Blah, blah, blah - I'm bored and etc. Anybody got a car they want washing?
Blah, blah, blah - I'm bored and etc. Anybody got a car they want washing?
Member since:03.10.2000
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How often do we feel as though we've missed out on something? How often do we feel as though things have passed us by? Such was the case with Shrek. Yes Mrs TheNeil and I both saw the trailers, we both had plenty of opportunities to go and see it but for some reason we didn't ever bother. Something just didn't click for us and we weren't overly upset. But now this is the film of 2001 (in someone's opinion) so maybe there's something in it. Well it made a lot of money and earned itself a lot of praise. Maybe there IS something worth watching after all...
Big green ogre Shrek lives the quiet life in his swamp, scaring passers by and getting on with his ogreing. Shrek's happiness is somewhat dented though by the appearance of Donkey, a talking donkey. Seems that the ruler of the land, Lord Farquaad, is outlawing magical beasts and a talking donkey falls into the category. So Shrek puts up with Donkey's endless chatter but soon finds that his swamp has been designated a safe haven for magical creatures and he soon finds himself overrun. Taking his protests to Farquaad, Shrek becomes embroiled on a quest to find a beautiful princess. Find her and he gets his swamp back - simple as that. But will the fair princess Fiona fall for the diminutive Lord Farquaad or will she find her true love closer at hand?
It seemed
that when Shrek was released (and in the following months) you couldn't get away from it. Everybody was raving about it, praising it and generally acting as though it was the second coming. It was the new Toy Story, it was a masterpiece of comedy, it was...it was pants. There I've said it now, it was pants.
But why do I react this way? Do I bear some sort of grudge against it? Am I over-reacting in a backlash kind of way? Err hope not.
So what's the problem? Well the story is a simple reworking of Beauty and The Beast but this is not a problem. We've had reworkings before and not necessarily run into problems. The story itself is simple certainly but that isn't really a problem. A simple case of rescuing a damsel in distress (dat dress? No, dis dress) and then going through the moral of beauty not being merely skin deep. It's nothing radical but it's a tale that we can revisit and might set a few young impressionable minds back onto the straight and narrow. How it does this is more troublesome though. The division of time between the two facets is very important and Shrek goes a little too heavy on the moral and romantic side of things. Yes there is some action and adventure but you feel that it's not enough.
Is that all that's at fault? Sadly no. It's a kids film (as I've already said) but that doesn't give it an excuse when things like characters are concerned. I don't mean Shrek and his buddies but the bad guy Lord Farquaad. Why is this guy so bad? Why is he such a tyrant? Ok so we don't expect a rambling build up or a terrible flashback sequence but we get a mere glimpse of his 'wickedness' and it's not enough. "Go ogre, rescue me a princess" - "Hmm...Ok". It lacks that motivation and as a result feels very artificial.
Secondly we come to the comedy. Humour is a subjective topic but Shrek failed to amuse either myself of my good lady. Are we too 'mature' and 'adult'? Err not really. Shrek is touted as having something for all ages but this is one age that it didn't amuse. But we loved the Toy Story films, so what's the difference? It starts out aiming low and doesn't really change gear. Yes it tries to poke fun at the more traditional fairy tale stereotypes but somehow it doesn't work.
The cast sports some big names but they don't really sit well. Myers' Scottish accent is variable and for some reason it doesn't work well. Perhaps it's because we've seen it before in Austin Powers 2 but it doesn't make us like him. He feels artificial and never do we warm to him. Cameron Diaz has the perfect tones as Princess Fiona but is hampered by the unfunny script. And then there's Eddie Murphy. Murphy has one of those instantly recognisable voices and love him or loath him, you can't fault him here. Yes he's a little restrained at times but mostly he goes for it. Donkey becomes wise cracking and loud...but is that want we want? Yes we need something for Shrek to bounce off of but the combination of Scots brogue and fast talking Yankie excitement doesn't sit well together. Finally we look at John Lithgow but you'd better be fast as his Lord Farquaad appears all too briefly.
The animation is good and there are many elements that are in fact amazing but occasionally you get the impression that the animation takes over from the film. The story becomes somewhat secondary as the animators show us what they're capable of (the final musical number is a great example). Just like Toy Story before it, Shrek reminds us of just how far CGi has come and overall it can't be faulted.
The direction lets things down a little and how much responsibility lies on the shoulders of the script and how much lies on the directors is an open ended question. The fact remains, there's something wrong somewhere.
As a piece of animation, Shrek is a fine film but as a piece of entertainment, it's lacking. It feels for more aimed at a kids audience rather than being accessible to all ages and this could be it's problem. The comedy doesn't work for me and never do we feel as though we've been swept away on a rousing adventure. Is the Toy Story crown now looking a little less stable? I don't think so, as given the choice I'd definitely choose Woody, Buzz and co.
And the DVD? Oh apart from the film it's actually one of the best I've come across (the Die Hard's are even better). It's packed with excellent bonus features which is just a bit of a shame given that film is so mindnumbingly awful
Production Year: 2002 - Family - Original Language: English - Classification: Universal - Starring: Marisa Tomei, Lacey Chabert, Lynn Redgrave, Flea, Tim Curry, Rupert Everett
Good op, although you are completely and utterly wrong :D
Barb 04.03.2002 22:17
Good to see you back again. An excellant review of the film (although I disagree entirely and thought it was brilliant), but I've only rated H as you've hardly mentioned anything about the extras, just the film itself. If you include more information about the DVD then let me know and I'll happily re rate, it was a difficult decision to make, but I have to be honest. Barbara :-)
spacemonkey 04.03.2002 21:30
Shock and horror! I love this film! Still, a good op. Can't really fault some of your points. Sean
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...
![Shrek [DVD] [2001]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78533830.jpg "Shrek [DVD] [2001]")
Mar 4th, 2002
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