Sequels are notoriously difficult beasties, a bit like ogres really. Often vehicles to make yet more cash for studios by simply churning out the same initial formula, most are destined to disappoint. I caught the original movie mid-Atlantic whilst en-route to Florida so the chance to see this version on the big screen was a real draw, together with the top quality of the original global phenomenon of Shrek. And so it was that I bundled the family off to see Shrek2 on preview weekend in the UK.
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Director: Andrew Adamson
Cert: U
Run time: 92 mins
Main cast:
Mike Myers ~ Shrek
Eddie Murphy ~ Donkey
Cameron Diaz ~ Princess Fiona
Julie Andrews ~ Queen
Antonio Banderas ~ Puss In Boots
John Cleese ~ King
Rupert Everett ~ Prince Charming
Jennifer Saunders ~ Fairy Godmother
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Following on from the first movie (and why not?), Shrek, the green ogre who lives in a swamp dominated by nursery rhyme characters and a donkey, is now on honeymoon with Princess Fiona. Having rescued her from an evil dragon, Shrek and Fiona are content to live the rest of their lives, Fiona now an ogress, her nightly curse having been made permanent during the first movie.
This domestic bliss is broken when the twosome receive a Royal summons to return to a Land, Far Far Away to get the blessing of the King and Queen following their recent marriage. Having endured the endlessly repetitive "Are we their yet?" courtesy of the Murphyised Donkey, they arrive to a muted reception when the good people of what looks and feels to all intents and purposes like a cartoon Hollywood realise that the pair aren't quite what they expected. A fitful family dinner and the introduction of a vengeful fairy Godmother introduce the menace into the plot with the latter planning to dupe the princess into loving, Prince Charming, her son rather than Shrek courtesy of one of her myriad of potions. This is only after the King has hired a hitman/hitpuss in the shape of the Spanish, swordsman, Puss-in-Boots who fails miserably only to befriend our hero, Shrek and become his ally (much to the chagrin of Donkey). So will the Fairy Godmother's evil plan pay off, will Shrek be ousted and will the King's murky secret be revealed as blackmailed by TFGM? Well, what do you think but this is a children's film, you know?
The original movie was a huge hit, along with having the distinction of being awarded the first Oscar for Best Animated Film. It also happens to be the best selling DVD of its type having clocked up 9 million sales. Shrek2 has been big business in the US already taking $353 million in 3 weeks. Quite frankly, it's eminently possible to see why.
First of all, the CGI is breathtaking. I had to stare hard at the quality of the animation, what with clothing that looked remarkably real even down to fine creases. There's ample opportunity for the creators to show off and how with fantastic dresses and super defined close ups of Fiona's and Prince Charming's faces, in particular. In the tradition of Toy Story, the animations have more than a passing resemblance to the actors employed as voice overs and John Cleese, Cameron Diaz and Mike Myers were instantly recognisable. I have to confess that I thought Prince Charming was Keanu Reeves rather than the aristocratically smooth, Rupert Everett but whoever said that I had 20/20 vision these days?
Then there's the humour. Adult for the most part but always gentle enough to not offend, the script crashes along at a hundred miles an hour, mainly driven by the hyper-active Eddie Murphy revelling in his latest reprisal of the hapless Donkey character. I lost count of the parodies. There were definite references to Terminator2, Mission Impossible, The Oscar Ceremonies, NYPD Blue/Cops just to name a few and, of course, the commercial empire that is Hollywood was neatly drawn, what with the Far Far Away in the background a la Hollywood Hills and the subtle product placements including StarBucks (read Far Bucks). The script must have been meticulously etched out over a lengthy period of time, such is the level of detail achieved by the writers.
Just to add to the pizzazz was the undeniable nods to Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and various other fairy tales. These have been suitably updated for modern audiences with the laughter inducing sleight of hand that showed Princes Charles, Justin Timberlake and the spooky mirror from Slow White in a comic light. Blink and you'll miss them but there they are once again underlining the minutiae of the script.
The musical score makes this movie every bit a musical what with "Hold Out For A Hero", "Ever Fallen In Love" (Great to hear the Buzzcocks again) and the David Bowie anthem "Changes" to name but a few, the frenetic pace of the story is more than ably assisted by the choice of songs to accompany the action.
Drawbacks? I couldn't really think of too many. I suppose the premise was simplistic and you could see where the story was going so no real surprises. The moral remained the same i.e. beauty is only skin deep and the finale was pretty predictable but all of this was outweighed by a fabulous musical score that carried along a plot that kept the audience engaged from start to finish.
Favourite scenes? There were several but up there would be the Mission Impossible take off including Pinocchio, 3 Blind Mice and a Gingerbread man breaking our heroes out of jail thanks to the strangest puppet wearing of a thong that you could imagine. For cat lovers, check out the gorgeous saucer eyes of Puss-in-Boots at key times during the movie as well as a propensity to scratch in the meanest of body locations (eye watering for us men). The closing finale takes some beating too with a wonderfully choreographed sequence replete with upbeat closing track and a big finish (even Jennifer Saunders manages one more parody which would make Arnie Schwarzenneger smile)
To tell you the truth, by the end I felt like cheering. This was £13 well spent on a family ticket to see a great movie in all the splendour of the big screen. Would I recommend this? With Shrek3 and 4 in production, a dynasty is being established but all I can say is that Shrek2 is one of the most uplifting movies of the year and, dare I say it, a monster hit.
Highly Recommended.
Thanks for reading
Marandina

