Entertainment
He-Man And The Masters of the Universe Trailer Gives Adam Pronouns And The Power
By Jennifer Asencio
| Published
As a kid in the 1980s, my weekday afternoons after school were filled with the all-important consumption of a trilogy of fantasy cartoons that dominated kids’ culture back then. The trilogy, which included She-Ra, Princess of Power and Thundercats, started with the phenomenon that was He-Man & The Masters of the Universe.
In yet another bid to revive 80s nostalgia, the first trailer for a Amazon’s new Masters of the Universe has been released.
The Story Told By Amazon’s First He-Man Trailer
The movie trailer begins with a voiceover explaining that the fantastical elements of the world of Eternia are real, while CGI shows its structures, spaceships, and magic. The voiceover is from Adam, who is shown as a youngster in this CGI universe, then as a young adult in a perfectly drab, normal Earthling bedroom. He was sent away, according to the trailer, by his mother, to a place where he wouldn’t be found.
Naturally, that place is Earth, where we are treated to a montage of dreary things, like Adam’s office job (complete with a nameplate bearing pronouns) and the disapproval of a co-worker, who seems to be his boss, over his “obsession with nerd stuff.”
Adam is apparently tracking down the Power Sword, which he finds in a hobby shop.
It draws Teela in a spaceship to come get him and bring him home to save the planet.
We are then treated to a spectacle of action scenes and urgent explanations from the queen about why she sent Adam away. Villains Skeletor and Evil-Lyn are shown, too, lurking as menacingly as ever. We’re even shown the famous transformation and a few shots of He-Man himself, proving that this origin story is not just Surf Dracula, and we’ll see plenty of the superhero in the movie.
Wait, We’re Doing The Real World Thing Again?
The first, most glaringly noticeable thing about Adam in the trailer is that he’s not overly muscle-bound, even though Prince Adam is. In the glimpse of He-Man we get at the end of the trailer, he’s a little wiry, but nothing like the Mattel toy that the cartoon was designed around.
Rather than being the spoiled, lazy prince that creeps Teela out as he was on the show, this Adam is a Chosen One who eagerly awaits his Big Destiny.
With a world as rich as Eternia obviously is, I have always wondered about the obsession filmmakers have with shoehorning “our world” into the mix. The Dolph Lungren version of Masters of the Universe in 1987 also did this. When we sat down to watch the cartoon, we wanted to be taken away from the real world. It was a disappointment that the Dolph Lundgren movie did it, and it’s disappointing that they’re doing it again.
Special Effects That Deliver
Some of the CGI is overwhelming and looks cartoony, but I’m not going to lie: some of it looks really cool. The trailer shows us fantastic vistas and futuristic cities, ancient castles and feats of magic. Unlike a lot of CGI that looks like that animated sequence in Mary Poppins, the effects in Masters of the Universe look like they’re part of the world.
The trailer does a great job of obscuring the better-known names in the cast, with only Idris Elba showing up as Man-At-Arms. Also hiding behind newcomers Nicholas Galitzine as Adam and Camila Mendez as Teela are Morena Baccarin as the Sorceress of Greyskull, Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn, and Jared Leto as Skeletor.
Speaking of Skeletor, his makeup is also really cool, much better than when Frank Langella played him in 1987. Instead of a bumbling cartoon villain, he looks like the frightening tyrant he is supposed to be.
The same, unfortunately, cannot be said for Battle Cat, who looks like a reject from Jon Favreau’s “live action” take on The Lion King.
He-Man Has He/Him Pronouns, Is It A Joke Or Activism?
I cannot let Adam’s nameplate at work go without further mention. I don’t know if the point of his clearly displayed “He/Him” pronouns was tongue-in-cheek. It’s either yet another sign of activism injected into storytelling, or Masters of the Universe is lampooning it.
The movie’s hero is called “He-Man,” after all. He-Man was who all the boys wanted to grow up to be, an icon of masculine heroism and might makes right, which is why the inclusion of his pronouns stuck out to me so strongly.
However, Masters of the Universe might just be poking a bit of fun at pronouns and the banality of corporate life by including them on Adam’s desk. He-Man makes a great counter to the “modern hero” because he is unapologetically all the good things about masculinity. If Hollywood is ready to make jokes about its activism, maybe it’s a sign that movies will return to being about story rather than “the message.”
However, the trailer doesn’t really hint at any messaging, preferring to dazzle audiences with special effects and fight scenes. Other than the warping of Prince Adam’s backstory and some of its graphics, there’s nothing bad to say about what we have been shown so far. Therefore, there’s hope that Masters of the Universe won’t be yet another franchise ruined by modern Hollywood.
