Pros: Classic fairytale themes, great humor, super cast, cooking soundtrack, state of the art animation.
Cons: Makes you want Shrek 3 to appear quickly!
The Bottom Line: Shrek 2 is a fun, light hearted, entertaining film, full of tongue in cheek humor the whole family will enjoy. Go see it while it's still on the big screen!
That loveable Ogre is back with his brand new bride but adventure awaits the newlyweds after they get an invitation from her mom and dad (the King and Queen) to present herself and her husband to the Kingdom so that they may celebrate the union.
Production
The original Shrek was an animation marvel. Following in the shadows of Toy Story, Shrek proved that lightning can strike again and again if you provide a decent idea, good script and then the latest in technology. Along with that, tap the celebrity of popular film and television actors and actresses for the lead voices and movie lovers will come again. It's a well known fact in Hollywood (though they don't like to admit it) that G rated and family films make the most money of all genres. So why are more of these films not made? Who knows. But the quality keeps getting better and as long as the films keep us entertained, then we'll keep going.
Shrek 2 demonstrates the latest in animation technology. The movements and expressions are as close to human movements there are and with the advent of improved subsurface scattering, the skin textures and expressions are even better than in the first Shrek film.
Characters
All of our favorites are back, including Shrek (Mike Myers), Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) and Donkey (Eddie Murphy). Add to that Fiona's parents, the Queen (Julie Andrews) and the King (John Cleese), along with Puss In Boots (Antonio Banderas), a cat for hire who steals every scene he's in. A guest appearance by Larry King brings laughs and smiles from the character he plays.
All characters have their share of screen time and memorable lines which makes the 92 minutes go bye very quickly. And there are a fair share of bad guys to keep the action moving.
Script
The story line of Shrek 2 combines many of the classic fairytale themes. Only it does so with tongue planted firmly in cheek and a wink in the eye. Weaving non-stop humor through out the screenplay, Shrek 2 paces the laughter with the moments of reflection on the important things in life: family, loyalty and love. But the most fun comes from the continual references to current culture and society. Using modern cliches, music from the 70s and 80s as well as current, and cultural tv icons such as the television show COPS (Knights), the film provides lots of points of reference to identify with and does it so well that the movie audience barely has a chance to catch it's breath before the next session of laughing begins. In fact, the embedded baby boomer and ME generation puns come so fast at times you really have to pay attention or you'll miss some. And in the same manner as Toy Story 2, themes from contemporary movies are woven throughout the script making for more hilarity.
Performances
It's rare that a sequel can even equal the original film and almost never is the second actually better than the first. But Shrek 2 surpasses it's beginnings in all areas.
Mike Myers is his usual, nutty self. I never did get why he chose to put a Scottish accent to the Ogre character. But I guess it makes more sense than what we would traditionally picture an ogre sounding like (someone with a very bad cold).
Cameron Diaz is charming in the role of Princess Fiona. But this is no traditional princess. A modern woman Fiona is and demands her way when Shrek proves to be bull headed too many times. Diaz is now crowned the highest paid female actress in Hollywood, commanding 20 million dollars per film. She reportedly took in ten million for one week of voice work on Shrek 2.
Eddie Murphy reprises his crazy Donkey character with the same fervor as in the first film. And newcomers Antonio Banderas, Julie Andrews and John Cleese bring added dynamic to the already stellar cast. I won't comment more on their performances as to not give away any of the plot to those who haven't seen the film yet and want to "experience" it in it's entirety.
Soundtrack
One of the best decisions the producers made with Shrek 2 is the music soundtrack. Songs from the 60s through today pepper the action, providing humor and memories, tying the audience to what they are watching on the screen. It should also prove to be a most listened to CD.
Summary
If you loved the first Shrek, you've got to see Shrek 2. If nothing else, it's a fun reconnection with one of our most recent fun films and most have found it, like Toy Story 2, actually better than the original. A perfect opportunity to do something with your children this summer!
Oh, by the way. Don't walk out of the theater too soon. You'll miss the surprise during the credits!
After returning from their honeymoon and showing "home movies" to their friends, Shrek and Fiona learn Fiona's parents have heard their daughter has m...More at HotMovieSale.com
Product DetailsOriginal Title:Shrek 2 (Full Screen)Actors: Antonio Banderas - Cameron Diaz - Eddie Murphy - John Cleese - Julie Andrews - Mike MyersC...More at iNetVideo.com
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