Shrek Review
by Jerry Saravia (faust668 AT aol DOT com)January 25th, 2002
SHREK (2001)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
January 25th, 2001
RATING: 3 stars and a half
In ninety minutes, "Shrek" offers more laughs and giddy pleasures than most movies of late do at that twice that length. It is a wondrous, comical animated adventure that satirizes fairy tales and wears its heart on its sleeve without ever winking too far to remind us that it is all a joke.
Shrek (voiced by Mike Myers) is a giant ogre living in isolation in his own dwelling - a swamp. He wants nothing to do with anybody and scares as many people to keep away as he can. But his isolation is disrupted by all creatures great and small from a nearby kingdom, the kingdom of Lord Farquaad (voiced by John Lithgow). The creatures are all characters from our favorite fairy tales, including Pinocchio, the Big, Bad Wolf, the Three Little Pigs, a tomb carrying Snow White led by the seven dwarves, Tinkerbell and many others. They have been banished from Faraquaad's kingdom yet Shrek does not wish to hang on to any of them, or provide housing for that matter. Shrek voices his complaints to Farquaad, accompanied by a talkative donkey named Donkey (voiced by Eddie Murphy). In response, Farquaad proposes a mission to Shrek: bring his bride-to-be Princess Fiona back from a dragon's lair and he will allow the creatures to come back to his kingdom.
After she is thrillingly rescued by Shrek and Donkey from the fire-breathing dragon, Princess Fiona (voiced by Cameron Diaz) turns out to be quite a charmer - she is resilient, open-minded, funny and can deliver "Matrix"-like kung-fu kicks. This woman appeals to Shrek but he would not dare admit it. Donkey knows there is love in the air and pushes the green ogre to pursue her to his heart's content. All Shrek can tell Donkey is to shut up.
"Shrek" is an undeniable pleasure from beginning to end. It is chock full of great lines, numerous references to other movies, and is always exciting and entertaining. Not a single moment is wasted, and the computer animation is quite a marvel to witness. Every character seems to occupy a real time and place and are as realistically conveyed as any animated film I have seen (excepting "Monsters, Inc."). The movie is so wicked, clever, and imaginative that one may forget what it really lacks: inspiration. "Shrek" is not so much an original fairy tale as it is a spin on them - it mocks legends, ogres, and just about every tale ever told by your parents during bedtime. Although it is cleverly and wittily told, it does not quite find its own identity. "Shrek" feels like a hodgepodge of fairy tale cliches, sometimes poking fun at them but mostly placing credence on the notion that beauty can be found in any creature, especially an ogre. Though it delivers its theme with some degree of surprise, it nonetheless fee
ls too simple-minded for its own good.
But what am I arguing about? "Shrek" is fun for the whole family (though some of it may be a bit crude and wicked for the tots). And for major laughs, you can't get better than the cynical Shrek and the comically droll Donkey arguing back and forth. I was left smiling and in good spirits from the sheer number of shrewdly written gags and one-liners. In terms of animation and characterization in this workable genre, "Shrek" is simply real movie magic at work.
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