‘Power Of Grayskull: The Definitive History Of He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe’ Blu-Ray Review – A Gift For Fans

This colorful documentary explores the origins and impact of He-Man, a character whose power stretched well beyond a toy line and children’s TV show. Features interviews with Dolph Lundgren, Frank Langella and several creatives behind the popular cartoon series, cult classic movie, and toys. Follow the surprising twists and turns of an unlikely, unparalleled pop culture success in this Definitive History of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.

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Video Quality

Power of Grayskull: The Definitive History of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe comes to Blu-Ray from ETR Media with a great HD master which presents this documentary in its idealized state. This feature consists of primarily newer talking head interviews along with loads of archival photos, clips, and more to help round out the legacy of the franchise. Any older material seems to be derived from the best source available at the time of this film’s completion. 

Some of the old commercials and articles can look a bit beat up, but most of this looks very nice. The new talking head interview segments look crisp and clear with natural skin tones and some highly detailed facial features from the stable filming locations. The colors observed in the footage have a distinct vibrancy to them. The encoding holds firm when it comes to compression artifacts and other such digital nuisances. This Blu-Ray is a winner. 

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray disc comes with a stable DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that captures the sonic capabilities of the feature without fail. Dialogue emerges from the center channel as you get anecdotes shared in a controlled environment. This is by and large an interview showcase with a substantial amount of talking heads to go along with some vintage commercials and other odd sources. The music from the film comes through with a firm fidelity that fills the room. The material is full and immersive, but it is not a standout in this regard.  There are no unwanted digital anomalies, drop-outs, or other issues spotted. This track delivers on all fronts. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided. 

Special Features

• Behind The Scenes: A 33-minute featurette that details the creation of the documentary, the love of He-Man shared by the creative team, the process of interviewing the subjects, and more that provides some interesting context for fans. 

• Deleted Scenes: There are four unused segments totaling 72 minutes of fresh material provided. 

• She-Ra Featurette: A 21-minute expanded look at the origins of She-Ra. 

• The Fans of MOTU: A nearly 21-minute collection of footage captured by the fans in which they discuss their love for the property. 

• Poster Time Lapse: A three-minute look at the painting of the poster in time-lapse form. 

• Official Trailer: A three-minute trailer is provided. 

• Raw Content: There are four unused segments totaling two hours of raw material provided. 

Final Thoughts

Power of Grayskull: The Definitive History of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is a rewarding look back at a franchise that has endured and delighted for decades. The documentary succeeds in covering nearly everything you could want from such a deep dive, yet it thankfully avoids becoming a simple nostalgia trip. The movie scores some key interviews with people directly involved with the creation of this universe who are happy to share the dirt and criticize certain developments that did not work. This is a gift for fans who have long loved the series as well as newcomers who want the juicy details of an important cultural touchstone. ETR Media has released a Blu-Ray featuring a fantastic A/V presentation and an impressive amount of additional footage. Recommended 

Power of Grayskull: The Definitive History of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome. 

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: ETR Media & OCN Distribution have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.