Shrek 2 (2004)

"Shrek 2"

Following their fairytale honeymoon, newly-weds Shrek

(Mike Myers) and Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) return

to his beloved swamp and the contented couple settles

into their happily-ever-after life. That is, until

Fiona's parents, King Harold (John Cleese) and Queen

Lillian (Julie Andrews), invite them for a little

visit to their homey castle. The reluctant ogre agrees

to go but he senses there are in-law troubles brewing

in "Shrek 2."

The makers of the sequel to the incredibly successful

2001 original, "Shrek," have skirted the fairytale

adventure of the first film in favor of a much more

routine situation comedy style story that delves more

into slapstick than imagination. Shrek, a character

noted for his sullen cynicism and caustic wit, has

become domesticated by his marriage to loving Fiona.

Sadly, this taming of the beast causes the edgy, dark

humor of the first to be usurped by a TV-style sitcom

– at times I almost expected canned laughter in the

background. 

The story, by Joe Stillman, J. David Stem & David N.

Weiss, is father-in-law versus son-in-law battle of

wills that is embellished with intrigue by Fairy

Godmother (Jennifer Saunders), who appears to be a

kindly soul until you understand that the emphasis is

on GOD-mother and not Fairy. Her burly bodyguards are

also a giveaway to her shady hidden agenda as she uses

blackmail to set up her son, Prince Charming (Rupert

Everett), to take over the kingdom of Far Far Away by

marrying Fiona. Fairy Godmother, owner of a huge

potions and spell plant (looking a bit like the scare

factory in "Monsters, Inc."), has ambitious plans and

isn't going to let some ogre stand in her way. There

is also a plot revolving around a hit man, or should I

say hit cat, Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas), hired

by the king to do Shrek in. 

"Shrek 2" is a slick production and makes leaps in the

computer-animation field over the original. The nuance

of detail, textures and movement are blended

seamlessly making the CGI palette a further challenge

to traditional 2D animation. The makers couple this

good look with clever spoofing and reference to a

multitude of subjects, films, cultural icons and more

- The Lord of the Rings ring; Spiderman; Hawaii-5-O;

Hollywood and the HOLLYWOOD sign; Disneyland; Fast

food (Friar's Fat Boy); Justin Timberlake; Monsters,

Inc.; Raiders of the Lost Ark; Wizard of Oz; Barney's

of New York; Alien; the punchline to the "A horse goes

into a bar…" joke; old gangster movies; Mission

Impossible (the movie); Rodeo Drive; and, all manner

of fairytales.

The triumvirate of vocal talents, as expected, is back

for this second installment of what may drag on into a

series (I, personally, have had enough of the Ogre

Tales – there can be too much of a good thing). Mike

Myers puts his Scottish burr onto the title character

but it feels lackluster when compared to the first.

The story moves away from Shrek and Fiona, reducing

their dimension in the overall story. Cameron Diaz and

Eddie Murphy reprise their characters of the Princess

and Donkey, also without much added from the first,

though Murphy always gives an enthusiastic performance

to his vocal characters.

The vocal talents of the supporting cast fit the bill

but the new additions fail to fill the boots of John

Lithgow's outrageously bellicose Lord Farquar. John

Cleese is a disappointment as King Harold, although

this may be a product of his animated stature. I had a

problem with Cleese's long, gangly persona shoehorned

into the diminutive king. Julie Andrews does yeoman's

work but is saddled with being little more than the

understanding mom figure. Rupert Everett is bland as

the charmless Prince Charming. Antonio Banderas does

get some mileage as the suave gunsel, Puss in Boots,

who has a change of heart.

The cleverness of "Shrek 2" carries a manufactured

feel, rather than crafted, missing the spontaneity of

the first. Some might say that this is harsh criticism

of the sequel; that it is near impossible for the

follow up to better the first. This is mostly true but

there are exceptions – "Toy Story 2" is, at the very

least, the equal of its source and proved that

imagination can infuse originality into a sequel. I

had hopes that "Shrek 2" would achieve this same level

of excellence but got good instead of great. It is

highly entertaining with some laugh-out-loud moments

and lots of giggles. I give it a B.

For more Reeling reviews visit www.reelingreviews.com

robin@reelingreviews.com

laura@reelingreviews.com

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