How He-Man Started
In its original form, He-Man was about Prince Adam of Eternia and his secret, superhero-like identity as He-Man, a muscle-bound, shirtless barbarian figure who wielded a magic sword. He-Man defended Eternia with the help of his friends, Battle Cat, Man-At-Arms, Teela, and the Sorceress of Castle Greyskull, from the evil machinations of the terrifying skull-faced Skeletor and his supervillain minions.
The show was interesting because it combined all the best stuff about fantasy and science fiction of the era: magic swords, sorceresses and evil wizards, ray guns, spaceships, and alien planets. He-Man, as a character, was a classical male fantasy hero, full of muscles and prophecy. His backstory was that he was the spoiled son of the king and queen of the planet that was granted the magical Power Sword to defend it and the universe from Skeletor’s evil magic, turning him into a better man.
The movie Masters of the Universe is being released in theaters on June 5, 2026.
Entertainment
How to watch New Zealand vs. UAE online for free
TL;DR: Live stream New Zealand vs. UAE in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 for free on ICC.TV. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
The opening round of games at the 2026 T20 World Cup provided some real drama, and we’re expecting more of the same as teams come together this week to battle it out for qualification.
Group D is packed with quality, with New Zealand, South Africa, and Afghanistan competing for two qualification spots. New Zealand started strongly with a vital win over Afghanistan, and will be confident of securing another victory over UAE. Anything less than a comfortable victory here will cause concern for Black Caps fans.
If you want to watch New Zealand vs. UAE in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
When is New Zealand vs. UAE?
New Zealand vs. UAE in the 2026 T20 World Cup starts at 4:30 a.m. ET on Feb. 10. This game takes place at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium.
Mashable Top Stories
How to watch New Zealand vs. UAE for free
New Zealand vs. UAE in the 2026 T20 Cricket World Cup is available to live stream for free on ICC.TV.
This free live stream on ICC.TV is only available in select regions (see full list of territories here), but anyone can live stream the T20 Cricket World Cup for free with a VPN. These helpful tools can hide your IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in a location with free access. This simple process bypasses geo-restrictions so you can live stream on ICC.TV from anywhere in the world.
Live stream New Zealand vs. UAE in the 2026 T20 Cricket World Cup for free by following these simple steps:
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Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
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Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
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Open up the app and connect to a server in a location with access
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Visit ICC.TV
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Watch the 2026 T20 Cricket World Cup for free from anywhere in the world
$12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free live streams without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch every game from the 2026 T20 Cricket World Cup (plus the Winter Olympics) before recovering your investment.
What is the best VPN for ICC.TV?
ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on ICC.TV, for a number of reasons:
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Servers in 105 countries
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Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
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Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure
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Up to 10 simultaneous connections
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30-day money-back guarantee
A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).
Watch the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup 2026 for free with ExpressVPN.
Entertainment
A new Stuff Your Kindle Day is live — download 100s of free romance books for your Kindle
FREE BOOKS: The latest Stuff Your Kindle Day takes place on Feb. 9-13. The new Free Romance Book Blast offers romance books in a variety of subgenres for your e-reader.
Have you got big plans for Valentine’s Day? Cancel them, because a new Stuff Your Kindle Day just dropped.
The Stuff Your Kindle Day schedule has been predictably hectic in 2026. We had a number of free giveaways in January, but February is on another level. We count nine events this month. Not all of them are huge, but between the niche events and massive drops, bookworms are going to be kept busy.
The latest giveaway is hosted by the Indie Author Collective. Be My Valentine is a romance book blast, offering (you guessed it) free romance books from a variety of subgenres. Everything that you download for free is yours to keep forever, so don’t hold back. So what if you’ve already got a huge stack of books waiting to be read. Add to your virtual pile without guilt.
Looking to make the most of the latest Stuff Your Kindle Day? We’ve lined up everything you need to know about this popular event.
When is Stuff Your Kindle Day?
Be My Valentine takes place on Feb. 9-13. Recent Stuff Your Kindle Days have only lasted 24 hours, meaning participants have needed to act fast. That’s stressful, so this five-day event is a welcome change. You can take stock of your options, pick your favorites, and download without getting worked up. It’s much more civilized.
Which ebooks are free?
Be My Valentine is all about romance titles. There’s a helpful hub page put together by the Indie Author Collective with filters for major tropes, spice levels, content levels, and representation. Here you can peruse the 100s of options or filter to find something that perfectly lines up with your preferences.
It’s important to note that anyone can participate in Stuff Your Kindle Day. Kindle and Kobo readers can download these romance books for free.
