Travis Knight
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Bumblebee can be described as The Breakfast Club meets Transformers.
There are a few chuckles to be had about Alf being appointment television viewing, the sheer number of band shirts Charlie seems to own, Judd Nelson’s fist pump at the end of The Breakfast Club, and nods to the Transformers animated film and a throwaway Go-Bots gag that will leave fans of the old school series in stitches, but overall they feel like they exist for the sake of being there, not for any particular function.
And “The Breakfast Club” proves its pop culture immortality with yet another invocation — “Bumblebee” only ever uses less than a minute of the film, but it does so repeatedly and as the punctuation of key moments.
She turns eighteen in the brief span of the story, which is set in 1987 and features a recurrently explicit tribute to “The Breakfast Club.”
She confides in him the hurt of losing a loved one and shares the rebellious majesty of The Breakfast Club.
(Bumblebee is a big fan of The Breakfast Club, but he doesn’t like the Smiths or Rick Astley.)
Flash Gordon (1980)
Directed by Mike Hodges
influenced Masters of the Universe (2026)
Themes Visuals
There are obvious comparisons to films like Thor: Ragnarok, Guardians of the Galaxy, Flash Gordon, and The Suicide Squad in the film’s blend of irreverent humour, colourful fantasy aesthetics, and ensemble-driven chaos.
It’s clear that “Masters of the Universe” was modeled after “Flash Gordon” or, for a more modern take, “Thor: Ragnarok.”
The trailer gives off vibes of Flash Gordon, one of my guilty pleasures from the 80s that was wonderfully campy.
…come up with Flash Gordon and Thor: Ragnarök as camp comedy inspirations…
The fantasy camp of something like Flash Gordon coupled with the bloated fan service of your average Marvel movie…
The visuals pop with a Flash Gordon‑inspired color palette…
Coraline (2009)
Directed by Henry Selick
influenced Kubo and the Two Strings (2016), Bumblebee (2018)
“Kubo and the Two Strings” was made by Laika Films, the outfit behind such quirky and visually arresting pictures as “Coraline” (2009) and “ParaN orman ” (2012).
Like “Coraline,” “ParaNorman” and “The Boxtrolls,” which collectively announced Laika as a vital and distinctive creative force in the increasingly competitive field of big-budget animation, “Kubo and the Two Strings” brilliantly updates stop-motion, a venerable yet time-consuming mode of film production cherished for its hand-crafted, herky-jerky aesthetic.
The film from Laika, who also produced the excellent “The Boxtrolls,” “ParaNorman,” and “Coraline,” begins on an ocean, in the middle of a storm, in the dead of night.
The adventure fantasy “Kubo and the Two Strings” is seamless stop-motion storytelling, from Laika, the independent animation studio that gave us the darkly entertaining “Coraline,” “ParaNorman” and “The Boxtrolls.”
Laika , the independent studio behind morbid enchantments like “Coraline” and “ParaNorman,” has already established itself as a formidable bulwark against the ever-accelerating onslaught of computer-generated 3D cartoons, but “ Kubo and the Two Strings ” makes even the most painstaking of their previous movies feel like a trial run.
In that moment of this latest offering from the folks at Laika Entertainment -- that previously created the stop-motion animated films "Coraline," "ParaNorman" and "The Boxtrolls" -- the 12-year-old title character has found himself in a cave, along with those accompanying him on his journey (a talking monkey and a former samurai turned man-sized beetle), confronted by an enormous skeleton that's come to life.
…only to bury its heartening Barbie-style deconstruction under every terrible action-comedy instinct plaguing modern blockbuster filmmaking…
Three years after the huge hit that was the Barbie Movie, another blond Mattel toy is getting its turn on the big screen.
After nearly two decades in development hell, Masters of the Universe arrives as Mattel’s follow-up to 2023’s Barbie but feels a decade too late. Direct comparison between these two films is not appropriate, however. While Barbie dealt with the existential crises of women and womanhood, Masters caters to the more straightforward audience, arguably, the boy crowd, seeking adventure rather than a thesis.
…made the auteur-driven Barbie such a big deal…
“Barbie” (2023) was another Mattel movie so MOTU could have been good.
The inevitable comparison to “Barbie” only makes things worse, raising the obvious question of why anyone thought this toy line could generate that level of cultural relevance or financial success.
