Masters of the Universe (2026): Review

 A fun, if far from perfect movie, that is highlighted by brilliant performances from Jared Leto and Alison Brie.

The story line in this film was very cheesy. It definitely felt like they were trying to make it cheesy, and trying to make it feel like an episode from the original show. The humor at times was hit or miss, but man when it was on it had me dying of laughter. I also really liked how much heart they put into this movie, I was shocked and I really liked it. Travis Knight gave it a cheesy 80s vibe, which I can respect. The screenplay at times was pretty weak though, except in the case of Skeletor and Evil-Lyn.

The acting in this movie was good. Nicholas Galitzine was decent as a younger version of He-Man, but I think he would have done a much better job if he had a bit of a tighter script at times. Camila Mendes made the most of what she had, but sometimes her dialogue needed improvement. Idris Elba gave a good performance as well, but it really wasn't a groundbreaking new role for him. Alison Brie was the 2nd best part of the movie, she absolutely knocked it out of the park as Evil-Lyn, her facial expressions stole the show also. Jared Leto's performance as Skeletor was easily the best part of the movie. He was very good at being comedic and also very serious at the time, easily one of Jared Leto's best performances and I hope he returns if they do a sequel (And I would not at all be opposed to seeing Leto play Cobra Commander in a future G.I. Joe movie).

The visuals and action sequences in this movie were great. The visuals never looked bad, and I was pleased with how good Skeletor looked. The action sequences were made better by the amazing musical score in this movie as well.

They have let plenty of room open for a sequel. I know the film flopped at the box office, but Amazon Prime has talked about being open to releasing a sequel straight to Prime Video, which I would be 100% fine with. I just hope they develop He-Man and Teela's relationship a little bit more, as the 2 actors did have a lot of good chemistry. While I want Skeletor to come back, I would honestly prefer if Evil-Lyn is more front and center as the main villain, as she has a lot of potential as the main villain in a sequel. Either way, Skeletor and Evil-Lyn need to be the main villains in a sequel.

Overall, Masters of the Universe is what it is. A fun throwback to the 80s, and while it suffers at times, it is saved by its heart, visuals, musical score, action scenes, and stellar performances from Jared Leto and Alison Brie.

Out of 4 stars I would give it...

3 out of 4 stars

Disclosure Day: Review

 An abrupt end squanders a well acted movie.

The story line started out really well. It felt like a combination of Spielberg's movies Minority Report and ET. I was hooked in when the first act ended. By the time the second act ended I had a bad feeling. The third act just didn't do it for me. The ending just felt so abrupt, and the film just didn't resonate with me in the end, and it felt like a copy and paste of The Abyss by James Cameron.

The acting in this movie was so well done! Josh O'Connor did a great job, and he has showed that he has a bright future ahead of him. Emily Blunt arguably gave the best performance of her career. Colin Firth was intriguing, but his character had such bad writing at the end. Wyatt Russell was heavily underused, which was such a shame. Eve Hewson's performance was hit or miss for me at times. Elizabeth Marvel did a very good job as well. Courtney Grace's performance in the last few minutes was arguable the best performance in the movie, and she nearly saves the third act.

The chase sequences did not do it for me. I felt no suspense, and I was quite bored whenever there was a chase scene. 

At times, it felt like Steven Spielberg really had his mojo back, but the film just lacked the magic that he had in his younger days. The musical score though was amazing, John Williams felt like John Williams again. The visuals looked great also.

I would imagine that there had to be a deleted scene involving Colin Firth's decision to help Emily and Josh at the end because his sudden turn just when he sees a vision of his wife was such bad writing, and was really disappointing! The artifacts that the government would use to track the main characters felt like plot armor and were not doing it for me also.

Overall, Disclosure Day has traces of Steven Spielberg's earlier films and is well acted, but lackluster chase scenes, too many plot holes, and an abrupt ending squander the potential!

Out of 4 stars I would give it...

2.5 out of 4 stars

Backrooms (2026): Review

 A sudden change of direction in the third act squanders a suspenseful movie.

The story line started out exactly how I wanted it to. It had some very suspenseful moments, and man was it keeping me on the edge of my seat. I was disappointed when the third act's twist was revealed, it felt like the suspense was gone. I also didn't like how they just got rid of two supporting characters and then hardly brought them up again.