Shrek Review.

From the creators of 'Madagascar', DreamWorks pictures present 'Shrek'. Ogres and princesses may not seem your sort of film but with the famous Mike Myers, as Shrek and the hilarious Eddie Murphy as Donkey this film will have your sides splitting. Although it's an animation, Shrek also has romantic side to it; full of spells and curses you may even feel sorry for the disgusting ogre.

Based on a little known novel by William Steig, Shrek is an animated adventure but still has a lot of action, from fighting dragons, to wrestling match. The film will surely have you in hysterics. Fresh, new directors Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson help the film give out a general message: ' its not what's on the outside its what's on the inside that counts'.

At the start of the film you are introduced to a typical ogre living in a swamp, Shrek bathes and cleans himself in his smelly swamp mud. The scene has been made to show a lovely, clean and innocent side to him. The song played- All-star By sum41 adds a happy, jumpy atmosphere to the title sequence. As the film continues Shrek is now stuck with a talking donkey (Eddie Murphy) and is on a mission to get his swamp back from Lord Farquaad and kick all the magical fairy creatures off of his swam, but there's a catch, he can only get it back if he sets out retrieve a beautiful princess from the highest room in the tallest tower, on top of a volcano guarded by a fire breathing dragon. Whilst Shrek thinks he's only got to deliver the prize back to lord Farquaad his feelings grow bigger and bigger for Fiona. When donkey finds out Fiona's deep secret he sets out to get Shrek together with her so they can live 'happily ever after'. After stopping lord Farquaad and Fiona's wedding Shrek finally manages to woo the lovely princess.

If you haven't already guessed Shrek is the main character played by Mike Myers who also played Austin powers and doctor Evil in all three of the 'Austin Powers' films. Mikes character is a little on the gross side, ugly, and by the look of it smelly. Although he may be on ogre Shrek turns out to have a heart of Gold, very kind and forgiving... but still with the smell. Donkey- Like his names suggests is a donkey, played by Eddie Murphy who has also starred in 'Doctor Dolittle' a unusual film about a man who can talk to animals. Eddies character Is an annoying talking donkey, but when ditched and left to fend for himself by Shrek you cant help but feel sorry for him. Fiona is played by Cameron Diaz, who also played Mary in ' Something about Mary', a high school sweet heart who makes everyone fall in love with her. Princess Fiona, which is soon revealed half way in the film.

I really enjoyed the film; even the horrible bits were great! The best points in Shrek are the characters as they make you feel as if you are on the same adventure as them; the story between the two unlikely lovers makes the film even more effective. On the other hand the film can be a bit predictable but other than that I thought the film was funny and fantastic.

I give the film a **** 4 star rating for effectiveness and a ***** 5star rating for the ideas and effort put into the film. I definitely recommend the film to everyone and anyone.

Shrek is a fantastic modern adaptation of the Princess and the Frog story. Animated by the wonderful people at Dreamworks, the interaction of Mike Myers (Shrek) from Austin Powers fame and Eddie Murphy (Donkey) is unmissable. The easy-to-swallow musical numbers, action sequences and heart-wrenching moments are combined with fantastic comedy throughout from the best of the best Hollywood comedians. The star-studded cast includes Cameron Diaz who plays princess Fiona and John Lithgow who is fantastic as the evil Prince Farquaad. You can't go wrong with this film which will entertain the whole family.

