Shrek 2
If you've seen Shrek 2, you've probably seen Shrek. In summation, Shrek (Mike Myers) is an ogre. A prince who has a distinct taste for the mundane and is uh, "vertically challenged," drives all the fairy tale beings from his kingdom right into Shrek's swamp. This course of events puts Shrek and donkey (a talking ass, played by Eddie Murphy) into a series of events that ultimately lead to Shrek rescuing Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) from a tower and ultimately marrying her. Princess Fiona switches forms between a comely human female and an ogress at night, until she experiences "true love's first kiss." In a twist on the traditional fairy tale, the kiss from Shrek transforms the princess into her ogress form. The End.
Enter Shrek 2, picking up right where Shrek left off. Fiona was originally a human, so it's time for her human parents to meet both Fiona in her now permanent ogress form and Shrek who...well, who is always an ogre.
What happens next is the usual comedic plot of the new beau as a fish-out-of-water. The King (John Cleese) and Shrek don't get along. Complicating matters is the fact that Fiona was supposed to marry Prince Charming (Rupert Everett), the progeny of the Fairy Godmother (Jennifer Saunders).
Distraught over the obvious distaste Fiona's father has for her new son-in-law, Shrek seeks out a solution from the Fairy Godmother and gets it in the form of a Happily Ever After™ potion. The potion transforms everyone into what they most desire, but the effects only become permanent if sealed with a kiss before midnight. Of course.
The movie is filled with in-jokes that whiz by at high speed. My wife and I caught jokes that the parents in the audience didn't - especially one where donkey (Eddie Murphy, remember) was framed by palm tress behind him and music that was a throwback to Eddie's Beverly Hills Cop movies. Conversely, while the children laughed at a lot of the fart jokes, there wasn't enough action to keep them entertained the entire time. At various intervals, the audience was audibly restless.
And that's the problem with Shrek 2. Shrek and Fiona's problems sound suspiciously like they're heading for divorce - remember, they're married, not dating - and the parental/new spouse arguments might be a little bit too close to home for some. While Shrek spoofed Disney, Shrek 2 spoofs Hollywood, a spoof that's been done to death.
By far the best part of the movie is Puss-in-Boots, played by Antonio Banderas. Part swashbuckler, part cute little tabby, Puss is hired by the King to kill Shrek. Ignoring for a moment that Fiona's father is trying to kill his son-in-law, Puss steals the show. Never has an animated character so captured the cuteness and sexiness of an actor all rolled up into a ball of fur. In fact, he's so good that...this quote sums it up:
Puss-in-Boots: Pray for mercy from... Puss! - In boots. Fear me, if you dare.
Donkey: I'm sorry, but the position for annoying talking animal has already been taken!
True. But Puss is cuter and funnier. Donkey, while occasionally amusing, is simply not necessary.
Shrek 2 also suffers from not having a lot for the characters to do. Some of Shrek's quips are just plain tired. Even some of the old cast, including Pinocchio, the Big Bad Wolf, the Three Little Pigs, the Three Blind Mice, and the Gingerbread Man are back. The jokes - a new twist on an old fairy tale - no longer apply. Heck, the Gingerbread Man appears in Wal-Mart commercials!
Shrek 2 has enough in-jokes to keep parents entertained. But it's not as good as the original, because much of the original's charm came from being the first to lampoon fairy tales in a Disney-fied society.
Enter Shrek 2, picking up right where Shrek left off. Fiona was originally a human, so it's time for her human parents to meet both Fiona in her now permanent ogress form and Shrek who...well, who is always an ogre.
What happens next is the usual comedic plot of the new beau as a fish-out-of-water. The King (John Cleese) and Shrek don't get along. Complicating matters is the fact that Fiona was supposed to marry Prince Charming (Rupert Everett), the progeny of the Fairy Godmother (Jennifer Saunders).
Distraught over the obvious distaste Fiona's father has for her new son-in-law, Shrek seeks out a solution from the Fairy Godmother and gets it in the form of a Happily Ever After™ potion. The potion transforms everyone into what they most desire, but the effects only become permanent if sealed with a kiss before midnight. Of course.
The movie is filled with in-jokes that whiz by at high speed. My wife and I caught jokes that the parents in the audience didn't - especially one where donkey (Eddie Murphy, remember) was framed by palm tress behind him and music that was a throwback to Eddie's Beverly Hills Cop movies. Conversely, while the children laughed at a lot of the fart jokes, there wasn't enough action to keep them entertained the entire time. At various intervals, the audience was audibly restless.
And that's the problem with Shrek 2. Shrek and Fiona's problems sound suspiciously like they're heading for divorce - remember, they're married, not dating - and the parental/new spouse arguments might be a little bit too close to home for some. While Shrek spoofed Disney, Shrek 2 spoofs Hollywood, a spoof that's been done to death.
By far the best part of the movie is Puss-in-Boots, played by Antonio Banderas. Part swashbuckler, part cute little tabby, Puss is hired by the King to kill Shrek. Ignoring for a moment that Fiona's father is trying to kill his son-in-law, Puss steals the show. Never has an animated character so captured the cuteness and sexiness of an actor all rolled up into a ball of fur. In fact, he's so good that...this quote sums it up:
Puss-in-Boots: Pray for mercy from... Puss! - In boots. Fear me, if you dare.
Donkey: I'm sorry, but the position for annoying talking animal has already been taken!
True. But Puss is cuter and funnier. Donkey, while occasionally amusing, is simply not necessary.
Shrek 2 also suffers from not having a lot for the characters to do. Some of Shrek's quips are just plain tired. Even some of the old cast, including Pinocchio, the Big Bad Wolf, the Three Little Pigs, the Three Blind Mice, and the Gingerbread Man are back. The jokes - a new twist on an old fairy tale - no longer apply. Heck, the Gingerbread Man appears in Wal-Mart commercials!
Shrek 2 has enough in-jokes to keep parents entertained. But it's not as good as the original, because much of the original's charm came from being the first to lampoon fairy tales in a Disney-fied society.
posted by talien | 9:04 AM
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