Movies

Masters of the Universe
Get ready to raise your swords and proclaim: “By the power of Grayskull … I have the power!”

After the blockbuster success of Barbie, it was only a matter of time before Mattel dusted off another of its most iconic toy franchises. Nearly 40 years after the cult-favourite 1987 live-action film, Masters of the Universe finally returns to the big screen in an epic reboot years in the making.

Nicholas Galitzine stars as Prince Adam, an exiled royal from the planet Eternia who has spent his life hiding out on Earth. Stuck in a dead-end office job and unaware of his true destiny, Adam discovers the legendary Sword of Power, unlocking his connection to his home world and his transformation into the mighty He-Man.

Guiding him on his journey are Duncan/Man-at-Arms (Idris Elba) and the fearless Teela (Camila Mendes), as they battle the sinister Skeletor (Jared Leto) and his dangerous ally Evil-Lyn (Alison Brie) for the fate of Eternia itself.

The Masters of the Universe franchise has always embraced its gloriously over-the-top Saturday-morning-cartoon energy, and director Travis Knight (Bumblebee) isn’t shying away from that. Knight tells Empire that the film embraces the property’s “inherent silliness” while still delivering the massive sci-fi fantasy spectacle fans have dreamed about for decades. In other words: expect cosmic battles, goofy heroes, and nostalgia-fuelled fun.

Toy Story 5
Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), Jessie (Joan Cusack), and the rest of Andy’s toys are back for another adventure. More than 30 years after the original Toy Story changed animation forever, Pixar’s beloved flagship franchise returns with a timely new chapter exploring how childhood itself has evolved in the digital age.

Bonnie (Scarlett Spears), now the owner of Andy’s toys, receives a smart device called Lilypad (Greta Lee), which quickly becomes the centre of her attention. Concerned about what constant exposure to screens might mean for Bonnie, the toys struggle to stay relevant in a world increasingly dominated by technology.

Meanwhile, Woody, who has been travelling the world helping lost toys find new homes, is called back to help Buzz, Jessie, and the gang as they navigate this brave new world together. Adding to the chaos is Conan O’Brien as Smarty Pants, a hilariously overconfident toilet-training toy.

Cusack thinks that the film taps into anxieties many parents can relate to. She tells Entertainment Weekly, “When do you get kids involved in tech? What does that do to their brains?”

Beneath the laughs and heartfelt reunions, Toy Story 5 looks set to continue the franchise’s tradition of balancing emotional storytelling with themes about growing up and friendship.

Scary Movie (2026)
The ‘Core Four’ are here again, and nothing is safe from parody.

Anna Faris, Regina Hall, Marlon Wayans, and Shawn Wayans reunite for the first time in two decades for the sixth Scary Movie, bringing their chaotic energy back to the franchise (and big screen). Even better, the Wayans brothers are back writing the series for the first time since Scary Movie 2.

Marlon has described the film as a ‘rebooquel’ — part reboot, part sequel — that retains the absurd, anything-goes humour of the early films while skewering a whole new generation of pop culture obsessions.

This time around, expect outrageous send-ups of modern horror hits like Scream, M3GAN, and Get Out, alongside unexpected targets including Wednesday and Everything Everywhere All at Once.

TV

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder S2
Solving a murder case was supposed to bring Pip Fitz-Amobi (Emma Myers) closure. Instead, it left her emotionally drained.

Season 2 picks up in the aftermath of Pip exposing the truth behind Andie Bell’s death; she’s now determined to leave detective work behind for good. But when Jamie, the brother of Pip’s friend Connor, mysteriously disappears, Pip is pulled back into another dangerous investigation.

Based on Holly Jackson’s bestselling sequel Good Girl, Bad Blood, this six-episode season introduces a web of fresh secrets and darker moral dilemmas. As the investigation forces Pip to question her own boundaries, the line between justice and obsession begins to blur. Just how far is Little Kilton’s ‘good girl’ willing to go for the truth?

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder S2 is streaming on Netflix.

Spider-Noir 
Nicolas Cage is donning a trench coat and fedora.

After voicing Spider-Man Noir in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Cage headlines this live-action series as Ben Reilly, a washed-up private investigator navigating Depression-era New York. Long retired from his vigilante days as the Spider, Ben is pulled back into danger when mysterious nightclub singer Cat Hardy (Li Jun Li) walks into his office with a case that uncovers a web of conspiracies threatening the city.

Produced by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the creative duo behind the Spider-Verse films, Spider-Noir also features a stacked rogues’ gallery including Brendan Gleeson as Silvermane, Jack Huston as Sandman, and Abraham Popoola as Tombstone.

Cage described the character to Esquire as “70 per cent Humphrey Bogart and 30 per cent Bugs Bunny”, which should tell you exactly the kind of pulpy, offbeat noir energy this series is aiming for. Even better, all eight episodes is available in both black-and-white and colour versions on Prime Video.

Spider-Noir is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.