Shrek took three years and two hundred and seventy five animators to make and believe me when I say it was well worth the wait, so this is my review on the spectacular film we call Shrek.

Shrek is a spectacular animated movie a must see. Beneath the skin of the apparently vicious ogre is a sad story to tell. A story of true love between an ogre and a princess with one hidden extra.

Shrek is an ogre that is played by the unmistakable (Mike Myers) he lives in a swamp surrounded by a weird looking forest. The locals do not take kindly to Shrek living in the forest and take it as a threat to their safety. Shrek is then found by a bunch fairytale characters fleeing from the evil Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow). Lord Farquaad's forces that have the orders to sweep the land of Fairytale creature this is where Donkey (Eddie Murphy) appears, this small grey like mule is the backbone of most comedy. In the films He adds comedy to the movie by the idea that this donkey can walk, talk, sing and fly for a short period of time which is one of the highlights of the movie.

Many characters in Shrek derive from other fairy tales and play and keen and important part to the film. For example when snow white is moved by the dwarves onto Shrek's table and Shrek immediately retorts "Oh no, dead broad off the table!" this makes the audience laugh as it appeals to people and also when the gingerbread man is covered with milk to make him talk as he is tortured and he quotes" eat me" this is funny as he is a gingerbread man that can walk and talk and the function in the real world is to be eaten. These characters invade Shrek's home to evade capture from the evil Lord farquaad. Shrek finds the magical fairytale creatures inside his home and devouring his food supplies this is enough to send any one in a rage and send Shrek into a spectacular rage.

The subject of the Princess Fiona is the hidden story behind the movie her story initially seems like any fairytale she is in the tallest tower of the tallest mountain surrounded by scorching hot lava and kept safe by a fire breathing dragon. However this princess is like no other as she does not in some subject obey the routine of normal royalty. Princess Fiona belch's, drinks and releases fatal gases (breaks wind) as bad as a man or ogre. In one scene we see Shrek, Fiona and donkey surrounded by no other than Robin Hood and his merry men at this point Princess breaks away from her inner royalty and kicks butt against Robin Hood and his men. This makes Princess Fiona a role model for women as not only can she stand up for herself, making her different but showing she and all women can survive in this "dog eat dog world " and this appeals to the female audience. Shrek is the complete comedy encyclopaedia of fairytales, at first this is one of the films which you are not quite sure to see but believe me it is a film well worth seeing. Based on the book by William Steig this film as become role model for all children's comedy films. Shrek appeals to people as it has popular culture throughout the hole of the review so I become more interesting and keep the attention of the audience.
Shrek is a good film as it refers to the future which is appealing kids and adult alike.

Shrek sets off to poor start with a few farting jokes followed by the well known song All Star. But swiftly moves into an enjoyable family film and by its end we have been enchanted by a fairy tale world of green ogres, fierce dragons, talking donkeys and yes, a beautiful princess who is waiting to be rescued by her true love. But it's no sugar-coated fairytale. And lots of sarcasm for all the teenagers out there.

Though Shrek is an animation, it is not just for the younger generation, most adults will find Shrek hilarious, along with the visual humour comes the verbal humour, this is what most people will find funny.

Shrek contains many fairytale characters ranging from The Gingerbread Man to Pinocchio, but Donkey is arguably the funniest character in the whole animation. Most of the lines that Donkey delivers may only be understood by adults but some of the actions that he displays are hilarious in themselves.

Shrek can relate to the modern audience because of things that appear in the film such as, when Shrek is shouting at Donkey and he says to Shrek about needing Tic-Tacs.

Shrek can also relate to most fairytales because of the opening shot where Shrek pulls the page out of the book at the beginning. If you are looking for a great twisted fairytale then this is the film to watch, it is bowel achingly funny.

Shrek is a modern classic, it is a brilliant modern interpretation of shakespears original play, "west side story". For people who like green this film is truly excellent. This film is targeted at adults, children may not appreciate the complex ideas of logical positivism and empiricism suggested by the character of "The Ogre."

On a negative note some of the acting could have been better. I believe the film has been dubbed from the original spanish version and this means some of the lines are not in sync, it is almost as if the film has been animated! Also on occasions the continuity is suspect as you can if you look closely see that they have used a stunt donkey in certain scenes.

The underwater sequences were excellant and the acting from Gene Hackman...ooops, reviewing wrong film. Shrek is great. The animation detail is superb. Regards to the DVD, I am told there is an "easter egg" in the DVD, but I can't confirm that.

