I like "Shrek" a lot. How can I NOT like a movie that begins with an ogre wiping his ass with a page from a book of fairy tales? That's how you begin a movie! On top of that, the movie's attitude continues from there, poking fun at pop culture, movies, and more than anything else, the Disney empire. It was a movie that appealed to kids, while also having a subtle adult sense of humor. It was the perfect example of a film for all ages, and it made lots of money. A sequel was inevitable.
When "Shrek 2" first hit theaters, I knew I wanted to see it, but I figured I'd wait for the DVD because I didn't wanna deal with unruly kids (I don't blame the kids, I blame the parents who let them get away with it). Eventually, I decided to see it a week and a half after the movie opened, on a weekday right after work . It turned out to be a smart move, the theater was practically empty. YAY!
My expectations were high on the film. Critics like it a lot, audiences love it, and it's making a whole lotta money. "Shrek 2" exceeded the gross of the original film's entire run in less than two weeks. Pretty amazing. But despite the high expectations, I liked "Shrek 2." A lot. I wouldn't say it's better than the first film, I'd say they're about equal, but that's saying a lot considering how much I like the original.
The only real problem is that the originality is gone, and since the targets are the same, you kinda know what to expect, but that doesn't mean that there are no surprises. There are plenty of unexpected turns in the story, and even if the gags are familiar, the jokes are right on, and they're very funny. In addition, like with the first film, there's something there for the kids, and there's a lot for adults as well, the kinds of jokes that fly way over the heads of the young children.
The three main players are back for the sequel, Mike Myers as "Shrek," Eddie Murphy as "Donkey," and Cameron Diaz as "Princess Fiona." They're all very good, but like I said about Eddie Murphy's voice acting in the first film, he can be irritating at times. I'm glad he was in the movie, though. He does add a lot, and despite being kinda irritating, he's very funny. Newcomers include Julie Andrews and John Cleese, who play the King and Queen... the mother and father to Cameron Diaz's character. Also, there's Rupert Everett as "Prince Charming." All of them are quite good, but my favorite has to be Antonio Banderas as "Puss In Boots." He's a great character, and he has some really funny lines, but it's Baderas' voice acting that makes it so perfect. He hits all the right notes with the character, and does some of the best voice acting I've ever heard. It's up there with Ellen DeGeneres' voice acting in "Finding Nemo."
Like with most animated films, there are several directors and several writers. "Shrek 2" was directed by Andrew Adamson (one of the directors of the original "Shrek"), Kelly Asbury (he helped write "Beauty and the Beast," and he was one of the directors of "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron"... he also worked on the original "Shrek"), and Conrad Vernon (he helped write the first "Shrek," but this is his feature film directorial debut). As for the many writers, they include J. David Stem & David N. Weiss (together they helped write "Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius" and "Clockstoppers") and Joe Stillman (he was on the writing team of "Shrek," "Beavis and Butt-head," and "King of the Hill").
"Shrek 2" is the first really good movie of the summer, and hopefully, this trend continues. I think it might, 'cause I saw "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" a couple of days later, and I loved it. The summer had a slow start (I didn't even bother seeing "Van Helsing" or "Troy," and "The Day After Tomorrow" was pretty bad), but it's getting good now.
Go see "Shrek 2." It kicks ass.
Scale of 1-10: 8