Sunday Matinee: The Power of Grayskull: The Definitive History of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe [Film]

“From Randall Lobb and Robert McCallum, THE POWER OF GRAYSKULL : The Definitive History of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe chronicles the beginnings and blockbuster-success of ‘80s toy sensation He-Man in an exhaustive, captivating 95 minute documentary that melts back the plastic on Eternia’s best-kept secrets!’

In the early 1980s He-Man arrived on the scene and hit the world with a punch as powerful as the character himself. Designed in the wake of Conan the barbarian and under the shadow of Star Wars, He-Man‘s surprising popularity spawned a multi billion dollar empire that included toys, comic books, cartoons, live-action movies and a literal sister spinoff show – She-Ra – and continues to appeal to a ravenous fan-base today. Watch as artists, creators and collaborators dig deep, tell tales and share the surprising developments of an unlikely, unparalleled pop culture success in this Definitive History of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Do you have the power?” – October Coast PR

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So this is a film that hits seriously close to home. As a 90’s kid who grew up on 80’s syndicated television, I was well-versed on many thing related to He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series. But, I have to be honest, and I had NO idea how the whole concept came to life. I had no idea that this was one of those strange instances where it was the toy that inspired the TV show, rather than vice versa as per usual. But I certainly know a lot now after exploring the beautifully crafted documentary The Power of Grayskull. This is an absolutely brilliant doc with so much more heart and warmth than you would probably believe at first glance. As entertaining as it is informative, The Power of Grayskull is perhaps one of the best documentaries of the year.

Seriously Folks, filmmakers Randall Lobb & Robert McCallum really get into it all with this film. I was especially keen on the back story of the making of the live action film, with some wonderful antidotes from Dolph Lundgren and Frank Langella themselves. It was a fascinating peak into something that has been a part of my life before I can even remember. I can actually say that for the entire Masters of the Universe world. Is it all a bit corny? Sure. But it damn well should be! It brought millions of kids joy and hours upon hours of play time. We used to do such a thing! In those dark pre-internet days, we played. And if you ask any old hack in their late 30’s or early 40’s, there is a damn good chance that they had a He-Man or She-Ra figure. Probably both. And again, the film is so well made that it will leave you wanting more. I cannot recommend this film strongly enough. Go get on it, Folks!

The Power of Grayskull will be available on DVD and Digital on September 3^rd, 2019.