CORPORATE LINE: Shrek 2 sends Shrek, Donkey and Princess Fiona on a whirlwind of new adventures with more fairy-tale favorites to lampoon along the way.
Shrek now faces his greatest challenge: the in-laws. Shrek and Princess Fiona return from their honeymoon to an invitation to visit Fiona’s parents, the king and queen of the Kingdom of Far Far Away. With Donkey along for the ride, the newlyweds set off. All of the citizens of Far Far Away turn out to greet their returning Princess, and her parents joyfully anticipate the homecoming of their daughter and her new Prince. But no one could have prepared them for the sight of their new son-in-law, not to mention how much their little girl had…well…changed.
Little did Shrek and Fiona know that their marriage had foiled all of her father’s plans for her future…and his own. Now the king must enlist the help of a powerful Fairy Godmother, the handsome Prince Charming and that famed ogre killer Puss In Boots to put right his version of “happily ever after.”
THE GOOD: There are dozens of films released each year that claim to be comedies but are good for one laugh or maybe two—Shrek 2 is a real comedy and will make you bust a seam. If you haven’t laughed more in the first few minutes than you have at any recent Adam Sandler movie then you have issues.
Shrek was a great story where the laughs were the icing on the cake while Shrek 2 is more about the laughs and the story seems secondary. It’s the spoofs that keep the movie moving along and keep you laugh. There is a fun spoof called “Knights” which is actually a medieval “COPS.” And then there is the kingdom of Far Far Away, which is posted on the hillside like the Hollywood sign, and kingdom’s entrance is “borrowed” from Walt Disney world. All is far in love and animation.
Shrek 2 is a gorgeous movie. Sure it’s a fantastic kid’s movie, but how can you ignore the graphics? They are outstanding. There are instances when it appears that the characters are real actors brought into a cartoon just to mess with your head—yet they are all computer generated. Then there are the animations. The characters have human like fluidity—and when Donkey runs, as a horse, it looks lifelike. Literally a whole review could be written for a computer graphic magazine alone just talking about all the amazing attributes of the films design that go way beyond eye candy.
The voice acting was another major plus. Eddie Murphy as Donkey is hysterical but we already knew he would be, but who knew Antonia Banderas as Puss In Boots would be such a showstopper. Maybe it was those kitty cat eyes that got me every time. Mike Meyers as Shrek is delicious. Then there is Jennifer Saunders as the Fairy Godmother—who is wickedly delightful and Rupert Everett who plays the pompously funny Prince Charming. You could almost hear the house of mouse snarling and yet you don’t feel bad for the little vermin.
THE BAD: Although Shrek is witty and the writing is brilliant the story lacks depth. Does that mean you shouldn’t see the movie? Hardly, but it felt like the story was subservient to the joke. Honestly Shrek 2 could have been about almost anything—like “A Day in the life of Shrek” or “Shrek takes on the Evil Empire [yes the mouse].” The jokes in Shrek 2 would have carried any plot. Thank heavens for brilliant writers. One small beef—maybe it was me, but it seemed too short. Thirty more minutes would have sat fine with me.
DVD FEATURES: Far Far Away Idol is a hilarious spoof of American Idol. Simon and the gang are computer animated. Each Shrek character sings and you get to vote who is the best. This is a hefty extra that you instantly recognize took a lot of work. The cast of Myers, Diaz, Murphy, etc. sing the songs which is just as impressive. This would have been fun on its own. There is a definite wow factor.
The Tech of Shrek 2 is a nice behind-the-scenes documentary about the making of the film and what it took to make the film. Meet The Cast is interviews with the voice actors and Eddie Murphy shows up for this one. Meet Puss in Boots is exactly like meet the cast except it is Antonio Bandaras exclusively.
Technical Goofs offers a fun look at production errors which of course were intentional and some very funny. Perhaps some were not intentional to see where they might have gone with them. You be the judge.
FRANKLY: Toy Story 2 was the rare cartoon sequel that bettered the original—Shrek 2 is fantastic, but not better than the original. It is absolutely entertaining. The thing about Shrek 2 is as a writer if you don’t bring a notepad to write everything down you are bound to forget all the great little things—I have experience to back that up. All those little things are white will keep you in your seat and happy that you bought your ticket.
Shrek 2 isn’t only a movie for the kids; seriously it is a date movie, too. Especially if the one you love is mad at you. Try it out—Shrek 2 is guaranteed to make even the most miserable person laugh. Maybe Dreamworks should adopt that as their marketing slogan: “Shrek 2, we guarantee you laugh or you need to see a doctor—and we’ll pay for the visit!”
I’ll leave you with this thought: can we expect another Shrek movie? Perhaps “Shrek 3: Two is company, but more is a Party”? Shrek has to become a dad right? How many babies do ogres have? Do they have a litter? We just might find out.
+ Charlie Craine
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