Honest Trailers Commentaries is a weekly web series in which a panel of Honest Trailers writers watch and riff on an episode of Honest Trailers. The combine elements of traditional reaction videos, conventional audio commentaries, and comedy riffing tracks. Like reaction videos, they combine a shot of the writers with a thumbnail of the video they are watching so viewers. Like conventional audio commentaries, the writers discuss the creative process of producing each episode of Honest Trailers. Like comedy riff tracks, the writers frequently go off on humorous tangents, especially improv comedy bits involving character impersonations. Honest Trailers Commentaries are typical 20 - 30 minutes in length. They are hosted by Spencer Gilbert, Joe Starr and Dan Murrell.
Honest Trailers Commentaries were first published on Screen Junkies paid subscription service Screen Junkies Plus, starting in 2015. The writers made a video every week to commentate on the newest Honest Trailer, while simultaneously going back through the archives of Honest Trailers, starting with the oldest Honest Trailer. When Screen Junkies Plus was discontinued in June 2017, new episodes of Honest Trailers Commentaries were published on the Screen Junkies News YouTube channel. An Honest Trailer Commentary for every episode of Honest Trailers has been recorded - almost 300 in total. However, when the Screen Junkies app/website was discontinued in early 2018, all pre-June 2017 episodes were taken down. The episodes still exist, but Screen Junkies doesn't currently have a way to publish them. Screen Junkies Plus also used to host episodes of Honest Games Trailers Commentaries.
Honest Trailers Commentaries get a fraction of the views of Honest Trailers - typically between 50,000 and 80,000. Honest Trailers Commentaries are designed to be watched after watching the original Honest Trailer. However, there is a vocal minority of viewers who preferHonest Trailers Commentaries to actual Honest Trailers and don't even bother watching the original video. The writers frequently make jokes about these people, who they "don't get."
Format
Logo for the web series Honest Trailers Commentaries.
Introduction: The host explains the format of the video, typically instructing viewers to watch the actual Honest Trailer first, then come back and watch the commentary. The host explains the panelists will watch the Honest Trailer, pausing it as necessary to share their thoughts, and then show deleted scenes and cut jokes.
Opening thoughts: Each panelist gives their overall impression of the movie and the challenges of writing an Honest Trailer.
Stop/Start: The writers watch the Honest Trailer, calling out "Pause!" at crucial moments to have in-depth discussions of the film's features. The writers frequently ask the tricast operator to go back and pause on key images in order to better scrutinize them. Compared to Honest Trailers, Honest Trailers Commentaries typically involve much more nitpicking.
Deleted scenes/cut jokes: Video of jokes that were removed from the Honest Trailer. Sometimes jokes are removed because the Honest Trailer is running too long. Other times jokes are removed because they didn't land. Most cut jokes are alternate lines (especially alternate "starrings") that the team recorded with narrator Jon Bailey.
Final thoughts: The writers give their overall thoughts on the film.
Clue for next week's Honest Trailer: The host conclude by dropping a hint (usually a pun) about what next week's Honest Trailer will be.
Notable episodes
Honest Trailers Commentary - Solo- A Star Wars Story
Honest Trailers Commentary for Solo: A Star Wars Story - in which the panelists joke that Solo establishes that every single idea the characters have in the original trilogy must be based off an event that occurred in the prequel. The hosts riff on the idea of Han Solo expounding, at length, on his encounter with a Space Worm and a rock. The also joke about the origin of other surnames in the Star Wars universe.
Honest Trailers Commentary for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom - in which the panelists riff on the idea that the character Benjamin Lockwood must have been monumentally clueless to not notice that his business partner was building a secret dinosaur auction room in his house.
Honest Trailers Commentary for Venom - in which they improvize an Eminem-style rap theme song for the indie movie Roma. They alsohypothesize that Venom comes from a sick-ass planet where everyone has 2000s OzFest tour band names (Riot! Toxin! Venom!) and the name "Venom" is actually as mundane as "Dave."
Honest Trailers Commentary - How to Train Your Dragon
Honest Trailers Commentary for How To Train Your Dragon - in which the panelists riff on the idea of all the adult characters having Swedish accents. However, the panelists' only knowledge of the Swedish language comes from the Swedish Chef in The Muppets, and their only only knowledge of Sweden involves eating meatballs and assembling IKEA furniture with Allen keys.
