I took a glance the not recommending epinions (I have no idea why I do this, except that it interests me to see why anyone would dislike a movie I love so much!) and these are the points I picked up against Shrek - much Disney bashing, a bit rude, disgusting in places (well, Shrek and Fiona both burp a couple of times, and Shrek makes a candle out of his own earwax), poor plot, annoying characters, bad soundtrack. I'd completely dispute the poor plot aspect - personally I thought the plot was awesome and just the kind of thing I'd want my children to see. NB - I don't
actually have any children!

Disney bashing - if you adore Disney to the exclusion of practically all others... just don't see it. If you have reservations about Disney, and you've seen quite a lot of the films, see it. There are loads of gags that look at Disney in a totally refreshing way.

Rudeness/Disgustingness - that's partly a matter of personal taste. Actually I laughed a lot at the disgusting bits, and as for the 'rude' bits, I would simple advise you to be careful if you are showing it to kids - there's nothing particularly shocking though; some very mild swearing and one slightly suggestive scene that most children wouldn't get anyhow.

Bad soundtrack (I'll get to the annoying characters in a minute) - it did strike me that the lyrics weren't wonderfully fit to the situation, but the music was good.

Plot and Characters

Shrek, the title character, is an ogre. For most of the movie he is accompanied by a talking donkey he is a bit mean to. Shrek is a great character because he's a mixture of good and bad. He's very funny. He's flawed - but after years of being feared and hated as a terrible ogre through no fault of his own, it does rather explain why he can be a little mean. And despite being an ogre, he is a very realistic person. Underneath his occasional meanness (and strange habits!) he is a very sweet person. He only likes to be alone because he's convinced that no one could like him for who he is. Part of the film deals with Shrek gradually gaining confidence in himself as a person, rather than just an ogre who can scare people away.

Shrek's swamp is disturbed when Lord Farquaad (a cruel and cowardly villain... you gotta love him!) evicts all the fairy tale creatures in the land. They flee to the one place they can be safe - nearby that fearsome ogre. There are much laughs for you fairy tale buffs... or anyone who's read anything by the Brothers Grimm. Shrek, annoyed at the squatters, goes to confront Lord Farquaad and ends up being sent on a quest to rescue a princess... so that Lord Farquaad can marry her. One again, a wonderful break from the norm. Lord Farquaad is far from Prince Charming.

He rescues the princess with flair in the most wonderfully sensible yet completely unorthodox rescue seen in ages. And Princess Fiona - she's in some ways just like standard Disney princess, but her faults are totally apparent, as opposed to handily brushed under the carpet, as with most heroines. She makes it blatantly obvious that she's expecting a handsome prince to come and rescue her, and it is the destruction of this stereotype that provides joy for the viewer. Fiona also has much more spirit than your average fairy tale princess... she's not just meek and standardly 'feminine'.

The plot itself is a bit predictable - but only a bit, and still awesome fun to watch. And there are lots of jokes and funny bits to keep you laughing right until the end. It's underlying message is similar to Beauty and the Beast but much more powerful. The characters slash cliches before they have a chance to say 'Happily Ever After'. A wonderful movie.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS