Shrek 2 (2004)

SHREK 2

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What's next after a happily ever after honeymoon? A visit with the

in-laws, the king (John Cleese) and queen (Julie Andrews) of the Kingdom of

Far Far Away present more obstacles for the ogreish love affair of Princess

Fiona (Cameron Diaz) and her new husband, "Shrek 2."

More of the same with less bite, "Shrek 2" continues to plunder other films

while introducing product placement and five major new characters who, with

one exception, add little to the proceedings. When it comes to sequels,

Dreamworks Animation is no Pixar. That's not to say there aren't pleasures

to be had in "Shrek 2," but most of them arrive at the film's conclusion

long after one has begun checking one's watch.

The film begins with a prologue which explains that Prince Charming (Rupert

Everett, "My Best Friend's Wedding") had been Fiona's intended all along,

but he arrived at the tower too late, well after Shrek and donkey had

braved the dragon and saved the princess. Meanwhile, the newlyweds have

arrived back at the swamp only to be summoned for a ball celebrating their

marriage by Fiona's parents, who are clearly expecting her to arrive with

Charming. Surprisingly, Shrek doesn't have mother-in-law problems - she's

actually supportive - but father-in-law is enraged and wants rid of his

ogreish son-in-law, so he heads to the Poison Apple pub to hire the

notorious hit man, Puss-in-Boots (Antonio Banderas, "Spy Kids 3"). It

turns out that the king has a secret pact with The Fairy Godmother

(Jennifer Saunders, TV's "Absolutely Fabulous"), who happens to be

Charming's mom. Meanwhile, Shrek foils Puss, who becomes his loyal

servant, and steals one of the Godmother's potent potions to ensure he and

Fiona will live happily ever after. Surprising results end up pitting

Shrek against Charming for Fiona's hand.

As in the original film, the story writers have fun spoofing films like

"The Lord of the Rings," "Spider-Man," "From Here to Eternity" and, most

successfully, "Mission Impossible." The first film's main problem is also

present in the sequel, though - a feeling of warmed over borrowings from

"The Princess Bride" joined this time with echoes of Pixar's "Monsters,

Inc." Farquaad's Disneyland kingdom is replaced with the Hollywood styled

Far Far Away with its stretch-carriages and hillside sign (not to mention

Barney's Old York, Gap Queen and Old Navery). Speaking of Farquaad, the

great John Cleese cannot enliven the King and Julie Andrews is nondescript

as the Queen. Jennifer Saunders gives a jaunty vocal performance to a

character that simply isn't enjoyable enough for the large amount of screen

time she's given. Everett breezes through his egotistical prince

impersonation, but the real addition is Banderas's Puss, an amusingly

animated creation who gets some of the film's biggest laughs (one really

rather naughty visual reference to self-stimulation will more than likely

fly over the heads of the kiddies). In smaller roles, the denizens of the

shady pub, the Poison Apple, are all entertaining from the Ugly Stepsister

who tends bar to patrons like the Headless Horseman and the piano-playing

Captain Hook. It should be noted that Fiona is pretty much relegated to

the sidelines for this outing, although the filmmakers have done a nice job

presenting the weirdness of a new husband staying in his bride's girlhood

bedroom (the "Sir Justin" poster pinned to her canopy is a cute in-joke).

"Shrek 2" finally revs into high gear for its race-to-the-finish ending,

which gleefully spoofs both the O.J. Simpson chase and TV's 'Cops,'

although the climax once again is reminiscent of Disney's "Beauty and the

Beast." The concluding musical number isn't as much fan as the original's,

even with Puss joining Donkey on vocals, but stick around for a

semi-amusing epilogue which follows the credits.

B-

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X-RAMR-ID: 37822
X-Language: en
X-RT-ReviewID: 1282564
X-RT-TitleID: 1132597
X-RT-SourceID: 386
X-RT-AuthorID: 1487
X-RT-RatingText: B-