 |
|
|
Shrek
2 Movie Review: The adventures of Shrek, Donkey and Princess Fiona continue as DreamWorks take another hilarious swipe at the Fairytale universe. Picking up from where the first movie left off, Shrek 2 is more of a continuation of a longer story than a rehash sequel and this is the movie’s biggest asset. The anticipation and curiosity is already there as you clamber to find out what happens next to the beloved trio and to the credit of the screenwriters they take you on a very obvious but extremely amusing path by asking, “What will Fiona’s parents think of Shrek?” From then on we get to meet five new characters that will become instant favourites within this fairytale land. Who better to voice the King and Queen of Far, Far Away than John Cleese and Julie Andrews? These quintessential British actors convey the presence of royalty just through the dulcet tones of their voices, bringing a regal grandeur to the characters. This all goes out of the window however, when the King meets Shrek and the verbal confrontation begins with only the Queen offering any sign of decorum. Only John Cleese could rant and argue in this way but Mike Myers rises to the challenge. The villains of the piece step to the very small mark left by Lord Farquaad in the original. Jennifer Saunders and Rupert Everett voice the Fairy Godmother and her son Prince Charming, Fiona’s real intended knight in shining armour, brilliantly. The Fairy Godmother is supposed to be woman that makes the happily ever after come true but she just uses that power to make her own diabolical plans reach fruition. Jennifer Saunders breathes life into this self-serving character with such relish, even getting to sing during a very amusing parody of every fairy godmother ever to grace the fairy tale world. While Prince Charming might be slightly underused, Rupert Everett makes the most of the character’s screen time by making him the upper class toff you’d expect him to be. A man consumed by the love of himself and his ascension to the throne, Charming is the puppet of the Fairy Godmother and her foil to destroy the marriage of Shrek and Fiona. Stealing the show and by far the best of the new characters is the purrfect Puss In Boots. Voiced brilliantly by Antonio Banderas, the character is, ironically, Zorro in cat’s clothing, who turns from a life as an assassin to a fighter for good and a damm good singer to boot. The confrontations between Donkey and him are hilarious, as the two scrambles to be Shrek annoying talking animal sidekick. As well as a plethora of new characters it is easy to forget to three leading lights from the original film. Mike Myers voices the self-conscious ogre with such tenderness that you can’t help but be drawn to the character. He appeals to anyone who has ever struggled to fit in and gives hope that there is someone for everyone, whatever you look like. Cameron Diaz has abit more fun with Fiona this time around as the character embraces her ogre side for the first half of the movie but also feels the pressure of her civic duty. Eddie Murphy returns to his best role and proves again that the actor should stick to voice roles and give up his sad and repetitive onscreen persona. Donkey is again on top comedic form but when you throw a magic potion and Puss In Boots into the mix you have a cocktail for comedy. The magicians at PDI DreamWorks have done it again and raised the bar in the animation stakes. Shrek’s fairytale world and the colourful characters that inhabit it are brilliantly brought to life with astounding detail. This shows what computer animation can do by creating some of the best human and fairytale character ever to the grace screen. Beautiful animation and astonishing vocal performances would be nothing without an enthralling story. Incorporating digs at everything from modern pop culture (which could inadvertently date the movie) to Disney and the entire fairytale genre, Shrek 2 has an underlying story of accepting who you are that will resonate with everyone who watches it. This is what gives these movies their charm because if you strip away all the jokes and impressive visuals you have a story and a set of characters that you really care about. Shrek 2 is how a sequel should be made, as it is a continuation of a larger story. With brilliant characters, amazing visuals and a theme that you can’t help but be drawn into, this is a movie that you will simply adore, as it takes you to a far away land where you can live happily ever after. Star Rating = * * * * * You pretty much know what this will be, and it certainly never disappoints. And while it's not terribly original--it never takes the premise or characters anywhere new--you'll be so busy laughing you won't care. After their fairy tale wedding, Shrek and Fiona (voiced by Myers and Diaz) are settling down to life in the swamp