Plot
Shrek and his merry band of amusing fairy tale friends are back, picking up right where the first movie ended. Shrek and Fiona return from their honeymoon to find a letter from Fiona's parents inviting the newlyweds over to visit. Shrek, Fiona and Donkey make the long journey to Far Far Away much to Shriek’s disapproval. The major problem is that Fiona’s parents have no idea that their daughter is now married to an ogre. The Fairy Godmother along with Fiona’s father try and end their marriage but will Shrek and Fiona’s love for each other save the day?
Analysis
I’ve been looking forward to watching this sequel since seeing the original movie back in 2001. I can honestly say Shrek was one of my favourite movies from that year. Thankfully Shrek 2 has not let my expectations down and has lived up to the hype. Sequels so often fail to produce the quality of the original but I’m happy to confirm that Shrek 2 is equally as good as the original.
All the original cast are back with the exception of Lord Farqaad and the Dragon. The new cast members are the Fairy Godmother (Jennifer Saunders) and her son Prince Charming (Rupert Everett), Fiona’s Father (John Cleese) and Mother (Julie Andrews) and Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas). All the characters are voiced exceptionally well but I must admit I failed to recognise who voiced Prince Charming and Fiona’s mother until I looked it up but then again this film is all about hidden surprises so why not have a few in the voice department.
As in the first, each character has a very different and humours personality matching that of their story book counterpart and the set piece sequences which see the gingerbread man, Pinocchio and the three blind mice bumbling about really inject some magical slapstick along the way. Once again the animation quality is wonderful and, as is expected of modern day animated masterpieces such as 'Finding Nemo' and 'Monsters Inc', the textures and colours are so sharp and crisp you could almost think that you were watching real film footage.....except that ogres don't really exist.....and nor do talking donkey's.......and as for that huge gingerbread man..!!
One of the main plus points to the movie is the use of similar scenes from other movies. You find yourself working out where you’ve seen a similar scene before just like the original Shrek movie. Shrek 2 calls upon many films ranging from 'Mission Impossible', 'Lord of the Rings' and 'Ghostbusters'. When watching the movie you find yourself following the story and main characters onscreen but constantly scanning the background reading all signs, posters and watching background characters for extra funnies. This is why the film will also be enjoyable on second, third, fourth and beyond viewing as I’m sure I did not catch them all. Role on 2006 for the next installment!
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Rating (out of 5)
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Action
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Lots of cartoon action mixed in with much humour. The final action sequence alone, as Shrek races to the palace to try and get Fiona back complete with the rousing Bonnie Tyler track 'Holding out for a hero', is fantastic making the hairs on the back of the neck stand proud.
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Tension
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No real tension but some thrills as the film is aimed for all ages.
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Violence/
Gore
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Again, just like the original, the cast are always fighting their way out of trouble but in a cartoon manner that turns violence to amusement. Puss in Boots and his sword skills amuses more than erupt violence.
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Bare Flesh
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None
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No time for bare flesh, it’s a kid’s animation you know...
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Plot
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Another simple but enjoyable plot just like the original movie. As it’s an animation there are no boundaries other then the writer’s imagination.
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Verdict
An excellent sequel which is defiantly on par with the original. The initial novelty has worn off but the characters are still great and the story very strong. A fantastic family movie which will be enjoyed by all.
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Facts, figures and boobs
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1.
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In the UK version, the voices of 'Larry King' and Joan Rivers have been replaced by home-grown TV presenters 'Jonathan Ross' and Kate Thornton, though King and Rivers are still credited.
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2.
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The Wolf is found reading a magazine named Pork Illustrated with the front page featuring an image of a posed pig with in a bikini. This is a spoof of the swimsuit issue of the magazine Sports Illustrated.
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3.
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Became the highest-grossing animated film of all-time in just 25 days. As of Saturday, 12 June 2004, it had grossed $346.5 million in the USA, surpassing previous (and only one-year-old) champion Finding Nemo (2003)'s $339.8 million. Lion King, The (1994) had held the animated box office record for 9 years before Nemo was released in May, 2003.
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4.
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When Shrek and Donkey defeat Puss in Boots, Donkey suggests that they give him the Bob Barker treatment. At the end of "Price Is Right, The" (1972), Bob (who hosts) always closes the show by saying, "Help control the pet population, have your pets spayed or neutered." |
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In the fight scene with Shrek, Puss in Boots tears out from the chest of Shrek's clothing, in reference to the alien bursting out of Kane's chest in Alien (1979). |
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6.
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When Shrek awakens in the barn surrounded by women, one of the women tells him she fetched him a pail of water. The woman is later referred to by the others as "Jill", as in Jack and Jill.
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