Released in 1987, at the tail end of the He-Man craze, "Masters of the Universe" was nevertheless expected to be a success. With a budget of $17 million, and grossing the same amount, "Masters" can hardly be called that. Nearly every critic names it a flop, but this movie bore the stars of tomorrow! These actors would go on to star in two hit TV shows (Courteney Cox and Christina Pickles in Friends and Robert Duncan McNeill in Star Trek: Voyager). Finally, Frank Langella (Skeletor) was nominated for an Oscar in 2009 for the 2008 film Frost/Nixen!

But was it genuinely a bad movie, as virtually every critic has charged, or was there some other reason why "Masters of the Universe" failed to deliver?

After the Sorceress suffers from a nightmare of events long past, the Sword of Protection reveals itself along with a dimensional gate to an unknown world. He-Man is sent on a secret mission to find the rightful owner of the sword and winds up on Etheria. This was the first theatrical release for Masters of the Universe which introduced He-Man's twin sister She-Ra to the world!

When Orko accidently winds up on Earth during winter, he befriends two children who tell him all about Christmas. The Christmas holiday catches on Eternia and all our heroes and heroines from Etheria join in a grand celebration. All the merriment attracts unanted attention from Skeletor and the Evil Horde. Can He-Man and She-Ra beat them with the power of the Christmas spirit on their side? This also marks the first and only appearance of a race known as the Manchines!