with their chatty Donkey (Murphy) when they're summoned to meet Fiona's parents, the King and Queen of Far Far Away (Cleese and Andrews). But once they make the long journey, they find themselves in the middle of a power struggle involving the Fairy Godmother (Saunders), who wanted her primadonna son Prince Charming (Everett) to marry Fiona instead. Enter the sword-for-hire Puss in Boots (Banderas) ... but which side will he take? Where the first film parodied Disney fairy tales, this one takes aim at Disneyland itself: Far Far Away is a spoofy blending of Disney's Magic Kingdom with Hollywood--ripe for picking, but not exactly difficult to make fun of. Fortunately, the writers maintain a steady stream of very smart jokes. While each frame is packed with subtle gags, the dialog and animation are full of inspired comedy--witty one-liners, pop culture references, song snippets and rapid-fire takes on other films. The opening sequence alone pokes fun at Lord of the Rings, The Little Mermaid, From Here to Eternity and Peter Pan. And animation is breathtakingly gorgeous, often looking so photo-realistic that we double-take. Meanwhile, the endearing characters continue to grow on us, given sharp life by the actors. Myers, Diaz and Murphy continue their heroic, romantic and annoyingly hilarious work, respectively. Of the new characters, Banderas' Puss in Boots is the film-stealer, with a combination of voice and animation that are hilariously inspired--all suave machismo and kitteny coquettishness. And Saunders' Fairy Godmother is outrageously colourful, sweet and vicious in equal measure, and given the film's two funniest musical numbers. The film is full of the usual fart jokes and running gags, cross dressing (King as an Ugly Stepsister) and general romantic chaos, culminating, of course, with a kiss at midnight. Awww! Rich Cline What made the original “Shrek” so entertaining was how the animators turned the world of fairy-tales upside down but without ruining the morals that kept them together. The careful precision and absolute hilarity that was housed in every frame of Shrek made the film an instant classic. It is no wonder it went on to win an Academy Award. It was a marvel. So how does one follow up such a great animated film like Shrek? Well by unleashing more mayhem, goofier characters and a new chapter in the life of green ogre named Shrek, of course. The sequel picks up after the honeymoon of Shrek (Mike Myers) and Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz). The happy couple returns to Shrek’s swamp where they are met by Shrek’s faithful friend, Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and a royal messenger. It turns out that Fiona’s royal parents (John Cleese, Julie Andrews) want to meet their daughter’s new husband at their castle in Far, Far Away. The couple, flanked of course by Donkey, set off on a journey to the Kingdom of Far, Far Away. Unbeknownst to the happy trio, the people of Far, Far Away have no idea Fiona married an ogre and never got a kiss from her supposed true love, Prince Charming (Rupert Everett), to break Fiona’s ogre curse. Furthermore, Fiona’s father had promised the hand of his daughter to Charming and his mother, Fairy Godmother (Jennifer Saunders). How will Shrek fit in with Fiona’s parents? How does the feisty assassin Puss N Boots (Antonio Banderas) fit into the equation? Can true love overcome the treachery in the Kingdom of Far, Far Away? There are a lot of things to praise about “Shrek 2”. The animation gets more and more impressive with every new computer-animated film. The colors, textures, atmosphere and quirky character traits are all utterly phenomenal. Like the first film, “Shrek 2” is effortlessly able to blend humor, heart and feeling into each animated morsel. There are so many great scenes and great lines that in some ways you can’t help but get caught up in the mystical mayhem that is Shrek’s world. For me the standout character has to have been Puss N Boots. He is absolutely priceless and every time I heard Banderas beneath that tabby fur I wanted to laugh with glee. It is amazing how much I saw of my cat in Puss. That is a sign of brilliant animation. My only small problems with “Shrek 2” had to do with the fact that the film went a little to far on trying to be bigger and better than the first film. I really got tired of the giant Gingerbread Man quickly and felt it wasn’t needed. There were so many interesting things going on that had evolved from the first film that we really never got to know any of the new characters. The characters we got to know the most, if any, were Fairy Godmother and Fiona’s dad. I wanted to know more about Prince Charming and of course my personal favorite Puss N Boots. An extra scene or moment with each could have sufficed in fleshing out who they are. What’s the story behind Puss N Boots? Where did he come from? How did he become an assassin? Does Charming ever go against his mother? I found
