Author: Megan Williams

Despicable Me 4: Trailer Talk

Joining ‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ in the line for unexpected sequels this year is the next entry in the ‘Despicable Me’ franchise.

‘Despicable Me 4’ sees villain-turned-father Gru (Steve Carrell – The Office, Despicable Me) and his wife Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig – How To Train Your Dragon)learn to raise their new baby as well as defeat the evil Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrel – Elf, Barbie).

While the popularity of the Minions has become stale, the franchise that they originated from have always been consistently charming and enjoyable, and this looks to be no exception. With the new baby, as well as Gru’s three adopted children, I hope the film will delve into the humour and charm of familyhood that the first film was well known for.

And, while the trailer does contain numerous sequences involving the Minions, hopefully Illumination Studios realize that they aren’t solely the reason why the franchise has done so well. 

‘Despicable Me 4’ is an unexpected sequel but one that looks enjoyable and funny. And, while the trailer’s slapstick moments all revolve around the famous yellow creatures, I hope the fourth entry into the franchise has more of a focus on Gru’s family.

While the Minion spin off films have a mixed quality, the ‘Despicable Me’ franchise has always been enjoyable, funny and charming and I hope this upcoming entry follows the same quality. 

Longlegs: Trailer Talk

While last week’s trailer showed far too much of its plot, this week’s one hardly shows anything. ‘Longlegs’ is an upcoming horror film written and directed by Oz Perkins (The Girl In The Photographs, I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House). Over the last 2 weeks, three teasers have been released for the film depicting three different scenarios: a distressed phone call from a father to emergency services exclaiming that the human in his house is not his daughter, a man killing someone at random with an axe, and an FBI officer uncovering what looks like a coffin while photographs of a murderous crime scene occasionally appear. 

The plot details have not been revealed, but the 20-40 second teasers have already sold me; they’re mysterious, tense and creepy, thanks to the visuals and the incredible sound design. Plus, it’s refreshing to have a marketing campaign in the same vein as 2008’s ‘Cloverfield’ once again, where next to nothing was revealed and word-of-mouth, as well as secrecy, reignited in the age of social media. 

I sincerely hope a full-length trailer isn’t being made for ‘Longlegs’ purely because the mystery and creepiness of the teasers are so impactful that a full trailer could potentially ruin that aspect of the marketing. I also hope the film stands up to the huge expectations that the teasers are creating.

Lee Harker, a talented new FBI agent, has been assigned to an unsolved case of a serial killer. As the investigation becomes more complicated and occult evidence is uncovered, Harker realizes a personal link to the ruthless killer and must act quickly to prevent another family murder.

The Fall Guy: Trailer Talk

Ryan Gosling (Barbie, Blade Runner 2049) plays Colt Seavers, a stuntman who retired a year prior due to his physical and mental health. But he finds himself pulled back into the industry after the star of a big budget studio movie goes missing.

After the success of ‘Barbie’ last year, it looks like this year will continue to shine for Ryan Gosling. He and Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer, Edge of Tomorrow) only share a few scenes in the trailer but the small amount that is shown has already demonstrated the fantastic chemistry that these two will have onscreen.

But it’s the plot itself that’s intriguing; it’s an idea that not only makes sense, but it’s one that makes me think ‘why wasn’t this done sooner?’. Furthermore, I’m hoping this film helps highlight the importance of stunt crews and how much they risk when making a film (I’m also hoping for amazing action scenes here too!). 

‘The Fall Guy’ looks incredible not only with the plot, but with the action sequences as well. Because the main character is a stunt double, spectacular stunts are to be expected here and it’s, so far, living up to expectations. 

Kung Fu Panda 4: Trailer Talk

2024 will see the release of ‘Kung Fu Panda 4’. Considering the last entry in this animated franchise was released nearly 8 years ago, this one was an unexpected surprise.

‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ will, once again, follow Po the Dragon Warrior (Jack Black – The Super Mario Bros. Movie) as he learns to defeat The Chameleon (Viola Davis – The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes), a new foe who can take the form of others. 

The trilogy always had consistently great quality and the 4^th film looks to continue that trend as it continues Po’s story. Here, he is tasked with becoming the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace and it’s clear that he is, once again, not ready to take on that role due to him growing accustomed to the role of Dragon Warrior. 

With this comes the responsibility of finding a new warrior as well as fighting The Chameleon, which is where a new cast of characters comes in. The trailer dismisses the Furious Five in favour of Po teaming up with Zhen (Awkwafina – The Little Mermaid), a crafty and quick-witted thief who helps Po defeat the new foe.  

While this sounds like a lot of plots in what is probably going to be a 2hour movie, it looks like it will intertwine well and be a way for Po to defeat the main villain of the film as well as realizing that he can hold the responsibility of his new role. Plus, The Chameleon looks like a really interesting villain, especially when it’s shown that she can shapeshift into the first film’s villain Tai Lung, but also Po himself. 

The ’Kung Fu Panda’ franchise has always been consistently fantastic, so I have faith that this will fit in comfortably with the rest of the franchise despite its near 8-year gap. Not only is the plot interesting, but the animation looks incredible, and the original voice cast return to reprise their roles. While it has been a long time, I look forward to seeing the continuation of Po’s story.