LordBlacklist

When one comes across a movie like this, you tend to lower expectations to a pretty base level. Zombie action, some scares, low budget cheese, and an overall good cheeky time.

The 30,000 dollar budget is apparent, but not as much as you'd think. There's some good bang for the buck, but not nearly enough bang. We'll start with the lead actor. Forgoing all subtlety, he's AWFUL. Most of the laughs in this came from cringes induced by his ridiculous and amateur performance, gun handling, smirks that scream "I look like a cool action hero to myself" only to look idiotic and embarrassing to the audience.

There is some gratuitous nudity that likewise illicit some groans here and there. It's as if the filmmakers did not realize that with the production value they had, a GOOD zombie cowboy movie could have been made. If you're going at it from the view that no matter what you do, the movie will be crap, then at least make it entertaining crap.

There must have been several 15-20 minute stretches in this movie where characters fall victim to the "we must sit down and tell our sad story" syndrome, when due to the level of acting, or lack thereof, a greater focus on the action and horror would have been preferable whereas to not make the audience feel like they've been ripped off in the end.

That said, there are two scenes that come pretty close to showing how this could have been a GOOD little low budget genre mash-up and both of those scenes involve the main actress encountering zombies (a standout being a creepy hide and go seek scene that belongs in a better movie). What both of these scenes have in common? The horrible lead actor is nowhere to be found. Also these two scenes (due to their isolation from his awfulness) seem to have been filmed after the fact (after shooting was completed?) to fill out what is already a pretty short movie.

All in all, don't let the cover fool you. There's not much action to be had here. Just long stretches of characters talking about back story that would have been better left in the subtext in place of what your audience was told to expect: Action.

The good: A few inventive zombie make-ups, a couple genuinely creepy scenes with the main actress escaping zombies, and some nice location photography.

The bad: Most of the performances, the music, pacing, and lack of action.

The ugly: Every time the main actor shows his face or opens his mouth. He really is that bad.

10/10 for the Nostalgic little kid in me I never want to lose.

6 for the jaded film snob in me I'm trying to kill off.

Guess who's winning?

This was the first film I ever saw in the theater. I was 3 years old and remember it very well. The smell of popcorn, my friend running up the aisle screaming when Skeletor first turned to the camera, my refusal to leave while he waited in the lobby. I always liked Skeletor more than He-Man and a lot of that came from this movie. I watched the cartoon, but the movie is what did it for me as a 3/4 year old. It really influenced me a lot, especially my action figure play as a goofy little kid who enjoyed doing long Skeletor dialogues alongside the usual action figure...action.

All these years later, I really do still have a fondness for this film and since it was such a big part of my childhood...I can't judge it too harshly. As a Screenwriter/Filmmaker myself, I understand the problems this movie faced in fitting an epic universe into a less than epic budget. For what it is, the movie works today, but beyond the nostalgia factor, the three undeniable things that still hold up are the realization of Skeletor's character (look, costume, LINES! ACTING!) the set designs for the greyskull throne room, and the majestic score.

I don't turn my nose up at good entertainment(I can watch this film and Apocalypse Now in one sitting and enjoy both for different reasons), and this is good entertainment, certainly with more substance than the 2 dimensional crud kids get today.

"Tell me about the loneliness of good, He-Man. Is it equal to the loneliness of Evil?"

Think about that line, and the underlying theme that Skeletor, even though he has "won" will never be whole because greed needs conflict to survive (i.e. more greedy pursuits, hence Skeletor's obsession with "breaking" He-Man).

"Men who crave power look back over the mistakes of their lives, pile them all together, and call it destiny."

What it did not have in budget, the film made up with heart. Some of the technical things aren't up to snuff, but again great writing will seep through even when hampered by the constraints of budget (meaning a last second..."let's set most of it on Earth" note from the producers) David Odell and Gary Goddard did the best with what they had, as did everyone else. Some went above and beyond, Bill Conti, Frank Langella, and for those reasons and more many of us remember this film fondly and enjoy watching it again.