This Epic 2023 Movie Trailer Mash-Up Takes You On A Journey From M3GAN To Wonka
It's New Year's Eve, which means it's time for another one of the YouTuber Sleepy Skunk's Movie Trailer Mash-Ups. Since 2010, Sleepy Skunk has been delivering 6-and-a-half-minute remixes of nearly every trailer of a major movie to come out that year, and 2023 is no exception.
Once again, this year's trailer is divided into sections, each with a different tone to better capture the sheer variety of movies it has to work with. The first is fairly quiet and peaceful, reminding us of all those romantic, understated films like "Past Lives" or "Elemental." Then comes the spooky section, which reminds us of gems like "Skinamarink" and "The Boogeyman." The mash-up sensibly uses "M3GAN" to end its main horror section, as the evil robot doll's dance transitions perfectly to the trailer's comedy section. Then comes all the goofy, crass, and absurdly funny trailer moments we'd nearly forgotten.
The final section borrows the famous "Can You Hear the Music" score from "Oppenheimer," and turns the mash-up into a straightforward celebration of the visual beauty of cinema in 2023. All the most iconic, breathtaking movie shots of the year are delivered one after another to a crescendo-ing orchestra. "Every year I tell myself 'I'm not gonna let the emotional third act of Sleepy Skunk's annual mash-up bring me to tears' and every year I'm wrong," declares one of the top comments on the video, and the poster is hardly alone in the sentiment.
If you're curious about which movie a particular shot in the trailer is from, check out the timestamped guide from Sleepy Skunk.
2023: A great year for movies?
The main appeal of these videos (besides just embracing the beauty of an expertly edited, deeply emotional six-minute montage) is that it reminds us of how long a year really is, and just how much has happened in it. "The year went by so fast," we tend to say, but Sleepy Skunk is filled with movies that feel like they came out a while ago. Can you believe that "M3GAN" and "Cocaine Bear" only came out in theaters this year, the same year as "Wonka" and "The Iron Claw"? Because it doesn't feel like it.
The other great thing about Sleepy Skunk's montages is how much they remind us of all the forgotten movies that might not have gotten the attention they deserve. The Chinese war thriller "Hidden Blade," which went largely unwatched by mainstream American audiences, is spotlighted twice in this trailer, encouraging viewers to check out a movie they might've otherwise continued ignoring entirely. It also helps to remind audiences of movies they heard about, but hadn't gotten around to watching yet. Did you know that "80 For Brady" has a dinner party scene where everybody's apparently Guy Fieri? Well, thanks to Sleepy Skunk, now you do, and there's only one way to find out the full context.
Most of all, the mash-up's a celebration of the many heights cinema has achieved this year. Despite all the turmoil in the industry, we've gotten a ton of ambitious, groundbreaking films this year, and that's worth remembering. In 2023 at least, cinema was still very much alive.