Posted: 05/25/2004

Shrek 2

(2004)

by Clint Fletcher

He’s mean, green and back on the screen.

That’s right, my friends. The Summer movie season has finally arrived. After a terribly slow start in May ranging from the so-so (Troy) to the God-awful (Van Helsing), it’s about damn time for Shrek and his pals to swoop in and rule ass at the box office.

Shrek 2 is not only on par with its predecessor, but it also comes damn-near close to outdoing the original in cleverness, wit and charm.

I must start off by saying that I am a big fan of the first Shrek film. Although, I would agree to the fact that many people gave it much more credit than it really deserved. So I went into the theater pretty open-minded, and with nothing but great reviews being posted so far, I really wasn’t taking all that big of a chance. But low and behold, the geniuses over at DreamWorks have hit yet another major home run (that brings the total to 2 now). Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz are all back and with a vengeance, no thanks to their $10 million paychecks for about a month of voice-over work. And to think Eddie Murphy didn’t even leave his house for this… Newcomers to the voice-over clan are Antonio Banderas (the badass kittie known as Puss) and Rupert Everett (Prince Charming).

The film picks up right where the original left off, opening with Shrek and Fiona on their honeymoon. When returning to the swamp and reuniting with Donkey, Fiona and Shrek are summoned to Fiona’s home kingdom where a huge celebration has been prepared in honor of their marriage. Things get complicated when the parents of royalty disapprove of Shrek’s lifestyle and physical appearance. Meanwhile, the cocky Prince Charming finally arrives at the tower to rescue Fiona, only to find that he’s an animated movie too late. After learning of this information, the Fairy Godmother (mother of Prince Charming) decides to take action while Fiona’s father deals with problems in his own way…. by hiring the ruthless assassin known as Puss to whack Shrek. Then the chaos begins!

The only flaw I had with this film is despite a quite humorous opening (loved the whole Prince Charming slow-motion bit), the movie takes a serious turn for about thirty minutes or so around its mid-section, bringing the laughter and playfulness down to a bare-minimum. But as soon as this puppy reaches its third act, it kicks into high gear, spoofing anything and everything its possibly capable of. Hilarious moments worth mentioning include a spoof of COPS entitled KNIGHTS, involving a high-speed carriage chase and a drug bust in front of a castle, and a rip-off of the traditional Hollywood red carpet affair, Joan Rivers in tow. All the actors do an incredible job with their voices, but the real star that steals the show is Antonio Banderas, bringing to life the sword-wielding, Spanish-talking and mind-manipulating assassin, Puss. After Shrek spares his life in a showdown in which he ultimately wins, Puss feels the need to remain by his side until the opportune moment when he can save his life to return the favor. Great dialogue between Donkey and Puss too. Loved the big “Ricky Martin” finale…

Shrek 2 won’t go down in the movie-history books as “legendary”, but it sure is one hell of a way to spend an hour and a half of your afternoon. So snatch up anyone in your family below the age of ten and get your other excuses ready, because Shrek 2 is one fun, hilarious, kick-ass animated ride the entire family will enjoy.

Clint Fletcher is a Chicago writer and filmmaker.

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