(trailer review) - Shrek 5

 

You know what? I don't actually think I've seen Shrek 4. I definitely watched the first and second movies, and I'm pretty sure I saw Shrek the Third at some point, but Shrek Forever After? I genuinely can not remember watching it. Maybe I saw a trailer and was not interested at the time, or maybe I just thought the franchise had run its course. Whatever the reason, I kind of drifted away from Shrek. But after watching this trailer, I might need to jump back in.

I thought this was genuinely funny. And more importantly, it reminded me of something I had forgotten about these films: how much of the comedy relies on Donkey, or does it? In fact, by the end of this trailer, I found myself wondering if Eddie Murphy has secretly been the star of this franchise the entire time. I do not remember the previous films well enough to say that definitively, but he absolutely steals every moment he's in here.

The trailer opens with a narrator introducing us to an ogre and a donkey, "who once embarked on a magical journey to Further, Further Away. Before the narration can really get going, Donkey interrupts, excitedly talking about going on another adventure with Shrek and the family.

Straight away, the energy feels familiar, and I am immediately reminded of Donkey's song about being "On the road again".

Donkey starts talking about getting himself into shape for the holiday, listing all the areas he needs to work on, before trying to launch into a song. Every time he starts building momentum, Shrek tries to reassure him that what he's thinking isn't actually happening, which only makes the whole exchange funnier.

Then we get one of the trailer's biggest laughs when we see The Gingerbread Man standing between two gingerbread women, proudly shaking his jelly and declaring that he's "caked up like a freaking bakery." I will not lie, I laughed. From there, the trailer kicks into full chaos mode.

Donkey finally gets his wish, and the adventure begins. While travelling through a town, a snowman casually turns towards them and asks, "Wanna date a snowman?" which feels exactly like the kind of random joke these films thrive on, but it's the snowman's voice that is the problem here.

Then the montage starts, and there are flashes of what looks like Princess Fiona flying on a broomstick like Elphaba from Wicked, moments that suggest the gang is being chased by the authorities, Donkey somehow being transformed into a ram, prison scenes, action sequences and, because it's Donkey, a completely random rendition of Roxanne, which is hilarious. 

The whole thing feels silly, energetic and completely aware of how ridiculous it is, but does not seem over the top.

What surprised me most was that the jokes actually landed. Not every animated sequel manages that, especially this many films into a franchise, but this trailer had me laughing more than I expected.

If the film can maintain this energy for its full runtime, then Shrek 5 could end up being a lot more fun than I initially thought.

And if nothing else, Eddie Murphy looks like he's having an absolute blast.

(film review) - Backrooms

I remember watching Cloverfield for the first time and by the end of it asking myself, "What the hell was that?" Not because it was bad. Quite the opposite. I was fascinated by it, but I also had that lingering feeling of, "What exactly did I just watch?" By the time the credits rolled on Backrooms, I found myself having a very similar reaction.
Now, one of the things that intrigued me going into this film was learning that the director is only twenty years old and originally made a name for himself as a visual effects artist. Pair that with A24, a studio that seems incapable of avoiding interesting projects, and I was curious to see what all the fuss was about.
I can safely say I discovered what the fuss was about. Whether I completely understood it is another matter entirely.
I'll be honest: a lot of this film went straight over my head. After watching a few reviews and ending explainers, I realised I'd picked up on some of the themes and ideas being presented, but the deeper CreepyPasta lore and mythology surrounding the Backrooms? Yeah, I was completely lost there.

Backrooms stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as Clark, an architect who now finds himself working in a furniture store. While investigating a lighting issue, he discovers a hidden doorway that leads to a seemingly endless maze of interconnected rooms. After discussing his discovery with his therapist, Mary, she decides to investigate the mysterious space herself, and from there things become increasingly strange, unsettling and difficult to explain.

One thing that immediately stood out to me was how little this film must have cost to make. This genuinely feels like it was made for the price of a bag of fish and chips, a portion of mushy peas and maybe a cup of gravy if the budget stretched that far.
The film mostly revolves around two central characters, with only a handful of supporting roles, and the majority of the story takes place within a single environment. Normally, when films work with those kinds of limitations, they need one of three things: a brilliant script, brilliant performances or brilliant ideas. Backrooms definitely have at least two of those.

The story itself is where things become a little complicated for me. On paper, there is absolutely a narrative. We meet Clark, we learn about his problems, we follow his journey, and eventually we reach a resolution. But this isn't a film interested in traditional storytelling.

It isn't concerned with explaining itself. It isn't interested in answering every question. And that reminded me of Cloverfield, I did not mind that.
Mary's storyline in particular felt underdeveloped to me, or at least they could have added a little more to really flesh out her character. I found myself wanting more from her character and more exploration of what she was going through. However, I also recognise that the film is deliberately designed to leave gaps and allow the audience to fill them in themselves.

The film seems far more interested in exploring ideas surrounding accountability, guilt, trauma and possibly forgiveness than it is in explaining what the Backrooms actually are. And honestly, the film never even attempts to provide those answers.

As a horror film, though, it absolutely succeeds. The cinematography is fantastic. There are moments that genuinely made me uncomfortable despite very little actually happening. Slow camera movements, endless corridors, dark corners, strange sounds and objects that appear slightly distorted or out of place all combine to create an atmosphere that feels consistently unsettling. The Backrooms themselves are often filled with furniture, objects and environments that look familiar at first glance but feel wrong the longer you look at them. That uncanny feeling becomes one of the film's greatest strengths.