The acting was really good. Chiwetel Ejiofor did a great job, but I wasn't entirely sure if I should like or dislike him, but I think that was the whole point by the end of the movie. Renate Reinsve did a great job as well, and managed to make the third act watchable due to her performance. Finn Bennett & Lukita Maxwell did good jobs, but they were heavily underused!

The found footage stuff is more of what I was expecting the movie to be throughout. I really wish they had stuck with that, because man did it get creepy and put me on the edge of my seat. The final chase scene in the third act was really irritating because she kept taking too long to make up her mind and move. They should have kept the tone of the first 2 acts, especially the opening scene.

I know they are planning on doing a sequel, but I am not sure how you plan on expanding the story. I really hope it is more of a found footage kind of film, and that it does not try to have some kind of massive twist to it.

Overall, Backrooms started out with so much promise, but the third act derails it sadly.

Out of 4 stars I would give it...

2.5 out of 4 stars 

Enola Holmes 3: Review

 A dull film that wastes its core cast!

The story line in this movie was so weak! There was no mystery to it whatsoever, and that has been the main reason why I enjoyed the first two movies. There were so many bad character moments as well, and I absolutely hated how they portrayed Sherlock Holmes as almost incompetent. The villain in this movie was weak as well. Enola's whole character was so dull and boring sadly, as she was such a joy to watch in the first 2 films, and see the journey her character went through to be a good detective. 

The acting was mixed for me. Millie Bobby Brown is always able to make the most with what she has (Look no further than Stranger Things: Season 5), and she always does good with her facial expressions. I have always liked Henry Cavill as Sherlock Holmes, and it was too bad he wasn't used better in this movie. Helena Bonham Carter stole the show for me, and I was happy they gave her a bigger role, even if she needed more scenes with Henry Cavill. Himesh Patel did an awful job as Dr. Watson, easily the biggest fumble of this movie. Sharon Duncan-Brewster was not a good choice for Professor Moriarty, it should have been Idris Elba. Louis Partridge was decent, but he just seemed to be going through the motions.

The film's plot twists were not exciting also, and they were very predictable. I just cannot believe how badly this movie was written. Tewkesbury's decision at the end of the movie completely ruined the journey his character had been going through in the first 2 movies. Sherlock and Watson had no chemistry also, and Moriarty had no depth as a villain!

If there is a sequel, please make sure it has a bigger mystery to it. I would love for it to focus on Enola and Tewesbury becoming parents, as Millie would do such a good job at dealing with the difficulties of being a parent, but also showing how much love she has. I need to see Henry play the fun Uncle also. Give a potential sequel a better villain also!

Such a disappointment, especially coming from the guy who really liked the first two movies. I expected more!

Out of 4 stars I would give it...

1 out of 4 stars

Deep Water (2026): Review

 A basic shark film that works well in the end!

The story line was a pretty basic setup. But man, the film did not hold back when the sharks showed up. I was really surprised with the fact that no one was safe in this movie. You honestly had no idea who was going to make it out in the end. While the dialogue needed a bit of polishing, you really felt for the characters, and they did a good job at developing most of them. 

The acting was solid. Aaron Eckhart at times did not really convey the emotions effectively, but he really picked it up as the movie went on. Ben Kingsley did a great job, despite his limited amount of screen time. Molly Belle Wright was the star of this movie, what an incredible performance by this young lady. Elijah Tamati's performance was a huge surprise as well, loved his performance a lot as well. Rose Zhao gave a memorable performance as well.

There were not a whole lot of jump scares in this movie which kind of disappointed me. There was 1 that really got me though, and ironically it did not involve a shark. They did a good job with the suspenseful build up, but I wish there had been a tad more jump scares.

As shark movies go, this is definitely one of the more memorable ones. Renny Harlin definitely knows how to make a good shark movie. I would put this as an above average shark movie. It ranks above 47 Meters Down, Jaws 2, and The Meg 2: The Trench, but it is below 47 Meters Down: Uncaged, The Shallows, Deep Blue Sea, The Meg, and Jaws.

Overall, I was very impressed with this shark film. It had a lot of heart, some great CGI, good acting from the younger stars, and some well done suspenseful moments, that made up for some of the dialogue, and lack of jump scares. As shark films go, this was good!

Out of 4 stars I would give it...

3 out of 4 stars