Dreamworks decided to milk some more out of their Shrek success by bringing us Shrek 2. But was this your typical case of trying to get money out of fans of the original hit movie while not delivering anything worthwhile in the sequel? Or would combining the creative talents from the original allow magic to strike a second time?
I think it is probably a little of both. I'll start off with what disappointed me so that I can devote the rest of my review to the good aspects of Shrek 2. First of all, gone is John Lithgow as Lord Farquaad who provided about a third of the original movie's humor. I missed seeing him in this one for he is replaced by a vain and rather unfunny Prince Charming voiced by Rupert Everett. Second, I was rather disappointed by the story of this sequel. The original Shrek offered to us a unique, yet classical fairy tale which blended together excitement, adventure, and comedy along with lessons on friendship and beauty. In the sequel, the story is primarily about Shrek (Mike Myers) and Fiona (Cameron Diaz) trying to get the approval of their parents for who they are. It is a nice little lesson on acceptance, but hardly very exciting.
It IS very funny however. The first movie offered a lot of humor just in the situations themselves. An ogre as a hero? How strange...and how strangely funny! I think with the sequel that they realized that they already had established characters and that they had a weak story going in, so they obviously put a great effort into throwing in quick jokes. But boy did they throw in a lot of them. I found myself laughing almost all the way through. In fact, I took my daughter and her friend to see it and they remarked afterwards on how I was laughing louder than anyone in the theater. The jokes are delivered rapid-fire and for the most part will be over most kids' heads...it reminded me of "The Simpsons" in that only a second or two is needed from one joke to the next. There is a lot of mocking of well-known movies and stories such as the kiss from Spider-Man, the suspending from wires from Mission Impossible, and The Ring from The Lord of the Rings.
I think the story is one most adults could relate to (trying to please the in-laws), but kids may get bored or even grossed out at the theme, especially when they see Shrek and Fiona ogling over each other as newlyweds (I guess that makes them "ogling ogres"...haha!). However, kids will love Donkey (voiced by Eddie Murphy) once again. A favorite scene with him from this film is when he can't stop making a pucking sound with his lips while Donkey, Shrek, and Fiona travel to Fiona's parents' castle. This is the sort of slapstick that the kids get a kick out of (and I do too!).
A new character arrives on the scene in this film which really makes up for a lot of its shortcomings. He is "Puss...In Boots" and is voiced perfectly by Antonio Banderas. He is originally hired by the King (Fiona's father) to get rid of Shrek, the ogre. He is a fearsome, wily fighter who begins the story as Shrek's mercenary foe, but ends the story as a loyal friend. The best thing about Puss in Boots is his sad little kitten face. The animators really did a superb job here. When we first meet him he is a nasty little cat scratching, clawing, and screeching his way onto our last nerves. But when he puts on his sad little kitten face, he suddenly becomes absolutely adorable. This is a trick he uses more than once in the film and it is hilarious.
The sequel gives some other characters a bit more screen time this time around such as the Big Bad Wolf, The Three Little Pigs, The Gingerbread Man, and Pinocchio. I almost feel bad for Pinocchio, because they really poke fun at him, even going so far as to make him out to be, shall we say, sexually confused. This is inappropriate, to be sure, especially for kids to see, but it is pretty funny I'm ashamed to admit. The three blind mice were pretty funny too. There is one scene in which one of them falls through a sewer grate because 1) he is a small mouse, and 2) he is blind and can't see where he is going. Again, not something I am particularly proud of laughing at, but it is very funny.
One final note. You can really tell that Shrek 2 was made 3 years after the original Shrek, because the animation is far superior to that of the original. The colors, the facial expressions, and the scenery really jump out at you in this one.
In the end, I feel that Shrek 2 stands on its own as a great and funny movie. I think it will do very well at the Box Office and I wouldn't be surprised to see a Shrek 3.
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