Born from the unparalleled Mattel toy line of the 1980s, Masters of the Universe sought to bring the glory of He-man and Skeletor to the silver screen. The film was originally meant to be a faithful recreation of the planet Eternia and its inhabitants. But when the modest budget of $17 million forced the production’s hand away from elaborate sets and characters, the story got a little more down-to-earth (literally, set on Earth instead of Eternia.) Traversing time and space, the film’s earthly location was the humble town of Whittier, California, where many of the buildings seen in the film were destroyed in the earthquakes of 1990.

After Sylvester Stallone declined, Dolph Lundgren incarnated the legendary barbarian He-Man with Frank Langella giving the performance of a lifetime as his nemesis Skeletor. Fans of the franchise recognize other characters such as Man-at-Arms (John Cypher), his daughter and captain of the guard Teela (Chelsea Field), the vile witch Evil Lyn (Meg Foster), brutish Beast Man (Tony Carroll), and the elegant Sorceress (Christina Pickles). With the opportunity to cash in on more toys, new characters were added to the film. Billy Barty plays the dwarf tinker Gwildor (ostensibly in replace of the court magician Orko), with Anthony DeLongis, Pons Mar, and Robert Towers as Skeletor minions Blade, Saurod, and Karg, respectively. Joining the Eternians in their struggle were a few earthlings as well. Courtney Cox and Robert Duncan McNeill played the two kids caught in the crossfire, while 80s tough guy James Tolkan brought some humor to the picture as the overwrought Detective Lubic.

After finally putting the realm of Eternia under his boot with a device called the Cosmic Key, Skeletor gains entry to Castle Greyskull and imprisons the Sorceress in an energy draining field. When He-man and his companions attempt to rescue the Sorceress, they are transported through a magic portal to Earth along with the Cosmic Key. Desperate to find it, they set off on a quest, followed by Skeletor and his minions who hope to find it first. Despite He-man’s ultra-human efforts, Skeletor manages to capture him and use his sword to give himself God-like power. But the defender of Castle Greyskull and all its secrets cannot be defeated so easily.

The film was a critical and commercial disappointment, making barely over seventeen million dollars at the box office. Many fans of the He-man mythology still enjoy it in spite of itself for the simple fact that it is a live-action realization of Eternia.

While Skeletor reappears briefly at the end of the film to proclaim, “I’ll be back,” a Masters of the Universe II never got off the ground. A sequel was, in fact, written, only to be reconceived and rewritten as the post-apocalyptic Jean-Claude Van Damme actioner, Cyborg.