Sunday, May 23, 2004
Shrek 2 - 9.0/10.0
OK, so you're probably asking yourselves - why not 10 on 10? A minor quibble that the quality of animation wasn't as um, path-breaking as eg: Disney 2D to Toy Story, or Toy Story to Monsters, Inc. or Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. Also, the script or plot isn't as um, ground-breaking as the first installment. Seeing the "dark side" of fairy tale characters was refreshingly original, and I wish we'd been treated to some more new ground. Instead, Shrek takes the safe route, choosing to build on established crowd-pleasers.
Now that I got that clarification out of the way, let me tell you that Shrek 2 is the funniest animated movie I've seen in a long, long time. At least, since Monsters, Inc - I didn't find Finding Nemo *that* funny. Definitely nowhere near Shrek 2.
The story is simple - newlyweds, Shrek and Fiona visit Fiona's parents (played by John Cleese and Julie Andrews), who are not thrilled that their daughter chose true love's first kiss (re: Shrek 1) to be an ogre's. Throw in complications of a scheming fairy godmother, and you've got a decent plot to fill 90 minutes.
The attention to detail is staggering. One look at the city kingdom of Far Far Away will tell you what I mean. The streets are lined with stores like Farbucks (there's a good gag concerning Farbucks), and Gap Queen. Before Shrek 2, the only other animated production that took such pains was Matt Groening's Futurama (Cartoon Network, M-Thu 11pm). Movie parodies abound, naturally. Lord of the Rings, a very very funny take on Mission: Impossible, and a sly dig at Disney's Beauty and the Beast. When you see the movie, you'll see how apt that is.
Special mention must go to Antonio Banderas and his self-parody of his Zorro character, as a swashbuckling Puss-in-Boots. A definite plus for the movie. Donkey on the other hand, comes off more annoying that funny. I mean, his character is supposed to be annoying, but he was a funny/annoying in the first movie. Sure, there are some funny moments in the movie, but I wish I could've seen more Puss-in-Boots than Donkey. A trivial point to some, but worth mentioning nonetheless.
If you like comedies/parodies, you have got to see Shrek 2 this summer. Heck, I'll probably watch it again!
Now that I got that clarification out of the way, let me tell you that Shrek 2 is the funniest animated movie I've seen in a long, long time. At least, since Monsters, Inc - I didn't find Finding Nemo *that* funny. Definitely nowhere near Shrek 2.
The story is simple - newlyweds, Shrek and Fiona visit Fiona's parents (played by John Cleese and Julie Andrews), who are not thrilled that their daughter chose true love's first kiss (re: Shrek 1) to be an ogre's. Throw in complications of a scheming fairy godmother, and you've got a decent plot to fill 90 minutes.
The attention to detail is staggering. One look at the city kingdom of Far Far Away will tell you what I mean. The streets are lined with stores like Farbucks (there's a good gag concerning Farbucks), and Gap Queen. Before Shrek 2, the only other animated production that took such pains was Matt Groening's Futurama (Cartoon Network, M-Thu 11pm). Movie parodies abound, naturally. Lord of the Rings, a very very funny take on Mission: Impossible, and a sly dig at Disney's Beauty and the Beast. When you see the movie, you'll see how apt that is.
Special mention must go to Antonio Banderas and his self-parody of his Zorro character, as a swashbuckling Puss-in-Boots. A definite plus for the movie. Donkey on the other hand, comes off more annoying that funny. I mean, his character is supposed to be annoying, but he was a funny/annoying in the first movie. Sure, there are some funny moments in the movie, but I wish I could've seen more Puss-in-Boots than Donkey. A trivial point to some, but worth mentioning nonetheless.
If you like comedies/parodies, you have got to see Shrek 2 this summer. Heck, I'll probably watch it again!
