Once upon a time there was a great big, green, mean Ogre named Shrek (voiced by Mike Meyers) who lived in a swamp inhabited by such notable characters as the Gingerbread Man, The Three Little Pigs, Pinocchio, and other colorful creatures. All Shrek wanted was to be left alone. But that wasn’t meant to be, especially when a loud, obnoxious Donkey (voiced by Eddie Murphy) entered his swamp and turned his life upside down. Shrek and Donkey took the box office by storm, and now they are back – better, and funnier than ever.
In Shrek 2, Shrek and his new bride, Fiona (voiced by Cameron Diaz) are called home to meet her parents the King and Queen of the magical land known as “”Far, Far Away.”” From the moment they step out of the carriage to the gasp of the human on lookers, Shrek’s stay in “”Far Far Away”” is fraught with landmines. Including disapproval from the King, evil plotting from The Fairy Godmother (Jennifer Saunders) and her insipid son, Prince Charming (voiced by Rupert Everett). The computer animation is virtually flawless this time out. There are moments in the film when the animation looked photo realistic. For instance there’s this incredible shot of Puss and Boot’s (voiced by Antonio Banderas) boots that looked almost life like. As much as I enjoyed the original Shrek the first time that I saw it. It doesn’t really hold up to repeat viewings, but then it’s rare that a comedy will hold up. The jokes in Shrek 2 were almost all spot on, I laughed out loud throughout most of this film. From the hysterically funny opening sequence of Shrek and Fiona’s honeymoon until the very end, barely two or three minutes passed between jokes. The nice thing about Shrek 2 is that they didn’t resort to cheesy bathroom humor in this film. There were two quick passing references to it, but they didn’t dwell on it, or have an entire scene devoted to the toilet. The comedy in this movie was surprisingly sophisticated, and worked on both a kiddy level, and the sight gags and in-jokes worked on an adult level. The new character of Puss was over the top funny. Antonio Banderas voice work added a wonderful since of whimsy to the character and his “”sad eyes”” fighting technique was just gold. When Shrek’s friends try and rescue him and Donkey from the dungeon you can’t help but laugh out loud at all the sight gags, and the shear absurdity of the situation. If you don’t laugh out loud during the last 3rd of this film then you just don’t have any soul. Besides all of the jokes and the colorful animation “”Shrek 2″” is simply a beautiful movie about love and acceptance. It has a heart and soul. Something too many films this year have lacked. We actually care about the characters. Shrek 2 is that rare sequel that surpasses the original in every way. It’s the first film of the year that I enjoyed from beginning to end. Will it hold up to repeat viewings? Probably not, but it’s a fun ride while it lasts. Final Grade AEM Review by Michelle AlexandriaOriginally Posted May 19, 2004