Shrek (Played my Mike Myers) is an ogre who is required to go on a errand for Lord Farquad to get his swamp back. Shrek makes friends with a little 'Talking' Donkey (Played by Eddie Murphy). The chemistry between these two characters and Princess Fiona (Played by Cameron Diaz) is what makes the film. Shrek is fun family film. Although a lot of the jokes will be wasted on the children. So if you want a film to relax and have a good laugh to then there is no better.

This essay shall discuss how Shrek balances, but at the same time breaks the rules of a fairytale. The film was released early in 2001 and proved to be a big hit here and in the US. Shrek is a film for all the family. It includes humour with a little help from a donkey. Donkey cracks jokes about the size of Lord Farquaad and just makes funny remarks in general. Although it is still based on a typical fairytale it does not always follow the typical plot. A hansom prince rescues the princess and they get married and live happily ever after
The story goes abit like this; Lord Farquaad wants rid of all the small creature from Duloke. Farquaad banishes all the creatures to Shrek's swamp. To get his swamp back Shrek has to go and rescue a princess for Lord Farquaad. On the way a donkey befriends Shrek to his dismay. On the journey they encounter many things such as a fire breathing dragon and many other fairytale creatures. Shrek over hears a conversation between Donkey and Princess Fiona and thinks that Shrek is ugly but he gets the wrong end of the stick. Donkey tries his best at match making and eventually pays off. The princess has a secret and she confides in Donkey. A spell was cast upon her when she was a little girl and she would wait in a castle for 'true loves first kiss' to come and rescue her. On the wedding day Shrek bursts in when they are about to say the vows and Shrek marries the princess as the sunsets and they both marry as ogres. The fire-breathing dragon comes to the rescue and eats Lord Farquaad.
Fairytales were originally told to warn children of the bad things in life and were often very dark. Today Disney has adapted fairytales for a wider audience. Disney fairytales always have a prince, princess, king, queen and other magical characters such as unicorns. Traditional fairytales that were once books are now made into animated films. Examples of this are 'Snow White', 'Sleeping Beauty' and 'Jack and the Bean stalk'.
The story upon with a traditional beginning, 'Once upon a time there was a lovely princess ' The narrator tells the story of a typical, beautiful princess waiting in a tower, under a spell, for her princess charming to come and rescue her. Then the atmosphere is broken by a hand slamming the book shut and saying, 'Yeah, like that's ever gonna happen'. Then to the audiences surprise Shrek appears from the toilet and modern music is playing and this suggests the film is not a convectional fairytale.
Shrek is a big, ugly, green ogre. But yet he does try and be nasty but it is just not his nature so he can't. Examples of this is when he tries to turn Donkey away as a friend but can't. He puts across a very caring, funny yet sensitive attitude. The only creatures who are not scared of Shrek are the fairytale creatures and Donkey. People judge Shrek before they even know him. Shrek gets upset by this. This is one of the main themes in the film that you sould not judge people by what my look like but by what's inside.

Another main aspect, which is different from a traditional fairytale, is that the prince in Shrek is small, ugly, very vain and mean. We see his nasty side when he tortures the gingerbread man that laughs at what he has done. Lord Farquaad is like the punch bag of all of Donkey and Shrek's jokes as they always laugh at his size. The prince in say sleeping beauty is tall, dark and handsome he is also seen as courageous and the hero. In a traditional fairytale we see the prince whisk the princess off her feet and they ride off into the sunset whereas lord Farquaad has to be lifted onto his horse never mind him lifting the princess.
It is also the same for the princess in Shrek; she is also different in comparison to a traditional fairytale. Princess Fiona fights and answers back to Shrek and Donkey. She tries to behave, as she should but can't. She knows the story as it should be and tries to put it right where it is going wrong but can't. She is disappointed when Shrek takes off his helmet and it not the knight she expected. When Robin Hood and his Merry Men attempt to rescue her from the beast she attacks the men (she moves like Lara Croft from Tomb Raider).
The fire-breathing dragon they encounter on their journey that is meant to guard the castle shows a hard front but later on we see that Donkey sweet talks it and it turns out to be a girl and falls in love with Donkey. This whole image, of the dragon being evil and vicious is shattered when it blows pink smoke love hearts at Donkey.
Fiona is singing in the garden with the birds when her pitch becomes too high and causes a little bird to explode. This is also a scene from Snow White when she sings in a nice voice to all the little animals. This is how we can see the tale of Shrek is twisting other fairytales. Princess then goes and makes breakfast with the eggs from the bird. If this was to happen in another fairytale the princess would start crying and regret what she had done, but Fiona just gets on with it.
As the film progresses, Shrek and the princess begin to fall in love. Shrek is too afraid to tell Fiona how he feels because he thinks he is ugly. In a traditional fairytale the princess would never even dare approach an ogre let alone speak to one. But it is different for Fiona because she knows what it feels like because she is an ogre her self. When Princess Fiona transforms as the sunsets she thinks she becomes ugly and disgusting and a princess is not meant to look like this.
The wedding is about to go ahead but Princess Fiona is not happy and can't stop thinking about Shrek. Yet Lord Farquaad just wants to marry her so he can become King, this is very selfish of him. Traditionally the princess would want to marry the prince and their would be no argument and they would like happily ever after.
The wedding goes on and the ceremony is stopped when Shrek bursts in. Fiona turns into an ogre and this is the first time Shrek has seen her like this but he still thinks she is beautiful. The film ends on a happy note like most fairytales do to the music of 'I'm a believer'. All the creatures are freed and the dragon eats Lord Farquaad. The end of the film ends 'and they all lived ugly ever after'. Which ties in nicely with the ending of the film.

