NO!
>> ABSOLUTE MASTER CLASS IN A HOW TO SCREAM
NO in a campy movie. The pitch, the
volume, the hands in the hair and
covering the face.
>> THAT WOMAN TOOK THE KEY!
>> TOOK? TOOK? Really can't stress how much
cooler everything just became. This shot
is really something. The score is still
Imperial Marching as best it can, but
because of the context of the rest of
the film, the scene can come off as
campy skeleton sitting on a big prop.
But, use Jóhann Jóhannsson's The Beast
from Sicario and it becomes an
all-timer. Plus, they really got those
trees moving. Wait, the air centurions
are robots? That dude just flat out blew
up. The mark of a good B movie is at
least one shot like this left in where
He-Man's sword clearly fell off his
back. Heck yeah, getting flashbacks to
Drago wrecking Rocky. And this was the
only logical outcome of giving him that
hair. We need to see the layers in the
wind.
Nice shot, anti-Skeletor trooper. Aim.
>> [screaming]
>> Look, I want to make fun of Evil-Lyn for
just holding the key like that out in
the open, but it's apparently the way
you do it. If this movie has shown us
anything, it's that the key needs to be
cradled like a baby.
And let's give He-Man some kudos here.
As far as we know, this is his first
time ever on a hover disc and Foe is
dodging blaster bolts. Flying around
like a guy who definitely isn't on a
blue screen sound stage.
Sword kill.
>> I'm more worried about getting us out of
here before they find us.
>> Heck yeah, extremely effective shot. The
distraction of both the dialogue and
Gwildor's tracker compass thing makes it
so you realize Skeletor is there too
late.
>> I damn you.
>> We never find out what a dork Tim is and
I can only assume it's a racial slur.
You got to give He-Man credit for
wrecking as many fools as he can knowing
full well that he's cooked. And it's
enough to encourage his comrades to join
in. The trooper tipping is maybe the
funniest shot of the film, but I love
that they attempted to make us think
that was planned by having Skeletor
laugh at it.
>> I'll perish with them on this primitive
and tasteless planet.
>> Tasteless? Get this man some meat on a
white stick.
>> This is our fight.
>> Self-sacrifice.
>> Well said, He-Man.
Oh, no buddy.
>> There's a word that the queer community
would use to describe Skeletor. I just
can't quite remember it right now. It's
serving something. I don't know. But
he's charismatic, unhinged, obviously
nefarious, and at all times theatrical.
Blade is stoked to have He-Man's sword.
>> At the Morat.
>> Campy while still unstoppable?
Narcissistic? Sure, but triumphant. It's
hard to tell where the beard ends and
the hair begins, but that's a beautiful
beard. Wow, win for making me feel sick
out of nowhere. Just put her out of her
misery. God, I wish that thing would
shut up.
>> Oh.
Thanks. Helpfulness.
>> I don't know. I I just if I hear a tune
a couple of times, I can usually
remember it.
>> In my head this wasn't originally a
He-Man script and was only adapted to it
later. No, this is a story about a high
school keyboard player with perfect
pitch who saves the world through the
power of song.
>> All right, I'm just a stupid keyboard
player in a high school band.
There's a million of me.
>> Only one of you, Kevin.
Only one of anybody.
>> We all need a Gwildor on our team.
>> Men who crave power look back on their
mistakes of their lives, pile them all
together, and call it destiny.
>> The Sorceress, as the kids say, has got
bars. Stoked. Dolph Lundgren's loincloth
routine. I mean, Dolph Lundgren's
workout tape. I mean, I Lundgren's at
cat piece. I mean, Dolph Lundgren's
workout routine.
Bulge. And that's why they call him
Whips.
>> Jeez, [laughter] even with the obvious
stunt driver, that was a short stop. The
'80s, man. The '80s.
Think we might be witnessing Skeletor
have a realization about his preferences
in real time?
>> I,
Skeletor,
am master of the universe.
>> Right down the barrel. Terrifying, and
it works because he's talking into the
the camera thing or whatever. There are
a few shots in here that I guarantee a
few people have tattooed on themselves.
>> I am more than man,
MORE
THAN LIFE.
GOD!
>> [screaming]
>> YEAH, HE'S HE'S SERVING IT. Whatever it
is. Frank Langella has stated that this
is one of his all-time favorite roles
he's played, and it absolutely shows.
Dude is having fun vamping and makes it
fun to watch. Beast Man is not a fan of
the bright lights.
