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Avg. Rating: 4.24
Green Around The Edges
Like almost everyone else in the free world, I liked the first Shrek film, with its irreverent humor, great voice cast, and snazzy CGI animation. Given that, I was looking forward to seeing the further adventures of the lovable Ogre, his new bride Fiona, and all of their pals. Shrek 2 picks up almost exactly where the first movie left off. The story takes us to the kingdom of Far, Far Away, as Shrek (voiced by Mike Myers) and Fiona (voiced by Cameron Diaz)--along with Donkey (voiced by Eddie Murphy) return to her homeland to tell her parents, the King (voiced by John Cleese) and Queen (voiced by Julie Andrews) the good news. Not everyone is thrilled though, that she is now married to an ogre, most notably Prince Charming (voiced by Rupert Everett), who was supposed to be the one who lifted Fiona's curse. We also meet the mysterious Fairy Godmother (voiced by Jennifer Saunders), and visit a bar called the Poison Apple, where the villains of the fairy tale world are gathered, including the great ogre-slayer, Puss-in-Boots (voiced by Antonio Banderas). Co-directors Andrew Adamson&Kelly Asbury have once again assembed a great team of voice talent. You already know what you are going to get with Myers, Diaz and Murphy. What stood out for me though, were the new cast members, not part of the the original. Cleese and Andrews are just perfect as Fiona's parents and playing off his role in Zorro, Banderas, almost steals the show as Boots. The CGI animation hits another home run as well. Having said all that, Shrek 2, still isn't quite as good as the first film. The magic and novelty has lost some of its luster. The "freshness" is gone. I don't think kids will enjoy this as much, they may even get a bit restless, as the film has its slow spots. Gross out humor has its place--but even this was just recycled--from the original. Not quite as clever as Shrek, I still had fun with its sequel, just not as much...***1/2 stars.
Think Shrek was good? Go back for seconds!
Normally, sequels aren't all that appealing-they take money away from completely new story lines in films, the movie industry is exponentially producing sequels, and often, the sequel sours the memory of the original. However, Shrek 2 is a wonderful exception to the rule-it surpasses its original.
The movie seems to take a little while to build momentum (not that there's a lack of humor anywhere in the movie) but with the entrance of Puss in Boots, the film reaches full steam and never lets down, right to the bonus scene in the credits. There are plenty of pop culture refrences (slight spoiler: note that Sir Justin's picture over Fiona's bed bears a striking resemblence to Justin Timberlake, the beau of Fiona's voice Cameron Diaz), but what truly makes the movie is the cast. The original voices are equalled in talent by the additions, particularly Antonio Banderas as Puss in Boots, who is even more hilarious than Donkey.
The message-something like 'love is blind, don't change to please society,' is the same as the original Shrek, but the message is universal, and there are very few people in this world who are satisfied in their own skin, so this is not a disadvantage to the film. The characters (except for Prince Charming-certainly a name change is in order!- and the Fairy Godmother) are endearing in all their triumphs and failures, but be warned-for cat lovers, Puss in Boots steals the show! Kids and adults alike-enjoy!!!
Different, but Better Than The First
Hilarious. Adults will love it's fast paced, bit mature, twisted humor. I liked it much better than the first Shrek. The laughs come at a non-stop fast pace. There are no boring parts. Small children may not catch much of the humor (at least I hope not), but the movie is a visual masterpiece. A feast for the young viewer's eyes. Great fun. Loved it.
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