Grayskull: Masters of the Universe - Part 2

[TheVileOne]

I just think Keith Giffen was the wrong writer for the MOTU comics. Writing Masters of the Universe like the JLI doesn't work.

 

[the_ultimate_evil]

i didnt mind the cross over i loved the idea that people like Constantine knew of enternia and vice versa

but i will agree the first volume lacked a lot

 

[Paradox1]

I'm rewatching Masters of Universe 1987 and I still really like it. I also realize I'm in the minority in that regard. It's the closes we'd ever get to a New Gods movie and if your inspiration is Jack Kirby I think your at least aiming the right direction.

 

[Thundarr]

I'm rewatching Masters of Universe 1987 and I still really like it. I also realize I'm in the minority in that regard. It's the closes we'd ever get to a New Gods movie and if your inspiration is Jack Kirby I think your at least aiming the right direction.

For me The MOTU movie is a guilty pleasure. There's a lot of potential in that film, unfortunately it wasn't properly utilized. The props, costumes, make up, and VFX were all pretty good. Unfortunately I think they blew their budget on those things and didn't have enough left over for building elaborate sets or traveling to exotic locations, which is why most of the movie takes place on Earth in Small Town USA. If they could have gone to Prague or New Zealand or somewhere and said "This is Eternia", I think it would have been a far better movie.

 

[DawnWarrior]

The '87 movie is an interesting commodity since it's kind of the beginning of the end for Canon Films in the 80's, as well as essentially the grand finale of He-Man's run in the 80's as a merchandising juggernaut.

 

[aNarcHy2day]

I wasn't sure whether to put this here or in the Comics Thread, but I want to start reading the DC MOTU. Can I start with the current run (Eternity War) or do I have to start with Vol 1?

 

[Panthro]

I have nothing against New Adventures, but there is really nothing there you want as the basis of your film other than that there are other planets, galaxies, villains out there.

I always felt New Adventures was one of those sequels that would have been better off being something else entirely instead of trying to be a sequel to a much beloved hit.

 

[Paradox1]

For me The MOTU movie is a guilty pleasure. There's a lot of potential in that film, unfortunately it wasn't properly utilized. The props, costumes, make up, and VFX were all pretty good. Unfortunately I think they blew their budget on those things and didn't have enough left over for building elaborate sets or traveling to exotic locations, which is why most of the movie takes place on Earth in Small Town USA. If they could have gone to Prague or New Zealand or somewhere and said "This is Eternia", I think it would have been a far better movie.

They did only make that movie for I believe 22 million dollars. They needed a sfx visionary to really make that movie at that time. Someone who could really bring Eternia to life. I don't blame the director few people knew how to make that possible.

 

[DawnWarrior]

I really want to check out the 'Electric Boogoloo' documentary about Cannon Films, to see what they said about the MOTU movie. I know Lundgren gets interviewed.

Good Bad Flicks had a pretty good rundown of the movie, including behind-the-scenes stuff.
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[TheVileOne]

I always felt New Adventures was one of those sequels that would have been better off being something else entirely instead of trying to be a sequel to a much beloved hit.

As a cartoon series and animated sequel to the original series, I have no problem with New Adventures. The original show was already over for a while at that point. They were trying to restart the brand and do something different. However, I can understand why the older fans didn't take to it as much.

However, I like the idea of the space-faring adventures, the Galactic Guardians, Evil Mutants, etc. Now yeah, maybe it would've been more successful if it was its own thing instead of a near almost unrecognizable follow-up to masters of the universe.

However, if you are doing are new live-action movie, you are essentially starting from scratch. There's no point in bringing in New Adventures lore to a new movie mythology so early other than that maybe Primus and other threats are out there. Like Primus exists, but we never go there and have no idea what's going on there.

 

[Thundarr]

They did only make that movie for I believe 22 million dollars. They needed a sfx visionary to really make that movie at that time. Someone who could really bring Eternia to life. I don't blame the director few people knew how to make that possible.

Funny thing is the 2000 Dungeons & Dragons movie had about the same budget. Granted that movie sucked too, but they did have some awesome locations. The sequel, which was better written, had similarly awesome locations and a much smaller budget.

So with a budget of $22 million, a good director could have made an awesome MOTU movie. They just misused their funds.

 

[DawnWarrior]

Don't forget to adjust for inflation. Let's see, $22 million dollars in 1987 equals...how much in 2015? Anyone know this one? AP Calc was a total waste of time, I'm telling ya.

 

[Thundarr]

Don't forget to adjust for inflation. Let's see, $22 million dollars in 1987 equals...how much in 2015? Anyone know this one? AP Calc was a total waste of time, I'm telling ya.

