Enzian’s 35mm projector is busy getting a glow-up this month, so Cult Classics are rewinding the clock and diving headfirst into the analog abyss. While the booth gets tuned to perfection, we’re firing up a VCR, embracing the fuzz, and turning up that unmistakable hiss, all beamed through our state-of-the-art 4K Laser projector. What comes out the other side…adjust your tracking to find out.
Masters of the Universe (1987):
James Tolkan Tribute!
Leather, chrome, and pure intergalactic swagger—this is Masters of the Universe the way only Canon Films could have dreamed it: big, bizarre, and absolutely unhinged.
When the ruthless Skeletor (Frank Langella) seizes control of Castle Grayskull and bends the universe to his will, the last hope of Eternia crash-lands on Earth. Enter He-Man (Dolph Lungren, Rocky IV), a gleaming slab of heroic perfection, squaring off against Langella’s gloriously theatrical Skeletor, who chews scenery like it’s a full-time job and somehow makes every line sound like he’s channeling Richard III from another dimension. With supporting turns from Meg Foster (They Live), Courtney Cox (Scream), James Tolkan (Back to the Future) and Billy Barty (Willow), what follows is a neon-soaked collision of sword-and-sorcery and mall-era sci-fi, where laser blasts meet power chords and destiny is just a cosmic riff away. It’s a spectacularly over-the-top kind of movie that could only exist in a world where action figures ruled the minds of children! So, by the power of Greyskull, grab some popcorn and settle in. All we ask is you remember to be kind…and we’ll handle the rewind!
1987, 106 minutes, USA, Directed by Gary Goddard, Rated PG
“Sure, Masters of the Universe is a movie based on a TV series that was developed to sell war toys to children, but it's a whole lot more: This is pyro-technical submerged sexuality at its intergalactic best.”
– Betsy Pisik, WASHINGTON BLADE
“If nothing else, we can probably thank Lundgren for ensuring that there will be no more Rambo movies in the near future because he has obviously depleted the world supply of body grease.”
– Bob Morris, ORLANDO SENTINEL
“Probably in reality a 2 star movie, but with the amount of edibles taken and snacks enjoyed, plus the big sets and Langella's Skeletor, we're bumping this baby up.” – Nick Earl, LETTERBOXD