He thinks iconic, snatched, fabulous.
Shantay, you stay.
>> Tell me about the loneliness of good,
He-Man. Is it equal
to the loneliness of evil?
>> With offer plausible deniability, it
sounds like a taunt, but it really feels
like he's reaching out to find common
ground. After the car and the wall being
transported as well.
>> You promised not TO HURT THEM.
>> I LIED.
>> HONESTY.
>> [snorts]
>> IF THE '80S DID ONE THING WELL, it was
get us to root for the grungy cop. Cuz
dang it if I'm not hyped for Lubic. Yes,
using one goon as a weapon against
another goon is always a win. They're
always really quick shots, but Dolph
does this plain face like no one else.
The full gold outfit is genuinely
creepy, and that helmet is an 11 out of
10. Nice. Not enough heroes swinging
across the screen these days.
Hollywood's lost the plot. He-Man's
power set is never really established in
this movie. He's Dolph Lundgren, enough
said. But I like it because his biggest
ability seems to be determination.
Getting zapped, try harder, get good.
There it is. And while I kind of wish
the syntax was closer to the cartoon,
Lundgren went his own way with it,
maybe. The lips are out of sync, so who
could say?
>> From my MEMORY FOREVER.
>> YOU ARE A FOOL.
>> YES! [screaming]
>> LOVE THAT HE CUTS HIM OFF. APPARENTLY,
THE actual reason there's no one else in
the throne room is the film's funding
got held up, so the director paid for it
himself to stay on schedule. So, they
shot this with a skeleton crew, pun
intended. But, whatever the reason, it
sincerely makes this fight much more
dynamic and interesting to watch.
>> LET THIS BE OUR FINAL BATTLE.
>> AND I totally believe that the clashing
of the Havoc Staff and the Power Sword
sent them to a pocket dimension for
their final confrontation. Also, just
like to point out that Skeletor is using
his helmet as a shield. Badass bad guy.
Why wait three movies to throw your
gray-robed electric-powered big bad down
a bottomless shaft?
Bottom.
>> Victory!
>> Victory!
>> Victory.
>> Honestly, the most unkempt moment in the
entire thing, and it belongs to Dolph.
>> I got a castle.
I got a view, I got clean air, I got a
beautiful woman, huh?
>> Dude works fast. I mean, it was the
'80s, they were just awarding pretty
ladies to all the victors. That's the
real lore you don't know about. Chewie
didn't want a medal, he opted for hot
Wookiee tail. You know what? I'd never
speak so crassly about Malla.
>> Don't
don't say goodbye.
Say good journey.
>> I always want to mock these sappy
moments, not because I don't love me
some sap, but because they met like 6
hours ago, max. But, here's the thing,
high-stress situations can definitely
create fast bonds, so I'll allow it. She
just got baby oil all over her cheek, I
mean hugging.
>> We will wait for you back.
>> Love that she said the line, but they
faded it out in the editing, so we get
the fun surprise. Dang, that's some deep
wall art, Julie. But, how will we know
she was sleeping if she isn't in this
awful oversized nightgown? Look, we know
it's real, but you got to wonder if
Julie had a millisecond of fear that
Evil-Lyn was messing with her again.
Would have been a fun touch to put the
mom in the same outfit, but I'm glad
they didn't. HGA all day.
That's how you end a movie. No, no, my
mistake. That's how you end a film. I
will be back.
>> Ha! You will not, but they did a
post-credit scene way before it was
cool. What more can you even say about
MOTU 1987? It's kind of bad, but mostly
in a so bad it's good kind of way, while
still being really fun when it's not
bad. It's a movie of its time, and Frank
Langella serves.
The craziest thing to me is finding out
years later that Dolph Lundgren is
actually a great actor, but sometimes
you just can't overcome the B-ness of a
movie. I honestly wasn't all that
excited for the new one, not because it
doesn't look awesome, but I'm dead
inside and nothing brings me joy. No,
that's that's not it. I don't know, but
whatever. I am now. Might even go see it
on the big screen. But I'm taking a
break next week to get ready for my
kids' dual birthday parties and to mark
this moment in time, prepare to have
your minds blown if you've been here
since 2017. Nine and five. That's right,
we're all old because this is the last
year my boy isn't single digits. Anyway,
I'll be back the week after with a fun
one.
>> [cheering]
[screaming]
[music]
>> You guys
You guys
I will be back, hey Skeletor.
>> [screaming]
>> I couldn't take it