SHREK 2
(a film review by Mark R. Leeper)
CAPSULE: There is distinctly less magic and fun in
SHREK 2 as the title ogre has problems becoming
accepted by his in-laws. All the same cast is back
with the same voices, but the tone of the film is
darker and we don't learn a lot more about the
characters that we liked in the first film. One new
character is engaging, but overall we just know
these characters too well from the first film.
Rating: +1 (-4 to +4) or 6/10
If there had not been a SHREK, then SHREK 2 would have been a
better film. Much of the novelty of this world has fallen off the
production. The fun of for the first time meeting Shrek and
especially Donkey are gone. Donkey is a good character, but he
has a smaller role in this film where he is not really im****tant
to the plot and he gets fewer good lines. Eddie Murphy is
probably not allowed to suddenly ad-lib something like a sudden
fixation on parfaits. This film does, however, introduce us to
Puss-in-Boots, and Puss is a good character but not as funny as
Donkey was when we met him. In the first film the story was set
in a fairy tale world that is far, far away and an ogre is
rescuing a princess. That works for me. SHREK 2 is set mostly in
what Fiona calls the Land of Far, Far Away, but it is basically in
a place a lot like Hollywood. In this land Shrek has problems
with his in-laws. So who needs to enter the world of fairy tales
to have a comedy about someone having in-law problems in
Hollywood? Somehow we invested more interest in wondering if the
lead couple would get together than we ever could in whether they
will stay together. If they break up it will be largely their own
fault for not valuing each other's love enough.
So in the transition to the second film a little of the magic
leaked out just in having the ogres start out already married. A
little more leaked out when the jokes were toned down just a bit.
Or perhaps the writers were just not as creative this time around.
Also, this film just seems a little darker in tone. As the film
opens Shrek (voiced by Michael Myers) and Fiona (Cameron Diaz)
have accepted themselves as ogres. Then they get a command to
visit Fiona's parents, King Harold (John Cleese) and Queen Lillian
(Julie Andrews). King Harold never expected to have an ogre for a
son-in-law or for a daughter either, for that matter. He begins
to plot against the marriage with the Fairy Godmother (Jennifer
Saunders) and her son Prince Charming (Rupert Everett). Along the
way we get a new character, a charming swashbuckling rogue, Puss-
in-Boots (Antonio Banderas) who mixes in a little of his former
role as El Zorro.
The little digs at Walt Disney's animated fairy tales and the
popular media in general somehow seemed a lot funnier in the
original. Perhaps part is that they are expected now so the
element of surprise is lost. I do not know what they were looking
for in the source music songs in this film, but they did not find
it. The songs in the first film were somehow instantly likable.
The choice of songs this time around seems pallid and drab. If I
hear the same songs again on the radio I will probably not even
remember that I have heard them before.
At the end of SHREK 2 we are just about where we were at the
beginning of SHREK 2, but an hour and a half have been spent at
least pleasantly. I might well have enjoyed myself watching SHREK
for the nth time as much as watching SHREK 2 for the first time.
Perhaps what we need next is a film about Donkey. Eddie, if they
offer you I SPY II, go for DONKEY: THE MOVIE instead. I would
rate SHREK 2 a +1 on the -4 to +4 scale or 6/10.
Mark R. Leeper
mleeper@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
2004 Mark R. Leeper
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X-RAMR-ID: 37831
X-Language: en
X-RT-ReviewID: 1283742
X-RT-TitleID: 1132597
X-RT-AuthorID: 1309
X-RT-RatingText: 6/10
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