In the summer of 2001, a little animated movie called Shrek surprised just about everyone by making a big splash, and grossing $267 million at the box office. And in the process, it broke the strong-hold that Pixar Animation Studios had on the computer-animation genre. After all that success, a sequel was imminent. Yet there was the problem of creating a story line, as the first movie was self-contained and didn’t leave much room for a sequel. The writers managed though, creating a thoroughly enjoyable sequel which may not reach the classic status of its predecessor, but is most definitely a worthy companion piece.
Shrek 2 literally picks up right where the first film left off. Shrek and his new bride Princess Fiona are just back from their honeymoon when Fiona’s parents, the King and Queen of Far, Far Away (a humorous barb thrown at Hollywood) request the presence of their daughter and her new husband so that they may celebrate the marriage. Shrek doesn’t want to go, but Fiona eventually convinces him, and along with their pal Donkey they are off to Far, Far Away. After finally arriving, it becomes apparent that there will be no celebrating, but instead an all out war between the King and Shrek. And to make matters worse, it seems that the Fairy Godmother (Far, Far Away’s equivalent to Heidi Fleiss, but in a PG sort of way) is scheming to get Princess Fiona to marry her son, the proverbial Prince Charming.
This new chapter in the Shrek saga brings many new voices to the mix, while keeping the stars of the original on board (but for a hefty price: Dreamworks shelled out $10 million each to Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, and Eddie Murphy for essentially a week’s work on the sequel). The returning voice actors are all solid, but it is the new-comers who steal the show. John Cleese is wonderful as King Harold, Julie Andrews brings a touch of class to the picture as the Queen, Rupert Everett does good work as the loathsome Prince Charming, and Jennifer Saunders is solid, especially during her musical numbers. And as great as all these voice-performances are, one stands above the rest: Antonio Banderes is hilarious and does some of his best work in years (I mean that as a compliment) as the feline assassin, Puss-n-Boots.
I am not sure if it is a deterrent or a cleaver marketing ploy, but the puns in Shrek 2 (my favorite: “Farbucks” -- a take off of Starbucks) come at such an extremely fast pace that the laughter from the audience for one joke, prevents a person to hear the next joke; which means you need to see this flick twice just to relish in every little nuance! And it is certainly a testament to the quality of the writing when the audience is rarely NOT laughing. (And likely a testament to why it is the currently the fastest movie to gross $300 million!)
Even though Shrek 2 is little more than Meet the Parents but with a twist and far more puns, it isn’t really an issue, as the scenes move at a steady pace and there is never a lack of entertainment or enjoyment. But it is here, and only here, where Shrek 2 doesn’t match the original. The original Shrek broke the mold for animated features; Shrek 2 fits comfortably within the mold.
Grade: B+
© 2004 Jacob Sproul
May 2004 Archive
2004 Archive
Main Archive