Shrek is a film with a lot of content such as comedy. The main element of comedy in the film is Donkey. Donkey's roll in the film is to keep the audience amused and laughing. Donkey is a helpless little creature really and is quite sweet. He longs to be Shrek's friend and Shrek loves him really but just doesn't want to show it. Donkey and Shrek get along just fine. They laugh together and make funny remarks about Lord Farquaad's stature.
The common theme in the film is 'don't judge people by the way they look' but to like them for what they are. I don't think this is put across that effectively because Shrek doesn't like the way people are scared about the way he looks yet they don't know him. But Shrek and Donkey pull jokes about Lord Farquaad and the way he looks.
I think the film is brilliant and I would recommend it to anyone big or small. It is great the way they have kept it as a fairytale but managed to make it funny as well. My favourite scenes are the wedding where Shrek saves the day and the karaoke at the end with all the characters are singing. My favourite characters would have to been the stars of the film Shrek and Donkey. They are just so funny. I think Shrek is better than a traditional fairytale any day as it makes you laugh and traditional fairytales are babyish. Whereas Shrek maybe classed as a fairytale it is suitable for young child right up to adults.

Shrek was an excellent movie. There are some very funny scenes in the film. The jokes are good and the characters are believeable.

You already know Shrek is a good film, so here's something others may not have told you. Suitable for any age above about 5 (we have reservations for our three year old - scary dragon scene, scene set in a dungeon, detached eyeball in close up and gruesome threats etc - she'll love it when she's a little older). Plenty of trumping jokes so may not suit prim relatives - but good fun for children and any other adults. Get the Region 1 DVD if you can - lots more extras - but don't play with them until you've seen the film or they may give the game away.

When all the fairytale characters are driven out of fairyland, they converge on the home of the ogre Shrek, who just can't cope with so many visitors. He goes to the king to sort it out and ends up on a mission to rescue a beautiful princess. Too much more detail would spoil the film if you haven't already seen it, but suffice it to say that there's a twist in the tale and a happy ending. Eddie Murphy as the donkey is great casting. Shrek's accent leaves a bit to be desired, but otherwise the film is faultless. Excellent animation.

Shrek (mike myers) is the main character... the adorable ogre. His home is threatened by invasion from every other character from every other kiddies film you can think of.
In the hope of retrieving his home, Shrek and his new friend, who happens to be a lovable yet annoying donkey(Eddie Murphy), set off on what turns out to be an unwanted adventure to rescue the princess.

I think overall that shrek is a fantastic film/movie because it is very funny and i think it was good as the voice of the donkey was eddie murphy-it suited the characteristic of the donkey

Shrek is a truly good film all the family will enjoy it!!

Shrek (Mike Myers) is an ogre-but an ogre with a difference-witty, charming and misunderstood by the 'humans' who live nearby. When his swamp home is threatened, he rises to the challenge to find the local wannabe king, Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow), a bride in return for his beloved swamp home. Aided and abetted by a magical flying donkey (Eddie Murphy), the film is full of hilarious moments with enough to keep us Big Kids smiling too.