Well I know that WWF Magazine sold for $3/issue back in 1987, and WWE Magazine sells for about $7/issue today. So that's just over double the price. Assuming inflation is roughly the same, that means $22 million from 1987 in today's market equals $44 million.

 

[Thundarr]

Don't forget to adjust for inflation. Let's see, $22 million dollars in 1987 equals...how much in 2015? Anyone know this one? AP Calc was a total waste of time, I'm telling ya.

I just looked it up on the internet. $22 million in 1987 translates to just over $33.5 million in the year 2000, and just over $46.7 million in 2015.

 

[Thundarr]

I really want to check out the 'Electric Boogoloo' documentary about Cannon Films, to see what they said about the MOTU movie. I know Lundgren gets interviewed.

Good Bad Flicks had a pretty good rundown of the movie, including behind-the-scenes stuff.
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Nostalgia Critic also had a pretty good review of the movie:

 

[TheVileOne]

Funny thing is the 2000 Dungeons & Dragons movie had about the same budget. Granted that movie sucked too, but they did have some awesome locations. The sequel, which was better written, had similarly awesome locations and a much smaller budget.

So with a budget of $22 million, a good director could have made an awesome MOTU movie. They just misused their funds.

I think the budget was less than $22 million, more like $17 million.

 

[Thundarr]

I think the budget was less than $22 million, more like $17 million.

I just looked both movies up on Wikipedia.

The budget of MOTU was $22 million, their BO was $17.5 million.

Dungeons & Dragons (2000) had a budget of $45 million and a BO of $33.8 million.

 

[TheVileOne]

You can't do a movie like this even under $50 million at this point and have it look decent and get good locations, sets, visuals etc.

It would basically have to be a $150 million movie. But that's the problem, why is a studio that is already been having trouble lately like Sony going to give this film a green light. Look, I love Masters of the Universe, but the property hasn't really been relevant or profitable in decades.

That's the other thing, like with Robotech. Doing Robotech in live-action and having it look good would be an astronomical budget. And again, it's a property that had its heyday in the 1980s and hasn't really been relevant. It's a property with a segmented fanbase that's not as significant as other sci-fi animation/toy properties.

 

[Thundarr]

You can't do a movie like this even under $50 million at this point and have it look decent and get good locations, sets, visuals etc.

It would basically have to be a $150 million movie. But that's the problem, why is a studio that is already been having trouble lately like Sony going to give this film a green light. Look, I love Masters of the Universe, but the property hasn't really been relevant or profitable in decades.

That's the other thing, like with Robotech. Doing Robotech in live-action and having it look good would be an astronomical budget. And again, it's a property that had its heyday in the 1980s and hasn't really been relevant. It's a property with a segmented fanbase that's not as significant as other sci-fi animation/toy properties.

Not necessarily. Conan The Barbarian (1982) had a budget of $16 million (aprox. $41.7 million in today's dollars). MOTU (1987) had a budget of $22 million (aprox. $33.7 million in today's dollars). D&D (2000) had a budget of $45 million (aprox. $63.9 million in today's dollars). D&D: WOTDG had a budget of only $12 million (aprox. $15 million in today's dollars). And look at how those films turned out (visually more than financially).

It's less a matter of how much you spend to make a movie than it is HOW you spend the money you have. Give the right director the right script and $60 million and you'll be surprised just how good of a sci-fi/fantasy adventure film you can end up with.

Edit: Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope (1977) had a budget of $11 million (aprox. $45.8 million in today's dollars). So yeah, it can be done.

 

[Lord]

Was Robotech even that big outside the USA? When it comes to Mecha animes known worldwide, most think about Gundam or Evangelion, those are properties where i believe money can still be made, and they have been able to stay relevant, even if not as much as they were in their prime.

 

[the_ultimate_evil]

I wasn't sure whether to put this here or in the Comics Thread, but I want to start reading the DC MOTU. Can I start with the current run (Eternity War) or do I have to start with Vol 1?

You could just start with eternity war but I wouldnt.

Start with volume 1 it's not a great start but stick with it as stuff from the early issues blends together later on for plot


Also any other big motu fans notice the comic got better once a certain mattel guru buggered off

 

[aNarcHy2day]

You could just start with eternity war but I wouldnt.

Start with volume 1 it's not a great start but stick with it as stuff from the early issues blends together later on for plot


Also any other big motu fans notice the comic got better once a certain mattel guru buggered off

Thank You.

 

[TheVileOne]

Not necessarily. Conan The Barbarian (1982) had a budget of $16 million (aprox. $41.7 million in today's dollars). MOTU (1987) had a budget of $22 million (aprox. $33.7 million in today's dollars). D&D (2000) had a budget of $45 million (aprox. $63.9 million in today's dollars). D&D: WOTDG had a budget of only $12 million (aprox. $15 million in today's dollars). And look at how those films turned out (visually more than financially).

