Film 2503 - Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Intro: I mean, I was quite excited about this one, although I wasn't quite sure what to expect, to be honest. The only way to find out was to go to the movies and check it out for myself.

Film 2503: "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" (2026), directed by Destin Daniel Cretton
Watched: At the movies
Language: English
Watched with: Niamh
Thoughts: So, I'll be honest from the get-go: I didn't love it.
Everyone seems to be pretty excited and content with this movie -- it made two billion dollars, after all -- and sure, it's not bad or anything. On the contrary, it's obviously well made, and it doesn't feel like a cash grab, which is nice especially considering how Sony has been developing its own Spider-Man-related cinematic universe. That said, I didn't love the story too much or, to be more precise, I didn't love the ending.
I think, to justify the existence of this fourth outing, the plot twist at the end is quite weak. I love that they're bringing new characters in, I love that we're finally moving towards a new X-Men era, but (**spoiler**) to introduce the Jean Grey character, the story could have come up with something a bit more meaningful than an air vent label. I was so disappointed when that whole bit was revealed that it really ruined the whole vibe of the movie for me.
I'll say it again, "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" is not bad or anything, it's just OK. To be fair, coming up with something as iconic as they did in the previous film would have been impossible, and I appreciate that, in a way, the stakes of this story were scaled down and re-aligned with Peter's life rather than another save-the-world adventure that involves half of the MCU. That said, bringing back the Hulk was a little pointless -- he doesn't do much here and he's soon gone -- and Punisher's character development is a bit odd. MJ's, though, is quite interesting and actually makes sense and feels very mature (she is still the same MJ, but she doesn't remember Peter, so that version of MJ is now gone and can't be brought back just because Peter told her they were in love).
So yeah, a bit of a mixed bag for me: not bad, but I wasn't blown away by this new Spidey adventure.
Film 1394 - Spider-Man: Homecoming
Film 1653 - Spider-Man: Homecoming
Film 1781 - Spider-Man: Far from Home
Film 2077 - Spider-Man: No Way Home
Film 2226 - Spider-Man: No Way Home
Film 2503 - Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Film 467 - The Amazing Spider-Man
Film 718 - The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Il potere di Electro
Cast: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Florence Pugh, Tramell Tillman, Michael Mando, Marisa Tomei, Mark Ruffalo.
Box Office: $2.506 billion (to this day)
Worth a watch?: I'll be honest, this isn't my favourite of the franchise, which, I think, peaked with "No Way Home". I love Spider-Man and I appreciate Tom Holland playing the character, so if you feel the same, go for it (you probably did already, but in case you missed it at the movies, I'm pretty sure it's still in cinemas).
All of this said, I think the plot twist gets way too hyped by the story, and by the time it gets revealed, it is a little bit of a let-down. The cast is great, I think Sadie Sink is going to be an interesting Jean Grey, and the scenes that include Florence Pugh are frankly the best part of the movie, which is, quite surprisingly, very comedy-heavy.
So my suggestion would be to go ahead and check "Brand New Day" for yourself and see what all the fuss is about (in a nutshell: the highest-grossing Spider-Man film, the highest-grossing film of 2026, the highest-grossing film in the United States and Canada, and the third-highest-grossing film of all time).
Awards: /
Key word: V-Max.
Trailer
#HollywoodCiak
Bengi

Film 2488 - Masters of the Universe

Intro: I wasn't planning to watch this one, to be fair, but the reviews were better than I expected, and I got intrigued...

Film 2488: "Masters of the Universe" (2026), Travis Knight
Watched: At the movies
Language: English
Watched with: No one
Thoughts: I didn't know much about He-Man. I can vaguely recall watching the cartoon as a child, but if this movie hadn't come out, I probably wouldn't even have remembered the character. Which, in theory, could be a good thing, as "Masters of the Universe" could be the perfect re-introduction to this world. But I'm not 100% sure this film taught me much.
It's been a month since I saw it in theaters, and I have to admit I don't remember much about the story or the characters. It all blended into a mixture of vague memories from this film and possibly other similar ones. I'm thinking of pretty much any superhero origin story from the last decade or so. What I do remember, though, is thinking while watching it that, yeah, "Masters of the Universe" isn't bad, but it also isn't that great either. It's a fun ride for what it is, but compared to other movies that suffered a similar fate*, such as "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves", this one doesn't really have anything that sets it apart. Or maybe it's just me? I'm not sure. I haven't watched many superhero films lately, as I'm currently a bit done with the genre, so it's entirely possible that I checked out a bit while watching.
Other things I remember thinking at the movies:

• I'm not sure Nicholas Galitzine works in this role for me. I only know him from "Bottoms", "Red, White & Royal Blue", and "The Sheep Detectives", and he's clearly talented. Yet I couldn't stop thinking that he's the gay guy from the Amazon Prime gay movie. That's all I could think about.
• Camila Mendes' makeup department choices were... questionable. The colored contact lenses look fake, and her hair color is clearly not her real one. I'm not sure if that was a wig, but it definitely took me out of the movie every time she was on screen.
• The villain. I know that Hollywood keeps thinking that Jared Leto** is this gifted actor who's able to bring in crowds of fans, but a) that was never really the case (go watch "House of Gucci" if you think otherwise), and b) I really don't see the point of casting him here, considering his character, Skeletor, is fully CGI and even the voice is modified. It literally could have been anybody else playing Skeletor, and you wouldn't be able to tell.
• I do believe "Masters of the Universe" came out at the wrong time and is too similar to previous Marvel movies, especially the later "Thor" films. They share a similar Viking-from-another-world vibe, as well as the same tone and humor, which people have been complaining about for a while now.
• Lastly, I don't think the marketing pushed this IP enough or made it interesting enough for people to care. I don't even remember seeing the trailer before going to see the actual movie.

I want to reiterate that "Masters of the Universe" is not a bad movie at all. I was hoping for something a bit more original in terms of tone and vibe, yes, but overall the film is enjoyable. I just didn't connect with it all that much.

* Actually good movies that didn't perform well at the box office, or at least not well enough to justify a sequel or a further expansion of the franchise.

**Jared Leto is currently in deep shit after being accused of sexual misconduct and criminal sexual conduct by four different women. This is the last time I'm acknowledging him on this blog, as from now on I'm only going to list him in the cast section of any film I'm reviewing (that is, if I'm going to see a movie with him in it anymore).

Cast: Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Alison Brie, James Purefoy, Morena Baccarin, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Kristen Wiig, Jared Leto, Idris Elba.
Box Office: $114 million
Worth a watch?: A catastrophic flop at the box office - it cost $170 million just to produce - "Masters of the Universe" is good enough for an evening in front of the TV, when your only desire is to turn your brain off and possibly indulge in a little bit of nostalgia.
Awards: /
Key word: "I have the power!".
Trailer
#HollywoodCiak
Bengi