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 wasn 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 don 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 though, 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." Iwon't 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 its the snowman 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 are 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 is 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.
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