Three day weekends at five day a week pay should be compulsory.
Three day weekends at five day a week pay should be compulsory.
Member since:05.11.2002
Reviews:65
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Normally I consider sequel-itus to be a very painful condition to endure. A studio decides to use a successful formula to emulate a past success; normally resulting in a disappointing rehash of the original that only serves to tarnish its memory. Just think 'The Matrix' and you'll know what I'm talking about.
Thankfully 'Shrek 2' saves us that discomfort and provides a ride that is just as fast, fresh and funny; providing a surprising number of adult-only jokes that sail over the heads of its supposed target audience. What they do get is a vibrant story that contains a quick enough succession of visual gags and quirky characters to keep them giggling. Thankfully the original cast have agreed to come back to revoice their characters which in turn seems to have attracted an excellent cast of surprisingly Brit-biased voices - only one of which disappoints.
Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) and Shrek (Mike Myers) return from a romantic ogre-imbued Honeymoon to find Donkey (Eddie Murphy) on a break from Dragon and staying in their house at the swamp. Soon after they receive a summons to visit Princess Fiona's parents in the Hollywood style town of Far Far Away which even has the town's name imprinted on the
nearby hills. Fiona's parents (John Cleese and Julie Andrews) are not too happy to see their daughter's unexpected appearance and soon the Godfather style Fairy Godmother (Jennifer Saunders) is expecting the King to somehow honour his promise of marrying Fiona to her own son, Prince Charming (Rupert Everett). Puss in Boots - strangely reminiscent of Antonio Banderas' other role as Zorro - is despatched to sort Shrek out, but ends up ruffling Donkey's fur when he feels forced by duty into helping Shrek fight to keep Fiona.
Eddie Murphy must be rather glad that 'Shrek 2' has been made, because it gives him another opportunity to try and claw back a tiny bit of his career. Yet again he is hilarious as Donkey, and I can think of nobody else who could portray him in quite the same way. The speed at which he talks and the energy he uses really helps to power the story along, but Antonio Banderas nearly steals his thunder. Puss is just the sort of character that the sequel needs - a fresh, energetic and thoroughly overblown character that helps to steamroller the film to its finale with a welcome slice of attitude.
In all honesty the other characters are fun, but they appear more to fulfil a purpose. Diaz doesn't seem to have quite the same opportunity to show the stronger side of Fiona; whilst Myer's Scottish accent still seems to be a bit dodgy at times, but is still distinctive enough to portray the grumpy and love-struck ogre. Jennifer Saunders is sufficiently scheming, Julie Andrews maternal, and John Cleese adequate as the disappointed father. This is probably exactly as it should be, as too many overblown characters would have led to 'Shrek 2' becoming a hyperactive mess.
My one real surprise was that Dreamworks chose to revoice two of the characters for the British release. Admittedly Jonathan Ross replaces Larry King as the Ugly Sister well, but the choice to use Kate Thornton instead of Joan Rivers as the celebrity TV announcer is frankly bizarre. Personally I know who Joan Rivers is and what she sounds like, but I haven't a clue who Kate Thornton is, and could only place the voice as being British.
The animation is, yet again, of an excellent standard. Even the more minor characters appear to have a great deal of time and effort devoted into making them seem as rich and detailed as the rest. Obviously Princess Fiona, Shrek and Donkey all appear similar to their first outing, but even these characters are a tiny bit more detailed. The real genius is in the new characters. The two that particular caught my eye were Puss in Boots and Fairy Godmother. Puss's fur appears to have texture as it ruffles and flattens to show his mood, whilst his eyes are able to open up into large watery pools; whilst the Fairy Godmother seems to have real brightness in her rounded cheeks and twinkling eyes that are able to shift at the slightest moment to show her more threatening side.
Unlike Pixar's 'Toy Story', 'Shrek 2' doesn't try and recreate the world as it is, but sticks to showing a more surreal story book reality that really allows them to get away with a lot more. Not only are fairy tales subverted, but films such as 'Spiderman', 'End of the Affair', and 'Mission Impossible' are able to pastiched as well as fun poked at corporations like Starbucks or fast food chains such as MacDonalds. Any chance to take a dig at Pixar's partner Disney has also been taken - just look out for the menacing moving furniture, and see if it doesn't remind you of 'Beauty and the Beast'.
Music is also important to the film, and most people will find themselves being carried away by the majority of the tracks in the film. For some reason the choice has been made to replace David Bowie's version of 'Changes' and the Buzzcocks' 'Ever Fallen in Love' with rather tame alternatives that can't help but hit a slightly disappointing note.
Obviously doing this smoothly, effortlessly and with as much of a sense of fun is a credit to the animators, directors and screenwriters. I really was quite surprised at the number of jokes that were moderately sexual and the references that wouldn't be on the radar of children. However, it is bright enough, fast paced enough, and there are also plenty of sight and fart-based gags to keep them laughing and entertained throughout. The children's film message is also there, and although present it is not rammed down your throat as in some other children's films.
Essentially 'Shrek 2' is more of the same, but when the same still manages to keep children and adults laughing throughout - then I'll be more than happy to recommend it.
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Production Year: 2002 - Family - Original Language: English - Classification: Universal - Starring: Marisa Tomei, Lacey Chabert, Lynn Redgrave, Flea, Tim Curry, Rupert Everett
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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...
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![Shrek [DVD] [2001]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78533830.jpg "Shrek [DVD] [2001]")
Jul 19th, 2004
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