For the past three weeks, Ethan has been counting down the days until Shrek 2 was released. He wanted to go the first day it was out and I tried to help him grasp the concept that the sequel may not be as good as the original.
The glares I received - to merely SUGGEST the thought - well, he would hear nothing of it. By golly, we were going to that first showing after school and that's all there was to it!
I was one of the very few people who didn't see the first Shrek in the movie theater. Why? At first, it just didn't interest me. Later on, I got tired of all of the media hype and just avoided it entirely. When it came out on video, my son and husband were anxious to own it. A couple of years later, I now understand why.
After several viewings of Shrek, I found myself taken with all of the characters, the story writers spoofing other fairy tales, and most importantly, the music. There's something to be said about an entity (*cough* Disney *cough* not any more *cough*) that can take a concept and create a winning and interesting formula.
Usually though, sequels just don't work out (and this is what I was attempting to explain to the mini-grown-up). It's like in any original, the writers and animators seem to have put all of their creativity into one basket and when that is met with success, they suddenly are boxed into (or back into) not straying from very stringent expectations. Don't change the formula!
I'm thrilled to report that this is probably the first sequel that ever exceeded my expectations.
The story goes like this. Last we left off, Shrek (Mike Myers) had rescued Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) from her tower, they fell in love, and were married. We thought that they had ridden off into the sunset...happily ever after.
Not so. Once they return from their honeymoon, they are summoned to Far, Far Away Land so that Fiona's parents can throw them a proper wedding celebration ball. Fiona is touched and excited by the invitation. Shrek doesn't think that her parents will be all that thrilled to meet the ogre she married. With Donkey in tow, they set out on a 700 mile journey to the Far, Far Away Kingdom.
Fiona's parents, King Harold (John Cleese) and Queen Lillian (Julie Andrews) are shocked that Fiona is still her ogress self AND on top of that, married to Shrek, instead of Prince Charming (Rupert Everett).
The first meal together as a family, does not go off well. Shrek and King Harold are at each other's throats and Fiona is devastated by all of the conflict. As Fiona is reflecting on her sad situation, the fairy godmother, (Jennifer Saunders) enters, promising to fix everything. Of course she thinks that everything is connected to the fact that Fiona looks like an ogress, and not a beautiful princess. The fairy godmother assumes that the princess would be happy if she were pretty, and subsequently, landed herself, a hot lookin' prince.
But of course she has it all wrong. She just wants her mom and dad to accept Shrek and for Shrek to accept her mom and dad.
Unfortunately, the fairy godmother, the king, and another party - the original Prince Charming - can't accept the fact that Fiona loves Shrek. He is after all, an Ogre.
Do Shrek and Fiona live happily ever after? Well, you know, it ain't Disney...but do you really think Dreamworks is gonna break our hearts?!
Shrek 2 came together as a result of many of the original players including the actors (Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz), a director (Andrew Adamson), and a writer (Joe Stillman). Of course there were several new players too. I think the important thing is that Dreamworks found a balance between the original group while at the same time, infusing some new blood into the system.
When you think of Shrek, can you imagine anyone else voicing his character aside from the comical Mike Myers? Nope, me neither. Here, he continues his portrayal of a grouchy, but lovable ogre. One minute, growling about the world, the next, nuzzling in - next to his sweetie Fiona. Mike still has impeccable, comedic timing and his chemistry with Antonio Banderas and Eddie Murphy is tight. I could have sat through another two hours of just these three character...trekking through Far, Far Away Kingdom. That's how entertaining they were.
I love Eddie Murphy and I hope that he continue to find niche roles like these. It seems like everything else he's touched has been not good for his career. More donkey please!
I was pleasantly surprised by Antonio Banderas. When I heard that the whole Puss-n-Boots character would be introduced in the sequel, I rolled my eyes and thought of the Scrappy-Doo phenomenon. You know, that jump the shark moment when people run out of creative ideas, introduce a younger/different character (supposedly to interject some life into a story) and it ends up ruining everything? I was just convinced that this would happen with the Antonio character. I'm glad I was wrong. Like I mentioned earlier, I could have watched an entire film with just these three characters in it. In fact, if Princess Fiona were to be killed off by Britney Spears for stealing Sir Justin, I would see Shrek 3: The Three Musketeers :).
Cameron Diaz, who I usually have zero respect for in the acting category, doesn't seem to have as much air time as she had in the original Shrek. Maybe that's just my imagination. Who knows. While she continues to mesh well with Mike Myers, she just wasn't a part of the tight threesome (Shrek, Donkey, Puss).
I had no idea that Rupert Everett was Prince Charming - that is - until the credits rolled. He was exceedingly annoying in a Ken doll way, just exactly what the character needed to be. Again, he created something interesting that went beyond Shrek and if they chose to spin this guy off into his own thing - I'd watch it :).
Kudos to the directors and writers for creating and executing on a screen play that kept the audience glued to the screen, every step of the way. I think that it’s very difficult in our culture to create a story with a real message that doesn’t come across in a corny manner. Acceptance is a big deal. Self-esteem is a big deal. Shrek 2 put that message out there without coming across as a cheesy, after school special.
One of the great things about both Shrek’s is that the writer’s and directors write the story to appeal to both audiences – kids and adults. The humor here was written in a way where adults would get it while at the same time, the kids walked away with a more innocent interpretation of it. As a parent, that’s the best of both worlds.
I feel like I need to say something about the animation. It didn’t seem to stray at all from the original. I continue to be amazed at how life-like the characters look. I especially enjoyed seeing how the characters resembled the actors voicing them.
As you know, music was a huge part of the first movie and here in the second, it continues that tradition. Jennifer Saunders, who voices the fairy godmother, sings in a couple of different places, including her very own version of Bonnie Tyler's, Holding Out For A Hero. It's big. It's splashy. It's campy. It's entertaining. When she crawls on top of a piano in a sequined, red dress, I am reminded of Shirley MacLaine from Postcards from the Edge.
Other songs we got to enjoy included Bowie's, Changes, Peter Yorn, Ever Fallen In Love, Ricky Martin's, Livin' La Vida Loca, and Lipps, Inc., Funkytown.
Shrek 2 is rated PG for some silly things - some crude humor (farting of course), brief substance reference and, some suggestive content (lots of kissing, etc..). This pup is a must-see movie of the summer. Take your kids to see it - first chance you can!
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Some of my favorite quotes:
Shrek: I told you that coming here was a bad idea.
Fiona: They're my parents.
Shrek: Hello?! They locked you in a tower!
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Puss: Fear me, if you dare...
Donkey: I'm sorry, the position of annoying, talking animal has already been taken!
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Gingy (watching Fiona and Shrek's celebration ball on television): I hate these ball shows. What happened to the wheel of torture?
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Donkey: If we need an expert on lickin' ourselves, we'll give you a call.
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Fiona (gazing upon Puss-n-Boots, thinking that he's the new Shrek): Shrek?
Puss-n-Boots: For you baby, I could be...
Recommended:
Yes
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