Shrek 2 Review
by Jerry Saravia (faust668 AT aol DOT com)June 10th, 2004
SHREK 2 (2004)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
Viewed on June 9th, 2004
RATING: Two stars and a half
Can it be true? Has Pixar and Dreamworks made a sequel to "Shrek" and released it in theatres? Well, considering it has been three years since the original, we know the computer animators have been working overtime to create something special the second time around, and they have succeeded. "Shrek 2" is probably better than what we can expect, and possibly superior to any direct-to-video Disney sequels, but it also should've been better than we'd expect.
"Shrek 2" brings back the ogre couple from the original, Shrek (voiced by Mike Myers) and Fiona (voiced by Cameron Diaz), now living happily in the swamps. They take mud baths, make love by the beach in "From Here to Eternity" style (how often has that scene been parodied?), and fart with the greatest of ease. All is well until the generally loquacious Donkey (voiced by Eddie Murphy) returns with a message for Fiona and her groom to travel to Far, Far Away Land to meet her parents, the King (voiced by John Cleese) and Queen (voiced by Julie Andrews). Of course, the assumption is that Fiona was rescued by Prince Charming from the slaying dragon - the last person anybody expects to enter this land is not one but two ogres. The King and Queen, and most of the kingdom's population is shocked, especially a bird who flies into a wall and dies. A nice touch of humor is when the ogres first arrive at the palace, and everyone is quiet except for a crying baby. Naturally, the King and the jolly green Shrek do not get along, throwing food at each other and trading insults. So what seems like an animated "Meet the Parents" soon enough turns into the semi-ingenious sequel we were hoping for.
The King fools Shrek into meeting him in the forest, thanks to a wicked plan by the Fairy Godmother (voiced by Jennifer Saunders) who is quite upset her son, Prince Charming (voiced by Rupert Everett), did not marry Fiona. Shrek and Donkey are moseying along when Puss-in-Boots (voiced by Antonio Banderas) challenges Shrek to a duel, though it mostly involves a catfight with Puss's sharp claws used as weapons. Eventually, the threesome decide to steal a potion from Fairy Godmother's castle, something called "Happily Ever After" (otherwise known as Love Potion No.9). Shrek hopes that the potion will make his Fiona look at him and fall in love. Unfortunately, cherry-lipped Prince Charming and the Fairy Godmother have different plans.
In terms of animation, "Shrek 2" is astounding to look at once again. Not a moment is wasted anywhere for maximum visual impact, whether it is seeing the Fairy Godmother's two show-stopping musical numbers or her carriage being whisked away into the night. As expected, Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey look as real and three-dimensional as the human characters (the latter still a major flaw design in the CGI era).
But we movie critics can get nitpicky, and I am afforded the pleasure of being as picky as I can get. "Shrek 2" has moments of inspired lunacy and several blink-and-you'll-miss jokes in the background and the foreground (stabs are made at Starbucks, Fat Boy, Tower Records, Hollywood and, of course, Disney). There are also a plethora of film parodies with the likes of "Spider-Man," "The Lord of the Rings," and the original "Shrek." The movie piles on so many clever in-jokes and references that you're likely to miss most of them - they spring out of the screen at such an alarming rate that it is like a cartoonish nightmare version of Robert Altman's "The Player."
What "Shrek 2" lacks is a real reason for its existence. The story is basically a recap of the original's themes and subtexts, namely be yourself and get rid of your inner rage. Aw, shucks, not another simplistic moral lesson. If Pixar is going to separate themselves from Disney, they need to face certain realities and avoid the moral cliches of the past sixy years - the animation is more lifelike than Disney but the story can't bear such close scrutiny.
I wanted to like "Shrek 2" so much more than I had. I liked it enough to give it a passable recommendation, but I think kids and adults alike will find the original, a parody of fairy-tales, far more enjoyable. Still, seeing Red Riding Hood running in fear of Shrek makes me smile. And Shrek himself is still a jolly green giant with flashes of anger. That's just the way I like him.
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