Review of Shrek 2 (2004) by Moviemaniac83 — 24 Apr 2015

A certain amount of credit must be given to the filmmaking team behind Shrek 2 for overcoming a seemingly insurmountable obstacle and producing an entertaining motion picture. That obstacle is the ending of the original Shrek, which neatly wrapped up every conceivable aspect of the story, leaving little room for a sequel. Originally, Shrek had been designed as a one-off movie, but, when it became a huge hit, Dreamworks decided that a second installment was warranted. However, with Shrek and Princess Fiona married and living happily ever after as ogres, some creative brainstorming had to be done to arrive at a sequel-worthy concept.

To be fair, Shrek 2 doesn't have much of a storyline. It's basically about the meeting between newlyweds Shrek (voice of Mike Myers) and Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) and the bride's parents, King Harold (John Cleese) and Queen Lillian (Juilie Andrews). To facilitate this encounter, Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey (Eddie Murphy) must travel to the kingdom of Far, Far Away. The grotesque appearance of the happy couple isn't to the liking of the ruling family or to studly Prince Charming (Rupert Everett), who wants Fiona for his wife. With a little help from his mom, the Fairy Godmother (Jennifer Saunders) and a killer cat named Puss 'n Boots (Antonio Banderas), Charming seeks to win Fiona away from Shrek.

The animation is on the same level as that of Shrek, which was, in its own time, groundbreaking. There haven't been many advances in computer animation since then, but Shrek 2 hasn't done any backsliding. The film looks as bright and imaginative as its predecessor. The non-humans are surprisingly life-like while the humans still retain the slightly awkward look of something designed on a computer. There are a lot of background jokes; I have a feeling that it will take multiple viewings to uncover some of the more subtle ones. As in the first film, it's clear that the Shrek animators had fun putting everything together.

With its appealing blend of animated comedy, romance, and adventure, Shrek 2 follows the formula of its predecessor while maintaining enough originality not to come across as a direct copy. Fans of the first movie will be pleased. Although Shrek 2 isn't as breezy as Shrek, it's a respectable effort and a solid example of family-friendly entertainment. The enjoyable animated romp lives up to expectations, which is more than can be said for any of its current big-budget multiplex competition.