Star Wars (1977)
Directed by George Lucas
influenced Masters of the Universe (2026), Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)
Themes Visuals
…as Spaceballs is to Star Wars, that’s what Masters of the Universe is doing to… Masters of the Universe…
…as Disney has been learning the hard way with “Star Wars.”
Knight envisions Masters Of The Universe as a throwback blockbuster, recalling the sincere heroics of Star Wars…
…a firefight through a canyon and the analog-tech aesthetic of a Royal Guard base both feel knowingly ripped from Star Wars.
Desperate to catch up with the rest of its industry after missing out on “Star Wars,” Mattel conceived of He-Man as a chance to cover all the remaining bases at once…
Initially a barbarian character founded as a toy in response to the success of Star Wars and Conan the Barbarian…
After such fascinating movies as "Coraline" (2009), "ParaNorman" (2012) and "The Boxtrolls" (2014), Laika has created its greatest masterpiece: "Kubo and the Two Strings," a richly detailed and heart-aching story steeped in the powerful imagery of Japanese folk tales.
“Kubo” marks the fourth feature film from Laika Entertainment, which most recently delivered “The Boxtrolls” in 2014, but it’s a dramatic departure from that film’s quirky, cheese-obsessed Brits.
Kubo is the fourth film from the Portland-based Laika — a studio specializing in stop-motion that has turned out features ranging from the solid (2014’s The Boxtrolls) to the sublime (2009’s Coraline) — and the first to be directed by the company’s CEO, Travis Knight.
Since forming 10 years ago, Laika’s output has included the creepy fairy tale “Coraline” (2009) and the eccentric comedy-adventure “The Boxtrolls” (2014).
Off-kilter, dark gems like Coraline (2009), ParaNorman (2012) and The Boxtrolls (2014) have made the Oregon-based independent studio the modern-day standard-bearer for hand-crafted, stop-motion animation, and with Kubo and the Two Strings they raise the bar yet again.
Kubo isn't quite as nightmare-inducing as that film, nor as viscerally unsettling as the pungent body-horror fable The Boxtrolls (2014), which was set in a world strewn with garbage and cheese.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)
Directed by John Francis Daley
influenced Masters of the Universe (2026)
Themes
…(looking at you, 2023’s “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves”)…
The irreverent tone harkens back to “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” and “Thor: Ragnarok,” movies that captured the spirit of their source material.
If you were expecting “Masters of the Universe” (2026) (“MOTU”) to be the second coming of “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” (2023), you will be sorely disappointed.
En ese sentido, la referencia cercana más evidente es 'Dungeons & Dragons: Honor entre ladrones'. Ambas comparten una comprensión muy parecida de la fantasía como terreno para la aventura, la acción y el humor con espacio suficiente para personajes genuinamente entrañables.
I’m reminded of other movies with ostensibly silly premises that pulled off the magic trick of being better than expected, 2023’s Dungeons and Dragons and 2003’s Pirates of the Caribbean.
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Directed by James Gunn
influenced Masters of the Universe (2026)
Themes Visuals Plot
The new film owes a lot to James Gunn and his vision of Guardians of the Galaxy.
There are obvious comparisons to films like Thor: Ragnarok, Guardians of the Galaxy, Flash Gordon, and The Suicide Squad in the film’s blend of irreverent humour, colourful fantasy aesthetics, and ensemble-driven chaos.
…though it tips into a kind of Guardians Of The Galaxy-esque visual fatigue by the third act…
…siga la senda de 'Guardianes de la Galaxia', con la que también comparte un tono juguetón construido a base de canciones pop, imágenes heroicas al ralentí y una permanente conciencia de su propia teatralidad.
…with the adventures of Peter Quill being a particularly obvious template for this ’80s-inflected story about a “regular guy” who’s thrust into the middle of a winking cosmic war.
Masters of the Universe (1987)
Directed by Gary Goddard
influenced Masters of the Universe (2026)
Plot
Ask any fan about the main shortcomings of Cannon Films’ famously bad 1987 big-screen Masters adaptation.
I always liked the 1987 Cannon Films version of Masters of the Universe, but even then I knew it wasn’t quite the He-Man movie everyone really wanted.
…a beefier and more plastic adaptation than the 1987 version starring Dolph Lundgren and Frank Langella…
For those who wonder if it is better than the 1987 Dolph Lundgren (Rocky IV) film...how could it not be?
