Whether you’ve seen a lot of movies and TV shows or only not, it’s likely you’ve cracked a few jokes at the expense of the motion picture. It doesn’t matter if you loved the movie or hated it—there’s usually a moment that makes you think, “Wait, what?”
Screen Junkies knows all about those moments. In fact, the people behind this YouTube channel think that those movies and TV shows do a big disservice by not preemptively informing their audiences about them. In pursuit of that goal, Screen Junkies stitches together “Honest Trailers.”
The channel mostly focuses on making these Honest Trailers, which are voiced by Jon Bailey. In them, the channel pokes fun at popular movies, exposing the unique quirks, perks and flaws each movie has. For instance, many of the “gifts” in Encanto actually seem a lot like curses. Or here’s another one: Could they really not find the villain’s lair in Black Widow just because it’s floating in a cloud?
Perhaps the Honest Trailers have more merit in their quips than we thought.
Many of the videos call out movies and TV shows for using negative stereotypes. They also remind us that whether a story is good or bad, we can still have goodhearted laughs that don’t detract from the message it’s trying to tell.
Screen Junkies reviews popular movies and TV shows ranging from the something lighthearted, such as the movie Cars, to the blood-drenched Netflix series Squid Game. In reviews of titles more saturated in problematic content, Screen Junkies isn’t afraid to show the blood, gore and censored sex that comes with them.
In terms of the channel’s commentary, many of the jokes Jon makes also reference sex in some way. He also uses crude language such as “d–n” and “a–” prominently. Heavier profanity, such as the f-word and s-word, are typically censored. God’s name is also heard being misused.
Here’s an example of what some of that problematic content looks like in this context. In an Honest Trailer for Eternals, Jon laments the Marvel movie’s controversial sex scene for being too short.
And, of course, the word junkies is a derogatory euphemism for drug addicts, a word parents may not want their kids using.
Screen Junkies offers a comical look at the sillier parts of the movies we all know and potentially love, providing ample laughs for viewers to enjoy. However, some of the movies they review and the jokes they make will cause parents to want to review whether the content is appropriate for their children.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
