Plot
In a fairytale land called Duloc lives Shrek. Shrek, who beneath his scary green exteria is a mild mannered Ogre who's world is thrown upside down when the midget pretend King, Lord Farquaad, banishes all fairy tale characters from his land to Shreks swamp. Shrek sets off to find Lord Farquaad and convince him to take the fairy-tale beings back where they belong, and leave him alone. Lord Farquaad accepts, under one condition. Shrek must first go and find the beautiful young princess Fiona, who will become Farquaad's bride. The problem is the princess is being held by, what else, a fire breathing dragon.
Analysis
From the company that brought us Antz comes Shrek. Shrek is a movie that no other animation comes close to. It appeals to people of all ages with its use of fine visuals, comedy, romance and a superb creative story line. The scenes in which the animation takes place are immense and the actual scale and quality of the animation has never been this good. The creators have managed to push the computer hardware to its absolute limits to create this masterpiece. The character and animation development that went on behind the scenes is clearly demonstrated when viewing the DVD's special features sections. It shows the time and dedication put in by the animation team with the result being delightful.
The film features four main characters being Shrek, Donkey, Princess Fiona and Lord Farquaad. Shrek is the funny Ogre with a pure heart only wanting a peaceful life who is voiced by Mike Myers. Shrek is teamed up with Donkey the witty mule voiced by Eddie Murphy. This unlickly duo commence a quest to save Princess Fiona from the clutches of a fire breathing dragon. The princess has many hidden talents and secrets and is voiced by Cameron Diaz. Lord Farquaad, the small and cruel, is voiced by John Lithgow. As the film unfolds we are delighted by the introduction of many familiar fairytale characters such as Snow White, The 3 Bears, Robin Hood and many, many more.
| Key Area | Rating (out of 5) | Comment |
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Action
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Plenty of action from fighting knights, battling dragons and matrix style robin hood attacks.
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Thrills/
Tension |
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No real tension as it's aimed at all ages. But to be honest this type of film does not need this.
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Violence/
Gore |
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Lots of violence but in comedy animation type way. So no blood or gore just good clean fun.
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Bare Flesh
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NONE
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You get to see Shrek in his swamp bathing if that counts!!!!!
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Plot
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Started well and ended strong. Everything rapped up rather tidy, but wait for 2004 for the sequel.
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Verdict
A superb animated film, with an excellent story that appeals to all ages. Great character development with Shrek and Donkey making the perfect comedy duo. A must see for all the family. Don't forget to allow the end credits to pass in order to see the extra Shrek dance party animation. |
 Top banana animation with a fun script. |
Facts, figures and boobs
| 1. | Chris Farley was originally cast as Shrek and even recorded the dialogue. However, after his death, the role was given to Mike Myers. |
| 2. | After Mike Myers completed his dialogue and Shrek's animation was being completed, Myers decided he wanted to give Shrek a Scottish accent. After hearing a demo, the studio obliged, and an extra four million dollars was spent to reanimate Shrek with the new dialogue. |
| 3. | The VHS and DVD versions have a extended ending where Shrek is holding a karaoke party in his swamp and the characters are singing along to certain songs like "who let the dogs out?". |
| 4. | Farquaad's kingdom is a spoof of Disney World. Also, Farquaad himself looks and acts somewhat like Disney boss Michael Eisner. Shrek producer Jeffrey Katzenberg used to run the animation department for Disney and was dismissed by Eisner under unpleasant circumstances. |
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Movie Pictures
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| What other people thought of this film: - | |
| Sylvia |
Its my favourite movie!!....i love donkey, hes awesome!! Rated 10/10 a perfect score! i dont think any movie could compair but hopfully the sequal is just as god if not better!
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| Jason Arispe |
A must own for any parent or just the young at heart. Graphically and visually stunning.
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| Mark Ramsay | I think shrek was quite good and funny. |
| Mark |
This is the most fantastic movie i have ever seen and i just can`t wait to see the sequal.
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Wayne
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I thought shrek was funny and cool. Donkey had to be the funniest charactor in my opinion rating 12 out of 10
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Amy
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I think the film was really well done and the second one will be fantastic! the first one was really funny and i don't know anyone who doesn't love it!
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Linda
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This is the BEST film i have ever seen it is sooo funny and i just love donkey to bite :) i want more shrek!!!!!
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