STACK #265 November 2026

MOVIE FEATURE

visit jbhifi.com.au/stack

GENRE: Sci-fi action RUN TIME: 2h 12m

For anyone who grew up in the 1980s, Masters of the Universe evokes action figures, Saturday morning cartoons, video games, and the unforgettable cry, “By the power of Grayskull!”

T ravis Knight’s new live-action adventure aims to introduce He-Man to a new generation while giving longtime fans familiar characters, mythology, and visual cues to celebrate. Knight himself is a self-professed fan, having been just a boy when Mattel introduced the toys in 1982. “This project really is a dream come true for me because I've

from his home planet for 15 years, Adam returns to Eternia, where his kingdom has fallen under the control of Jared Leto’s sinister Skeletor. He must reunite with trusted allies to resist the forces threatening his world. Knight drew inspiration from the franchise’s many incarnations, including the original Mattel mini comics, the legendary 1983-85 Filmation cartoon, the 1987 live action cult classic starring Dolph Lundgren, and the 2002-2004 animated revival on Cartoon Network. Netflix’s Masters of the Universe: Revelation also influenced the film, which even pays homage to

Idris Elba, who plays Duncan, relished revisiting his childhood obsession with the toys and cartoons while growing up in 1980s London. “Everyone wanted to be He-Man. It's a massive slice of nostalgia and just being a part of it as an actor feels like an honour.” With his own son also a fan, Elba says, “passing that on, and being in a film that he might want to see feels good.” Gill Pringle

the viral mid-2000s video featuring He-Man and friends singing 4 Non Blondes’ 1993 anthem What’s Up? Becoming the most powerful man in the universe required serious preparation. Galitzine, 32, undertook four months of intense weightlifting before filming. “You get into a pretty aggressive cut, doing cardio on top of that,” he explains. “It was definitely a constant challenge. I achieved a series of personal bests, and I don’t know if I'll ever be better.”

known these characters for pretty much my entire life.” At the centre of his re envisioning of Masters of the Universe is Nicholas Galitzine’s Prince Adam, destined to become He-Man, the most powerful man in the universe. After being separated

FUN FACT

After naively passing on the Star Wars toy licence, Mattel created He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.

• Masters of the Universe is out Nov 4

IF YOU LIKE THIS, YOU’LL LOVE THESE:

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Thor, Mortal Kombat

GENRE: Sci-f i RUN TIME: 1h 40m

Ewan McGregor, Christian Convery, Maisy Stella, and Anne Hathaway

There goes the neighbourhood, thanksT.rex!

W hat would you do if you woke up one morning, looked out your front window, and discovered that your neighbourhood was overrun by dinosaurs? That's the unsettling premise of The End of Oak Street , a sci-fi adventure that takes the familiar comforts of family life and turns them into something prehistoric. Directed by David Robert Mitchell

“I’d always wanted to make a dinosaur movie since I was a kid. My dad was obsessed with dinosaurs, he dreamed of being a palaeontologist and was always reading dinosaur books,” says Mitchell. Inspiration eventually struck during a casual neighbourhood stroll. “I just imagined that there was a dinosaur there digging through the trash,” he recalls. “And I thought, ‘I want to make a movie that feels like this image in my mind’.” The result is a suburban setting where everyday family frustrations give way to an extraordinary fight for survival. For Hathaway, the premise brought to mind one of her favourite childhood films. “Reading the script, it reminded me of one of my favourite movies from when I was a

kid, which I probably shouldn’t have watched when I was a kid, but still, it was great: Poltergeist .” When she connected with Mitchell, the reference confirmed she was in the right place. “He said, ‘That’s what I was going for’. And I just said, ‘Well, I don’t know what’s

FUN FACT

going to happen next, but please sign me up. I want to be in this world’.” Hathaway was equally enthusiastic about working alongside McGregor, praising his energy and sense of fun, as well as his physical prowess once filming moved into action territory. “He could pick up stunts like that, swing a sledgehammer like it’s a lightsaber,” she says. “A dream co star, a great laugh.” Gill Pringle

( It Follows ), the film stars Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor as Greg and Denise Platt, an ordinary married couple whose lives are turned upside down by an extraordinary cosmic

The film’s subject matter was kept under wraps throughout production by using the working title Flowerdale.

event. Alongside their children, Audrey (Maisy Stella) and Brian (Christian Convery), they must figure out what has happened, and how they're going to survive.

• The End of Oak Street is out Nov 11

IF YOU LIKE THIS, YOU’LL LOVE THESE:

Jumanju, Jurassic World, Super 8, Love and Monsters

10 NOVEMBER 2026

jbhifi.com.au