Mashable Deals
Is Stuff Your Kindle Day the same as Amazon Kindle Unlimited?
Everything you download on Stuff Your Kindle Day is yours to keep, and there’s no limit on the number of books you can download. Stuff Your Kindle Day downloads don’t count towards the 20 books that Amazon Kindle Unlimited subscribers can borrow at the same time.
The best Stuff Your Kindle Day deal
Why we like it
These popular e-readers help you take your entire library on the go. With weeks of battery life and an anti-glare display, you can read anywhere and anytime with the Kindle. Plus, you can get three months of Kindle Unlimited for free with your purchase.
Entertainment
Robin Williams' Final Performance Is Now On Netflix
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
After the first two Night at the Museum movies proved to be a hit, future Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy finished the trilogy with the star-studded Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014). The movie is criminally underrated, and it also happens to feature the final performance from legendary Hollywood funny man, Robin Williams. Whether you’d like to pay your respects or just seriously laugh it up, you can now stream this quirky comedy on Netflix.
The premise of Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb is that Larry Daley now has a working relationship with the exhibits that come to life at night at the Museum of Natural History and is dealing with a new addition: a walking, talking Neanderthal exhibit sculpted to look like him. But that proves to be the least of his problems when the ancient tablet that gives these exhibits life starts corroding, causing chaos throughout the museum. Unless he can figure out what’s going on, all of the exhibits will go completely lifeless, finally fading into history.
A Cast For The Ages
As with other Night at the Museum movies, the primary reason to watch this third entry is the stacked cast full of Hollywood legends. Ben Stiller (best known for Tropic Thunder) once again plays the hapless security guard surrounded by living exhibits played by the likes of Owen Wilson (best known for The Royal Tenenbaums) and Steve Coogan (best known for Philomena). Meanwhile, Rebel Wilson (best known for Pitch Perfect) plays a new guard, Dick Van Clark (best known for Mary Poppins) plays an old guard, and Rami Malek (best known for Mr. Robot) plays Ahkmenrah, the Pharaoh whose tablet gives the exhibits life and may soon take it away.
On a more bittersweet note, the performer to really watch in Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb is Robin Williams, the comedy legend who reprises his role as the wise and affable exhibit of Theodore Roosevelt. He has always been one of the primary reasons to watch these movies, and Secret of the Tomb is actually the last movie he starred in before his tragic death. Because of that, his final line (“Smile, boy…it’s sunrise”) becomes so powerful that you might just have to reach for the tissues while the credits roll.
Losing The Critics, Winning The Audience
When Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb came out, it proved to be a hit, earning $363.2 million against a budget of $127 million. This marked the last live-action franchise entry from superstar director Shawn Levy, who would later go on to direct the wildly successful Deadpool & Wolverine for Disney. Speaking of Disney, after they bought 20th Century Fox, they released an unexpected sequel to Secret of the Tomb to Disney+: the traditionally animated film Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Strikes Again.
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb ended up animating critics in all the wrong ways. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 48 percent, with reviewers generally agreeing that this third film doesn’t pack the comedic bite of its predecessors. They felt this movie was a poor way to end a very unconventional film trilogy, but acknowledged that the movie still has moments of greatness peppered throughout its runtime.
An Acting Legend Takes His Final Vow
To some extent, that critical consensus is correct: this third Night at the Museum movie doesn’t introduce anything really innovative to the franchise formula, and it’s unlikely to win over anybody who doesn’t get a kick out of Ben Stiller talking to animated museum exhibits. Of course, that logic goes both ways, and if you are a fan of these movies, the third entry offers more of the easy laughs and star-studded comedy you’ve come to expect. The fact that Robin Williams offers such a killer performance in what would be his final role is just the cherry on top for established fans.
There’s also something to be said for how uncynical and earnest the comedy in Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb is. With its general absence of vulgarity or raunchy humor, it’s actually the perfect movie to watch with your family, and children are sure to love the “what if the museum came to life at night?” premise. Even without the little ones, this is a perfect movie to watch for anyone sick of quippy, irony-laden “he’s right behind me, isn’t he?” style dialogue that Hollywood now puts in almost every single comedy.
Will you agree that Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb is a thick, star-studded slice of imaginative movie magic, or is this one aging comedy that belongs in a museum? You won’t know until you grab your remote (it’s right next to the enchanted tablet!) and stream it for yourself on Netflix. Come for the gentle punchlines and stay for one last performance from Robin Williams, the man who could light up an entire screen with only a smile.
Yankees acquire IF Max Schuemann in trade with Athletics
How to watch New Zealand vs. UAE online for free
