Being a regular cinema fan of animation films I would have seen this film regardless of the publicity. There was a lot of hype about this film. In the States the film has grossed millions of dollars. What does well in USA usually does well here. Shrek has been touted as a possible Oscar winner next year in the inaugural animation section.
WHO DID I GO WITH
My wife and mother accompanied me. Actually my mum had to be dragged along.
WHEN DID I SEE SHREK
Tuesday 3rd July at St Andrews Quay, Hull. The cinema was quite easy to get to. There was plenty of parking space available. The man who sold us our tickets looked bored out of his mind. The 2 female ticket attendants were quite tasty though. Next to the cinema was a Deep Pan Pizza restaurant, which featured buy 1 and get 1 pizza free offers. The popcorn, sweets and soft drinks were too expensively priced at the cinema.
THE CAST
Shrek - Mike Myers Donkey - Eddie Murphy Princess Fiona - Cameron Diaz Lord Farquart - John Lithgow
THE PLOT
A
giant green ogre Shrek lives as a recluse. A donkey befriends Shrek. Lord Farquart wants to marry Princess Fiona. But Fiona is locked up in a castle guarded by a dragon. Farquart orders Shrek and the donkey to deliver Fiona to him. Fiona is rescued but has feelings for Shrek. She also has a secret which only donkey knows about. Shrek has similar feelings for Fiona but is too shy to admit them to Fiona. Farquart then prepares for the wedding. But the dragon intervenes and Shrek marries Fiona despite her secret. And they all lived happily ever after.
REVIEW
The beginning of the film is excellent. The narrator reads from a fairy tale book. Shrek simply tears the page out and wipes his bottom. Shrek was quite well designed. His ears, which stuck out a mile, were a lovely feature. I do not think Mike Myers was at his best voicing Shrek. Mike is best known for Wayne's World (schwing) and Austin Powers. An actor with a deeper voice would have made a better Shrek. There are echoes of the Selfish Giant in Shrek's character.
Eddie Murphy's portrayal as the donkey was sensational. I may even see Dr Doolittle 2 as a result. The last film I saw of his was 'The Nutty Professor' which was brilliant. It also starred the gorgeous Jada Pinkett who is the real life wife of Will Smith. The donkey made several efforts to befriend Shrek before finally succeeding. A funny subplot takes place when the dragon takes a fancy to donkey. I can imagine several toys of Shrek and donkey being sold at Argos stores etc.
Cameron Diaz's voicing of Fiona was not quite right. I preferred Meg Ryan's portrayal of Anastasia. Fiona's voice seemed a little tomboyish. Fiona's secret was revealed beautifully. But to me Cameron Diaz will always be remembered in 'The Mask' where she rolled up her skirt revealing her legs, which distracted Jim Carrey.
John Lithgow is best known for his role as an alien in the TV series '3rd Rock from the Sun'. As Lord Farquart he did not sound fearsome enough. He is at his best in John Cleese type roles. The beauty of Lord Farquart was his size. He resembled a Napoleon type figure.
The film was made by Steven Spielberg's Dreamworks studio. Apparently Dreamworks have stolen the thunder from Disney's own animated films. There was a lot of satirical putdowns of Disney in the film eg Pinocchio, gingerbread man, 3 little pigs etc. I believe that Disney will not take this piss-take lying down and may retaliate in the future.
One original feature of the film was a parody of modern day TV. The fight involving Shrek and Farquart's soldiers was pure World Wrestling Federation action. When Farquart had to find a bride he was given 3 choices. This scene resembled 'Blind Date'. Where were Cilla Black and Graham?
The love story between Shrek and Fiona did not have the emotion of 'Pocahontas'. But it portrayed what feelings go on in real-life affairs.
The animation was excellent. The film used the latest state-of-the-art software. Since Toy Story, animation has gone up another level. The characters almost seemed lifelike. The attention to detail given to the castle where Fiona was held was unbelievable.
The songs were great. I felt that the film needed a couple of more songs. But the finale, which featured 'I am a believer', was brilliant. The first line of the song was 'I thought love was only true in fairytales' which was pure irony. I think that the Monkees had a hit with it.
The film lasts 90 minutes, which I felt was too short. Another 20 minutes of action would have been nice.
The morale of the story is that despite what you look outside it is what you are inside that matters.
All 3 of us had a great afternoon's entertainment.
THE FUTURE
No doubt the Shrek video will be released in about 9 months followed by the DVD version. Shrek will be shown by Sky late next year. The BBC will probably screen it on Christmas Day in 5 years time. A sequel to Shrek will probably be made. May be this film will show Shrek and Fiona as parents?
TRIVIA
Steve Waugh and Shane Warne of the Australian cricket team warmed up for the second Ashes test by watching Shrek. Given that they won it easily, Shrek may have played some part in their victory!
I am not really a Barry Norman or a Jonathan Ross when it comes to film reviews. But I am grateful to Ciao for giving me the opportunity to be a film reviewer for a day.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 2002 - Family - Original Language: English - Classification: Universal - Starring: Marisa Tomei, Lacey Chabert, Lynn Redgrave, Flea, Tim Curry, Rupert Everett
Full of verve and witShrekis a computer-animated adaptation of William Steig's ... more
delightfully fractured fairy tale. Our title character (voiced by Mike Myers) is an agreeable enough ogre who wants to live his days in peace. When the diminutive Lord Farqu...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Full of verve and witShrekis a computer-animated adaptation of William Steig's ... more
delightfully fractured fairy tale. Our title character (voiced by Mike Myers) is an agreeable enough ogre who wants to live his days in peace. When the diminutive Lord Farqu...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow) is searching for a wife. Because of a complicated situation ... more
he needs a mate so he can qualify as king of the land. The 3-foot-tall despot has already banished all the fairy tale characters from his land resulting in a dias...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
They're back for more! Princess Fiona's parents invite their daughter and her new husband ... more
Shrek to her homeland of Far Far Away in order to celebrate their marriage. However there's more than meets the eye in this fairytale kingdom and Shrek & Fi...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Advantages: Shrek has excellent animated properties as well as a great cast of characters and very strong sense of humor. Disadvantages: This film really sucks if you're in it for an original storyline. Besides which, it's technically a movie for older kids even though the humor is targeted at adults and teenagers.
Advantages: Amazing CGI, a bunch of well-paid voicing cast and a cat with big eyes. Disadvantages: Not enough understandable humour content for young children
![Shrek [DVD] [2001]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78533830.jpg "Shrek [DVD] [2001]")
Jul 31st, 2001
(Jul 22nd, 2005)
very helpful by (100%):
