When a cartoon is as cool and beloved as He-Man & Masters Of The Universe, it's hardly surprising that a feature-length live-action movie version was given the green light, especially in the late '80s when action movies were all about embracing the cheesy vibes. But, for Dolph Lundgren and the much-maligned Masters of the Universe movie of 1987, the transition from small-screen animation to silver-screen fantasy was not a successful one. In fact, the flick has a shocking 21% score on Rotten Tomatoes, and is largely deemed a failure even by the most hardened He-Man fans.

Thankfully, a new Masters of the Universe movie will flip the story from the original, which should work a lot better. However, while this change will be welcome, it's worth recognizing that, in one important aspect Masters of the Universe was a worthy adaptation – specifically, in its portrayal of the central He-Man character himself.

Dolph Lundgren Was A Fairly Good He-Man In 1987’s Masters Of The Universe

Iconic Actor Embodied The He-Man Role Surprisingly Well

It's worth ing that Lundgren wasn't just bringing a cartoon character to life, he was, in essence, a walking, talking action figure, and in that respect, at least, the actor absolutely nailed his role. Lundgren's performance may be regarded as a little stilted and even jarring, but that is arguably exactly how an action figure would behave like if it found itself sentient and thrust into the chaos of Earth's social structures. In some ways, Lundgren's He-Man is a forerunner to Ryan Gosling's Ken in Barbie, suggesting that there's more to the performance than it might appear.

Also, in Lundgren's defense, He-Man is not exactly the most nuanced character around. He's a scantily-clad, musclebound space warrior who, much like the MCU's Thor, bases his entire personality around the weapon he wields. Suffice to say, nobody was ever expecting an Oscar-worthy performance from Lundgren when he took on this role, so to dismiss his portrayal as anything less than a fairly impressive, very self-aware, and tongue-in-cheek depiction of the character would be unfair.

Masters Of The Universe’s He-Man Role Was Special For Lundgren For One Reason

Fantasy Movies Weren't Cool When Masters Of The Universe Was Made

Lundgren had his reservations about taking on the role of He-Man at the time, and he had good reason to be apprehensive, too. Speaking to Role Recall back in 2014, the actor itted he found it "weird playing a toy" and wasn't sure how the movie would be received by general audiences. The very idea of taking on a project like Masters of the Universe was a risk for all involved, as Lundgren explained:

"In those days, comic strip characters were not looked at as big movie franchises. They were like little offshoots that people did, you know? So people weren’t quite as excited by it as they are now... there’s a new superhero picture opening up every week now. I’m losing count here."

But, playing He-Man did present one huge hurdle for Lundgren, personally: he had to be the hero for once. That would be an honor for most actors, but by 1987, Lundgren had cemented himself in movie villain folklore by playing the indomitable Ivan Drago in Rocky 4, and that kind of legacy is hard to shake off. Discussing that transition from bad to benevolent, Lundgren said:

"It was also hard for me because I was playing kind of a hero now, and I’d played the bad guy. And I felt a lot of pressure. You know, just as this young Swedish kid. Internally, I was a bit lost at that time. Because I’d gotten famous for Rocky 4."

Masters of the Universe may have been a box office bomb and received critical panning at the time, but it's one of those odd movies that acts as something of a time capsule, discovered decades later and gaining appreciation for its endearing qualities in spite of its flaws. While the new version of this iconic story may end up being a better movie — at least from a technical point of view — it would do well to capture at least some of the chaotic, bombastic energy the original possessed, too.