Most of those movies you mentioned are over 15 years older or longer. Not to mention, Dungeons and Dragon movies were also garbage and not worth watching. I never thought the original Dungeons and Dragon movie looked good either. You can't do this movie for a cheap budget unless lots of corners are cut.

It's less a matter of how much you spend to make a movie than it is HOW you spend the money you have. Give the right director the right script and $60 million and you'll be surprised just how good of a sci-fi/fantasy adventure film you can end up with.

It's not happening man. Even 300 came out eight years ago, and that movie was able to get by on a cheaper budget because it had lots of shooting on soundstages and bluescreen. By comparison, 300: Rise of an Empire cost $110 million. Thor cost $150 million. Guardians of the Galaxy cost $170 million. Basically, if you want this movie at a fraction of those budgets of those films, you are going to be cutting tons of corners, and it will look cheap like those other D&D movies.

Edit: Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope (1977) had a budget of $11 million (aprox. $45.8 million in today's dollars). So yeah, it can be done.

No it can't. That Star Wars movie was made in the mid 1970s. Times have changed. Budgets and visual FX are different. What worked then does not work now. Just because George Lucas did a film that started a huge franchise for $11 million doesn't mean He-Man can be done and look just as good for a comparable inflation budget. By comparison, what's the budget of Force Awakens? Probably well in the range of $200 million.

 

[Thundarr]

Most of those movies you mentioned are over 15 years older or longer. Not to mention, Dungeons and Dragon movies were also garbage and not worth watching. I never thought the original Dungeons and Dragon movie looked good either. You can't do this movie for a cheap budget unless lots of corners are cut.

I was talking about the VFX, locations, and production values of the D&D movies, not the quality of the writing, directing, acting, etc. The first movie was shot in Prague, which has several old cobblestone streets and buildings which look like their right out of medieval times making it a perfect shooting location (Incidentally, Eurotrip was shot almost entirely in Prague because many of its streets could be dressed up to look like other European cities without actually having to travel to those cities). D&D 2 was shot on location in Lithuania because of the old castles located there and the general look of the countryside.

The first movie was hampered by crappy writing, directing, and acting. The actual VFX, costumes, locations, etc, were all pretty good.

It's not happening man. Even 300 came out eight years ago, and that movie was able to get by on a cheaper budget because it had lots of shooting on soundstages and bluescreen. By comparison, 300: Rise of an Empire cost $110 million. Thor cost $150 million. Guardians of the Galaxy cost $170 million. Basically, if you want this movie at a fraction of those budgets of those films, you are going to be cutting tons of corners, and it will look cheap like those other D&D movies.

Just because Thor, Guardians Of The Galaxy, and other movies OVER spent on their budgets (and were BO successes) doesn't mean that doing so is a requirement for making a successful movie. Think about all of the big name actors they had starring in those movies. Each of them was likely paid $10 million or more for their parts. Multiply that by six or seven actors, and that's a huge part of your budget right there. Plus there's all the money that goes into marketing (which is also a part of the reported budget). Some of those movies put more money into the hype than they did the actual film.

No it can't. That Star Wars movie was made in the mid 1970s. Times have changed. Budgets and visual FX are different. What worked then does not work now. Just because George Lucas did a film that started a huge franchise for $11 million doesn't mean He-Man can be done and look just as good for a comparable inflation budget. By comparison, what's the budget of Force Awakens? Probably well in the range of $200 million.

On the contrary, many of the visual FX that were done practically back then are done cheaper through CGI today. Also, many of the actors cast in the lead roles weren't well known, big name stars. Star Wars was their big break. Harrison Ford was working as a carpenter while shooting the movie in order to pay the bills. And many of the actor's agreed to be paid a royalty of the movie's box office net, which means that if the film bombed at the BO then they would have made the film for nothing.

I also want to point out that there have been several fan films made of various fandoms over the years that have had budgets of $1000 or less, and have turned out pretty well considering that they were made by amateurs and with so few resources. Could you imagine what those same people could do with a real budget and tons of resources?

So is Disney spending hundreds of millions of dollars in order to shoot The Force Awakes? Maybe. Do they HAVE to spend that much to make it look good? No, they don't. They CHOOSE to spend that much. There is a difference.

 

[Thundarr]

I really want to check out the 'Electric Boogoloo' documentary about Cannon Films, to see what they said about the MOTU movie. I know Lundgren gets interviewed.

Good Bad Flicks had a pretty good rundown of the movie, including behind-the-scenes stuff.
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Nostalgia Critic also has a really good review of the MOTU movie, right here

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