Movie Review

Shrek 2

There is no doubt in my head that audiences nationwide are going to love this movie. The crowd at my screening (which consisted of early-20?s to 30-year olds) was howling along with laughter and was often engaged in excited gossip (trying to pinpoint every witty reference), which led to a nice applause at the end. This movie is more of a formulaic adult romantic comedy than a Cinderella kids? movie, and it plays its strings just right to please its many fans.

Though I wasn?t consistently laughing, Shrek 2 is a good, fun movie that offers a decent amount of chuckles and laughs, but to say that it is unique would be a stretch. This much-anticipated sequel is basically the original flick on a grander scale; it?s not as clever and it doesn?t offer that awe-inspiring ?new? feeling that Shrek established, but a lot more references are made.

There isn?t much of a plot this time around and the themes are the same: this sequel is an excuse to slam on Disney, make as many cultural references as possible, and to revisit the fun, memorable characters we were introduced to in the first flick. Though the attempt worked, Shrek 2 does play like a rushed sequel to some extent, though the time in the theater is enjoyable.

Shrek 2 starts off where the first adventure left off, as Shrek and Princess Fiona have just gotten married and set out to meet her parents for the first time, only that the parents do not know that their daughter is an ogre. Predictably, the attempt to win their support doesn?t bode well. This leads to a few misadventures in order to prove that the two are really meant for one another.

What carries Shrek 2 is its consistent amusement factor, as even when the jokes aren?t flying high there are enough visual references to keep you occupied. The voice work by Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, and Eddie Murphy is also quite good, though there is a little bit of a ?been there, done that? feeling within their banter ? the pattern is nevertheless welcoming, though not original.

Part of the problem with the sequel is that the jokes are somewhat expected given our memory of the first film, as the patterns are very similar with just a tweaking in the punch lines. The original Shrek was new and inventive in that it had the courage to knock on doors that other studios (with family movies) were too intimidated to pursue. These filmmakers had enough courage to make fun of their legendary competitors and to even spoof their own genre.

But my opinion of Shrek 2 is still in the same league as the original Shrek (B), as well as Finding Nemo (B+). These movies didn?t make me laugh hard, but there is a sufficient quantity of good moments and ingenuity to even keep the usually stiff moviegoers stimulated. Nemo was benefited by its visual authenticity, as its computer animation is superb but I don?t find the film all that funny ? it has moments of good comedy, but it is more of a solid, fun movie. Shrek 2?s animation isn?t as impressive as Nemo?s, but the emotional attachment factor is similar, and the movie manages to grab a strong hold of you in the later stretch with its frenetic attitude (like Nemo).

I have to admit that I was questionable about this movie beforehand; I liked the first flick, but the ads for this sequel didn?t amuse me (the teaser was okay, but I found everything else unfunny). But a few days before its debut, I realized that DreamWorks didn?t have to advertise the strong moments ? all the marketing reps have to do is simply say ?Shrek is coming? and moviegoers know what to expect. Such an advertising technique is very clever but rather shaky at the same time: if they save the goods, it means there?s more fun inside, but that advertising route could possibly mean that they don?t have much to offer.

Fortunately, Shrek 2 lands in the first scenario, as none of the best moments are in the trailers, and they are mostly too scene-oriented anyway (the jokes probably wouldn?t have enough impact in the trailer). This probably isn?t a sequel that will be dearly remembered over time (like the first installment was), but when it comes to being entertained and getting those needed guffaws, Shrek 2 does the job and will definitely be an easy crowd pleaser.

Lee's Grade: B-
Ranked #41 of 120 between Seeing Other People (#40) and Enduring Love (#42) for 2004 movies.

A	0.4%
B	30.0%
C	61.7%
D	8.0%
F	0.0%