the first film to be more intimate and a clever escape from
the predictable nature of a Disney classic fairy tale. The
sequel is a further departure without the intimacy of the
first film. I know this is an animated film and I loved
“Shrek 2” but I wanted more from the characters
since the animation presented feels so real. The ogre is back in full force! Shrek 2 is a worthy and hilarious follow-up to the 2001 original, which combined cynical humor and warmth while taking shots at the Walt Disney Corporation. Shrek 2 follows the same framework, but is more focused on taking shots at other blockbusters (Spider-Man, The Lord of the Rings) and living in its own realm. When we saw them last, the huge green arrogant ogre, Shrek (Michael Myers), married the “ogrely” cursed Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) and the two took off on their honeymoon without their outspoken sidekick Donkey (Eddie Murphy). Shrek 2 picks up during their honeymoon and then their return to the swamp, where Fiona’s noble parents, King Harold (John Cleese) and Queen Lillian (Julie Andrews) invite them to visit Far Far Away. Opposed to the idea due to the attraction of attention, Shrek eventually agrees to go along to Far Far Away with Fiona and this time Donkey does accompany them. Stunned his grotesque appearance, King Harold and Shrek ensue on a father-husband quarrel, while Queen Lillian and Princess Fiona attempt to be the peacemakers. To make matters worse, a new villain arises, Fairy Godmother (Jennifer Saunders), who actually planned for her chudish son, Prince Charming (Rupert Everett), to save Princess Fiona from the fiery dragon to become her husband. Filled with frustrated rage, King Harold and the Fairy Godmother devise their own plans for deteriorating Fiona and Shrek’s marriage, which includes sending a assassin, Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas), who actually becomes a ally for Shrek among other things. Though this film is full of the same crude humor, the underlying theme, in which this installment is about acceptance and changes for the ones you love, stands out. The laughs are often and constant throughout Shrek 2, with inside gimmicks on popular companies and other films being perfectly staged. There is also an ample amount of hidden adult humor, but Shrek 2 is first and foremost for kids of all ages. The once again brilliant animation by DreamWorks is also critical to the film’s physical comedy, in which this installment has a little more slapstick and just as much non-verbal cues as the first film. However, the characters and the story are still the bright spot. Though Donkey can be annoying and Shrek is so hard headed at times, we still love them as modern day movie icons. It is also pleasant that most of the supporting fairy tale characters from the first film, such as The Gingerbread Man, Pinocchio and The Big Bad Wolf also make their presence known in Shrek 2. The new characters are also great additions, such as Puss in Boots, who actually stills some of Donkey’s thunder in the film. The writers of the film cleverly present Far Far Away as the Beverly Hills of this world, where the money flows and the locales engulf things like Starbucks. The dialogue is once again sappy and witty, and there are in fact a few musical numbers in this sequel, even though the first film humorously made fun of singing in animation. There is no poking fun at The Matrix films as in the first, but be sure there are many others to take its place this time around. The film’s funniest sequence in fact makes fun of one television’s first reality series. Mike Myers once again lends his engaging voice as Shrek. Eddie Murphy is also entertaining again as the sidekick Donkey. However, Antonio Banderas as Puss in Boats is the perfect cast. Shrek 2 will be one of the better films to open this summer and it is hard to talk about with much revealment, due to sounding like a broken record or serving up spoiler information. The humor is fresh and vibrant, but there is of course a moral story once again. In the first film, Shrek sort of came out of his swamp and learned about love, friendship and being yourself no matter what you look like. This time around, Shrek learns more about love, friendship, happiness, and to judge one by their character, not their appearance. Shrek 2 is a charming comedic ride that will have you leaving the theaters smiling from ear to ear. Grade: A-
Site Contents Copyright© The Z Review, unless used with permission.This site has no intention to infringe on the rights of the film owners of Shrek 2 and intellectual copyright holders of the movies mentioned herein & hold copyright over the movie, characters, merchandise & storyline. |
|
|
||
|
||
|