1987's Dolph Lundgren-starring MotU, for all its low-budget charm, was a turkey of such magnitude that it scared Hollywood off He-Man for decades to come…
And then other times, there are references to the 1987 Cannon version, cubicle farm humor, and attempts at profundity.
Transformers (2007)
Directed by Michael Bay
influenced Masters of the Universe (2026)
Themes Visuals
Transformers managed it twice out of seven attempts…
…he provided a welcome departure from Michael Bay’s Transformers vision…
…endless Transformers…
Knight supplied a sweetness and humanity to Bumblebee that were lacking in Michael Bay’s earlier Transformers films.
There are obvious comparisons to films like Thor: Ragnarok, Guardians of the Galaxy, Flash Gordon, and The Suicide Squad in the film’s blend of irreverent humour, colourful fantasy aesthetics, and ensemble-driven chaos.
It’s clear that “Masters of the Universe” was modeled after “Flash Gordon” or, for a more modern take, “Thor: Ragnarok.”
The irreverent tone harkens back to “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” and “Thor: Ragnarok,” movies that captured the spirit of their source material.
The tonal and aesthetic cousin of Thor: Ragnarok, it's a film where the relentless need to crack jokes engulfs any sense of stakes.
…while the tone has elements of 2017's Thor: Ragnarok.
Idris Elba (Thor: Ragnarok)…
In this way, as well as in its nods to legendary Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, Kubo is a Rashomon for the whole family: a tale that examines its own multiplicity and gently reminds us that every story looks different depending on who’s telling it.
Conan the Barbarian (1982)
Directed by John Milius
influenced Masters of the Universe (2026)
Visuals Characters Plot
The production design draws on the pulp fantasy that inspired the toys, from Frank Frazetta’s artwork to Conan the Barbarian…
Initially a barbarian character founded as a toy in response to the success of Star Wars and Conan the Barbarian…
Masters of the Universe may never have existed without the popularity of 1982's Conan the Barbarian.
Thor (2011)
Directed by Kenneth Branagh
influenced Masters of the Universe (2026)
Visuals Themes Plot
Most of the action unfolds in Eternia, which gives off serious vibes of Thor’s Norse realm, Asgard.
If the Taika Waititi-directed Thors turned you off, then be warned this dials up the comedy even further…
…but with a Thor aesthetic…
Some of the execution here feels akin to the first Thor film, where Chris Hemsworth maintained the exaggerated “Mighty” persona in a world of less-than-animated Earthlings.
…he’s played by Idris Elba, enjoyably riffing on his performance in the “Thor” movies with a déjà vu that works in the context of a movie this derivative…
Batman & Robin (1997)
Directed by Joel Schumacher
influenced Masters of the Universe (2026)
Visuals Themes
As George Clooney once confessed, thinking back on having to promote Batman & Robin on press junkets, if everything else is terrible then praise the sets.
Queer art, including blockbusters like Batman & Robin and Speed Racer, embraces its outlandishness.
The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026)
Directed by Jon Favreau
influenced Masters of the Universe (2026)
Visuals Themes
Unlike fellow 2026 summer blockbuster The Mandalorian and Grogu, Masters of the Universe doesn’t skimp on colors or ravishing costumes.
There was The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, my own review included, then it was Mortal Kombat II and The Mandalorian and Grogu after that.
Thank God this is kicking The Mandalorian and Grogu out of IMAX theaters…
Speed Racer (2008)
Directed by Lana Wachowski
influenced Masters of the Universe (2026)
Visuals Themes
I’d suggest we have not seen its like since the Wachowskis’ Speed Racer (2008).
The result for Knight and the several screenwriters is an uneasy balance of Deadpool and Speed Racer.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (1983)
Directed by Rick Maki
influenced Masters of the Universe (2026)
Themes Characters
More aligned with the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe 1983 animated series, Knight’s Masters revels in the nostalgia of what we 80s kids experienced growing up.
For millions of children who grew up with the 1983 animated series, those opening lines weren't a mere prologue, they were a promise.
…it sounds like the kind of score we used to get in movies like Flash Gordon or Highlander…
…harnessing references to other movies such as “Highlander” (1986) with the always welcome needle drop Queen’s “Princes of the Universe” or with Brian May’s amazing guitar score…
“Kubo and the Two Strings” carries echoes of L. Frank Baum as well -- and Roald Dahl, and “The Phantom Tollbooth,” and even some of bluegrass legends Flatt and Scruggs in the hero’s Foggy Mountain samisen breakdowns.