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By the power of Umbrella Entertainment! Australia’s indie distribution treasure has given us another banger of a release with 1987’s Masters of the Universe. Now we can all watch the live-action production from the defunct, yet beloved, Cannon Films pitting He-Man versus Skeletor battle for Eternia re-Mastered via a new Blu-ray!

In this film, Skeletor (in an amazing and underrated performance by Frank Langella) and his legion wreak havoc on Eternia that results in imprisoning the Sorceress (Christina Pickles) and capturing Castle Grayskull. And he accomplishes these great feats by using a stolen portal-hopping musical device, the Cosmic Key, thanks to the help of Evil-Lyn (Meg Foster). He uses the Key to penetrate the Castle’s defenses, thus giving him “the power of Grayskull.”

In an attempted rescue effort, He-Man (Dolph Lundgren) and his squad featuring Man-At-Arms (Jon Cypher) and Arms’ daughter Teela (Chelsea Field) track down the inventor of the Cosmic Key, Gwildor (Billy Barty), and use his prototype of the Key to bypass Skeletor’s forces and enter Castle Grayskull. Our hero quartet is overwhelmed and are forced to make an impromptu escape using the Cosmic Key prototype to hop through a portal that lands them on Earth.

Unfortunately, the prototype is damaged in the process, trapping them on Earth, while Skeletor and company try to locate and finish off our heroes once and for all. Meanwhile, He-Man and his crew meet aspiring musician Kevin (Robert Duncan McNeill) and his college-bound girlfriend Julie (Courtney Cox) who get caught up in the multidimensional battle. The pair’s unexpected, out of nowhere side love story provides the film with a surprisingly welcome and warm human element.

In the summer of 1987, Cannon Films doubled-dipped with two superhero films, including this one and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (which also received a 4K release as a part of the franchise’s quadrilogy boxset last year). The movies were released mere weeks apart and pulled in equally meager returns at the box office at approximately $17m each; less than their production budgets. Needless to say, they were both considered flops. Most cinephiles know Cannon’s history and recognize Superman and MOTU as the notable releases that were instrumental to the production company’s demise.

Speculation to the many reasons why the film was panned upon its initial release are due to it being released on the end of Masters’ early ’80s craze, having little screen time on Eternia, lack of familiar characters from the popular cartoon and toy line, and the peculiarly shot final battle between He-Man and Skeletor because Mattel cut bait during production. And as much as Dolph Lundgren has recently found a place in the hearts of many nowadays, his casting as He-Man was not considered a good move by critics as well as Mattel back then.

But once MOTU hit VHS and cable, it became revered enough to eventually morph into a cult classic, since there is a lot here to appreciate. For starters and as previously mentioned, Langella’s performance as Skeletor is considered to be one of the best for live-action cartoon villains. People also stopped hating on missing fan favorite character Orko and embraced the Gwildor character—Orko’s movement as a practical effect just wasn’t feasible for the film. The new baddie characters standing alongside Beast Man and Evil-Lyn (OG villains but with different likenesses for this Universe), Saurod, Blade, and Karg were specifically added to sell new toys for Mattel. From a business perspective, this made a whole lotta sense since Hasbro successfully executed the same strategy one year prior with Transformers: The Movie.

It did not seem like a big deal at the time, but Courtney Cox being in this film didn’t hurt things in the long run. She delivers one heck of a performance, but her turning into a major star helped put more eyes on the film as the years went by with a lot of play on basic cable. And Bill Conti composing the music was a major get—especially in the ’80s with him flexing his musical talents during that time for both the Rocky and Karate Kid franchises. And he provided this movie with a great service, busting out a gem of a score like he has done so many times before.

So it appears that time has been kind to the film, for the most part. It is recognized in both the franchise’s expanded universe by fans and seems to reinvigorate nostalgia of that decade by those who continue to discover it nowadays. And here we are in 2024 with the box office failure-cum-cult classic live action MOTU film getting some new Blu-ray play from our friends Down Under!

The verdict: it’s safe to throw away your cardboard snap case DVD and any other older versions and upgrade to Umbrella’s outstanding Blu-ray transfer. The picture looks mint with the cleanest print ever made commercially available. The audio is 2.0, and while 5.0 would have been more than welcome, it is not a detractor from enjoying this release. But wow did Umbrella kill with that picture quality!

They didn’t skimp on the extras either. There is an all-new featurette on the planned sequel that never saw the light of day. We hear from some players behind that doomed project, such as the late Albert Pyun (Cyborg). Other bonus features include director commentary, extended interviews from Electric Boogaloo, archival features, a Cannon Films reel, trailers and even an Easter Egg. The almost-immediately sold-out Collector’s edition included a 48-page booklet set of lobby cards, rigid slipcase and a poster. So if that set piques your interest, unfortunately you will have to hunt for it on the secondary market since it was adios during the pre-order stage.

Good journey, everyone! If you are a fan of this film or even slightly curious about checking this one out for the first time, you will most certainly get the bang for your buck.

Head over to Umbrella Films now to pick up a copy today.