The sound design deserves a lot of praise as well. There isn't a huge amount of music throughout the film, but what it lacks in score it more than makes up for with atmosphere. Every creak, hum, distant noise and echo is used to make you feel uneasy. Then there are the performances.

These kinds of films live or die based on the actors carrying the audience through long stretches of uncertainty, and thankfully, the cast is more than up to the task. Chiwetel Ejiofor is superb, as he usually is. He plays Clark with an intensity that constantly keeps you guessing. There were several moments where I wasn't entirely sure whether I trusted him, understood him or even fully believed what he was experiencing.

Alongside him, Renate Reinsve delivers a strong performance as Mary. She spends much of the film attempting to maintain control while clearly carrying unresolved trauma beneath the surface. Watching her navigate the increasingly bizarre situation reminded me at times of the characters in The Descent.

Ultimately, Backrooms is a film that has a lot to say, but it absolutely refuses to spoon-feed its audience. It doesn't explain the rules. It doesn't explain the mythology. It doesn't tell you how or why things exist. They simply do. I did not mind that, but perhaps I needed just that little bit more, but another part of me found it fascinating.

Maybe a sequel will explore more of the lore. Maybe the director intends to build an anthology around the Backrooms mythology. Or maybe the mystery is entirely the point. What I do know is that this is one of those films that sticks with you after the credits roll, especially with what you see. I would definitely watch it again. And who knows? Maybe the second time around, I'll finally understand what on earth I just watched.

(film review) - Masters of the Universe

I grew up on 'He-Man and the Masters of the Universe' cartoon, and when I think of ‘80s cartoons, not many hold the kind of place in my heart that He-Man does. There have been a few attempts over the years to recapture that magic—a good example being the 2011 ThunderCats reboot, which I thought was actually really strong in its anime style, but it never caught on. And then there was the Netflix Masters of the Universe series, directed by Kevin Smith. That was a continuation of the ‘80s show, and for a while, I was completely hooked. It dug deeper into the lore, gave us new angles, but at a certain point, it lost me. I’m not sure if it was all canon or if they were just experimenting, but some of the choices didn’t sit right with me. Still, even when it veered off, it had brilliant ideas, and the animation was top-tier.

So when I saw Travis Knight was directing the new Masters of the Universe movie—this is the guy who gave us 'Bumblebee', which was a breath of fresh air in a Transformers franchise that was losing steam—my interest piqued. Then I saw the pedigree of the film. Knight gave us 'Paranorman' and 'Kubo and the Two Strings', so he’s proven he can handle imaginative worlds with heart. And for me, overall, Masters of the Universe was entertaining—but it left me disappointed as it could have been so much more.

The film follows Prince Adam of Eternia, a young boy sent to Earth after a cosmic event. As he searches for the Sword of Power, he’s eventually found by Teela and brought back home, where Skeletor has left Eternia in ruins. Adam must discover his inner strength, do the right thing, and defeat Skeletor.

Is the movie bad? No. It’s fun, it’s got energy, and I’d absolutely watch it again because I did have a good time. But it’s a film that could have been so much more with a few key improvements—mainly in the dialogue, tone, and execution. The story is fine—it hits all the beats—but the supporting characters, though not the focus, could have been fleshed out a bit more. The acting was a mixed bag—some performances skirting between decent and flat-out weak—and I think a lot of that fell on the direction. The dialogue didn’t always land, and the tone was all over the place. At times, it felt like a throwback to the ‘80s cartoon—made to sell toys—while I know there are films out there that balance being kid-friendly but still sophisticated—like Pixar or Marvel, for example. Here, it felt like they didn’t quite know how to strike that balance.

I’d heard before going in that the humour didn’t always land and that serious moments were undercut by offbeat jokes—there’s a lot of rapid-fire innuendo, and yeah, a few went too far and broke the tone. That said, there was a thin layer of camp that, surprisingly, I didn’t mind. And even though Nicholas Galitzine was solid (despite some of the character choices they went for), and Idris Elba was good, Skeletor stole this movie. I know Jared Leto gets a lot of hate—some of it totally fair after his Joker antics—but as Skeletor, he brought a perfect balance of menace and camp. I think people either do not know or forget he is an Academy Award-winning actor, because he captured that iconic laugh, the sinister charm, and gave the role his own twist. If you love Skeletor from the cartoon, you’re going to love him here—he was, for me, the highlight.

The score is fantastic, the special effects are mostly great, and the action sequences are solid, but where the film really falters is in its tonal execution. It didn’t quite know how to balance a film for adults aimed at kids—or vice versa—like Pixar or even Marvel often manage. And I can’t help but think, maybe Knight had a better cut, and due to studio interference, this is what we got, because with someone who brought us earlier films which are deemed as really good to great by many, what happened here? Everything about the world, the world-building and even how they explained the character names was very well done and it worked, but as a whole, for me, I was simply disappointed because they played it simple and safe. I really hope they do a sequel and, due to the post-credits, open up the world a bit more, but maybe the movie will do well internationally, leading to a sequel where they can learn from what went wrong in this one and improve on it.