MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE

   Film (1987). Cannon. Dir Gary Goddard, starring Dolph Lundgren, Frank Langella, Meg Foster, Billy Barty. Screenplay David Odell. 106 mins. Colour.

   Goddard's unfortunate film debut announced itself as the first live-action film to be based on toys (GAMES AND TOYS) - the He-Man toys made by Mattel; its obvious predecessor was an animated tv series, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, begun 1983. The SWORD-AND-SORCERY story pits the muscle-bound He-Man (Lundgren) of Planet Eternia against Skeletor (Langella), a demon figure from another DIMENSION and leader of the malignMasters of the Universe. A MATTER-TRANSMITTER key takes He-Man to contemporary California, where he finds the help necessary for defeating Skeletor in a final showdown. The film lacks the vigour it requires. Themarketing phenomenon it exemplifies has concerned many parents, and some countries ban films and tv series which, in the guise of entertainment, are designed to sell commercial products by brainwashing very young children. A further example is the much better (animated) film The TRANSFORMERS - THE MOVIE (1986).

   PN